Carsy

Any chance of it being engine oil from the rear crank seal? Newly changed engine oil may look the same as ATM oil.

LILBENZ230

It is definitely ATF. Some residual dripped onto the garage floor and it is definitely not Mobil1. I was telling Karo last night that I took it out for a drive with the IS350 in tow following closely watching for smoke/mist and nothing. Car drives and shift's fine.

Carsy

Sounds as if some ATF may have been spilt when filling & lodged in a crevice. Under accelleration up the ramp it spilled out on to the exhaust. I seem to remember someone on this forum thought that they had a leak in the gasket but it was only a spill.

Good news if it is !!

Glyn M Ruck

Might have been sitting on the engine protector plate. Have it checked!

LILBENZ230

Having it checked this afternoon. Been driving the car and nothing funny has happened again, just that once.

MW_ATL

And let's face it, merging onto I-75 on an uphill ramp in metro Atlanta is somewhat kin to drag racing -- Hopefully it is simply spilled oil that was dislodged!

samaritrey

I love Atlanta The only place you can drive 20 over past a cop and not have to worry because a guy will pass you going 30 over lol

LILBENZ230

The transmission fluid was either overfilled or there was spilled fluid that got away on the uphill ramp merge at WOT. The fluid level was at max yesterday, no further leakage, shifts great.

Time to pile on some miles this weekend.

ncmudbug

That's good to hear! Glad it wasn't anything to worry about!

johnand

That might have been me. When I did the service on my 7G and posted the write-up, I thought I had a leak and it ended up being fluid that had drained into the transmission bell housing when draining the torque converter.

LILBENZ230

I'm just glad I don't have to worry about it anymore. We were about 40 miles into a 250 mile trip last weekend when we ended up towing it back home. I'll probably drive about 500-600 miles this weekend.

LILBENZ230

To say I am furious is an understatement. For the second weekend in a row we have attempted a 300 mile trip only to barely get started and encounter transmission fluid leaking onto the exhaust and smoke trailing behind. The indy I've been using has had my business for nearly a decade without an issue, I'm not sure what's going on with this one. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, she looks fantastic.

ncmudbug

Man, that suques! Hopefully you'll find that it's a simple oversight that causes an insignificant leak that is easily fixed.

From what you've told us about your indy, I would consider them innocent till proven guilty. It could be something that is unlikely or it could have happened after they gave it back to you the last time...

We'll be waiting to hear what you find out.

MW_ATL

Matt, that stinks! Hopefully they will get it worked out soon. It's got to be something relatively simple.

Trey -- actually the defacto limit is 80 (+25 on 285 and inside). I would *suggest* just a hair under and almost no one will blink an eye, at least almost every jurisdiction. I know - at least in most places - crossing that 80 number will get you noticed. Trust my "source" on that

Georgia also enacted a "superspeeder" law that gets you hit with an extra 200.00 fine at 85+ on Interstate/four-lane and 75+ on two lanes. Beware.

LILBENZ230

I drive 75-78mph in Atlanta without issue. Always have. So I take your word for it!

Carsy

If the transmission oil level is OK it must be "runoff". Have you checked the level?

It only takes a few oz of oil to make a mess & to smoke a lot.

samaritrey

lol thanks for the tip I am actually a very safe driver and luckily for me always hit Atlanta's rush hour so my top speed is 25 lol

LILBENZ230

The investigation has begun.. Hoping the car will be all fixed up today. After sitting over night there were a series of tiny little leakage puddles under the center of the car. The fluid is red and appears unused, definitely not engine oil in case anyone doubts my ability to know the difference lol

LILBENZ230

Okay the verdict is that the transmission was still over filled by about 1/2 a quart. It spews this out on the interstate at 80MPH and 3100RPM for some reason but not driving around town. They have corrected the level to perfect.

However, in messing around under the hood, the nipple on the coolant line that Boom Vang made the thread about disintegrated. He said only about a cup of coolant was lost but the car is not drivable. They are having a replacement over-nighted and it will be all ready to go tomorrow, of course all at no charge. I'll top up the coolant once I get it home.

Fingers crossed.

Glyn M Ruck

OK so she was evacuating fluid from the breather.

LILBENZ230

But this isn't harmful? Phew.

Glyn M Ruck

No - no harm done - Relax! Just watch that you don't have a pan leak etc once sorted. Make them clean the area of spill under the car.

LILBENZ230

I was really stressing over it. It is always on the go and for the past two weekends I have tried to visit a friend who just opened his own restaurant about 150 miles away from my house. Both weekends have ended in disaster.. I look in the rearview and see a trail of smoke from the Benz. Not a good feeling.

Glyn M Ruck

All will be OK as long as it has not damaged the front & rear transmission shaft seals which does not seem to be the case.

LILBENZ230

I just received word that my car has been included in the cam solenoid open campaign. I installed the adapter wires myself at 41000 and have never had an issue. But I'll be going in for the official campaign to be performed soon.