Car leaking a lot of trans fluid

[VS_Wagon_Baby]

As the title says, my car is suddenly leaking a lot of trans fluid, like from last night to now it has made a puddle half the width of the car. Is there an easy way to fix this or is it a job for a professional?

[TUF UTE]

im happy to have a look, how far are u from port rd

[Scooter79]

Do you know where the leak is coming from? Transmission pan, split hose, bad connection behind the radiator? It's too hard to answer without details.

[mrhotdog]

i had this problem not long after i got mine. got to the stage where it wouldnt go anywhere. turns out gasket was shagged, a service and it was as good as new

[VS_Wagon_Baby]

Ok, i was just outside for a bit checking it out and it is leaking from the pan thingy between the exhaust pipes at the front with the bolts around the outside, so that must mean it is a seal or a gasket right? Would I be able to change it myself if it is? Here's a pic of where it is dripping out.

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And thanks for the offer Dave.

[TUF UTE]

seal is shagged, go to autobarn or wherever and buy a 50$ trans servicing kit, change ya filter and gasket and such all at once

[Harvs82]

Yeah that looks like the transmission pan gasket is shagged, if you are going to change it yourself, make sure that you clean all the old gasket off, and when you tighten up the bolts, make sure that you tighten them up to the correct torque, if its too tight then you will warp the pan and gasket, and you will end up with the exact same problem that you have now.

If you haven't got a Gregorys manual, go out and grab one, under the auto transmission section it will describe exactly what to do. It's also important to ensure that you put the correct amount of fluid back in if you do decide to service it yourself. I wouldn't be driving the car until you have atleast topped up the fluid, but you need to check the fluid when the car is warm, it has to be between the cross hatched area of the HOT part of the dipstick.

[TUF UTE]

and degreaser and air gun..... give it a good clean out

[VS_Wagon_Baby]

Hmmm, this all sounds like it will be a pain to fix. My trans is already a bit jumpy so it might make sense to take it to a place that specialise in them and get the seal fixed and the trans properly checked over. Probably book it in this week hopefully. Does anyone know any places which are good for this near the Semaphore/Pt Adelaide area? I might try Nisscare, they are pretty good.

And thanks everyone for the help.

[Harvs82]

Depending on the colour of the fluid, it might be worthwhile getting the whole system flushed at a professional auto transmission place. It will cost more than a standard service, but it is definately worth it, and its a safe guard against further trouble down the track.

[TUF UTE]

im near port adelaide mate, i can do your trans pan lol

[VS_Wagon_Baby]

^That would be awesome, but i think i'll get a full service on the trans, get it flushed out, checked over etc. But thanks for the offer mate. If i run into problems with other bits on my car i'll definately keep you in mind as you live close.

Thanks a alot everyone, looks like im back to driving the good old magna for a bit haha.

[TUF UTE]

no worries buddy

[mrhotdog]

i got mine done at my mechanic. u know the repco one (Port Adelaide Auto Repairs) in the port, its next to the medical centre on the road to the back of kmart. ive been taking my car there since i got it, full trans service was about $140ish. ive never had any problems with them, nice blokes. the kmart tyre and auto in the port is also very good ive found. dont go to profix, i took my magna there once when i had it, absolute tossers

[greenacc]

Is it better to buy the genuine service kit with the paper gasket or the repco one with the cork gasket ? oh , and wot about deep pans, is it worth buying a deep pan ? If i bought a deep pan, do i just need the deep pan filter kit or is there more ?

[hako]

The commodore V6 has a shallow pan - the genuine service kit should come with a cork/neoprene gasket and a filter to suit a shallow pan. Don't overtighten the pan bolts and you won't have any problems.

[greenacc]

The VS V6 auto has a shallow pan as standard, but there is a deep pan option, which obviously has a larger oil capacity and has a longer filter neck so the pickup is deeper in the fluid to prevent it sucking air when driven hard. Whenever you go to holden to buy a service kit they ask you if it has the deep pan. I think the only difference for servicing is the longer filter , with same gasket. I'm considering if its worth buying a deep pan from a wrecker or holden and converting mine over , it sounds like a cheap mod. Anyone done this here?

[rcnugget]

I have never seen a deep pan on a ecotec

[Zuicider]

mates got a deep pan on his vs series 3 2000 model ute

[greenacc]

yeah thats the one Zuicider. Mate of mine bought a new VS and complained to the dealer that the tranny was behaving strangely, and making a funny sound like shh shh shh, so the dealer apparently fitted a 'chuff kit ' ? which was basically a deep pan on the auto.

[VS_Wagon_Baby]

Ok, so i got the car checked at Nisscare and the cork seal on the tranny sump plug had been overtightened a couple of times before and has now worn out, so i booked it in for a full trans service which is gonna cost around $125.

Thanks everyone for the help, greatly appreciated.