Transmission pan leaking after service???
 

I just serviced my transmission (new filter, fluid, pan gasket) and it is leaking like crazy after a "spirited" drive. I am not sure how. I have serviced countless transmissions over the yars, but I must has slipped up somewhere.

Anyone know the transmission pan bolt torque? I may have overtightened the bolts causing the rubber gasket to bulge out.

:smash:

Same thing happened to me two months after tranny service at a local indie. Their diagnosis was a rubber plug that goes bad plenty of times on W203.

The charged me $30 for parts which includes one quart of ATF plus $45 for 30 minute labor.

Good luck on yours!

I assume you are talking about the electric plug just above the right front corner of the transmission pan? I noticed it when I did the service, but didn't touch it or bump it as I recall.

Yes, I think it was the plug on the front passenger side of the tranny pan. My indie told me that they just go bad after some time. Have you figured out where the leak is coming from yet?

I am not sure where the leak was coming from. I cleaned everything up, drained the pan, replaced the gasket and it seems to be fine. I suspect I added to much fluid the first time. It seems the measuring stick wasn't hitting the bottom of the pan during the first change and I may have overfilled it.

...which would explain why it would start smoking under full throttle. Excessive pressure in the pan due to overfiling could cause the gasket to leak and blow the fluid back on the exhaust piping? I left a trail of smoke for a couple of miles.

Most likely not, you had fluid leaking or falling due to gravity and falling onto the exhaust pipe, but I don't think it would seep out due to excessive pressure from overfilling (you're not actually filling the entire case like a coke can).

When I did my filter change mine was also leaking, so I gave all the bolts another 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and it stopped almost all of it. But I was never sure if that did anything, or if it was just residual fluid that I had spilled from the filler tube and it was just falling due to gravity.