6 Reasons Why You Have a Transmission Fluid Leak When Parked
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There it is staring you in the face after you just go out of the grocery store. You pray its not your car as you get closer to look. Here comes car trouble. Here are 6 possible reasons why you are seeing red fluid leaking on the floor. First off, transmission fluid is not the only fluid that is red that goes in the cars and trucks.
Possible reasons why red fluid is on the floor
The other fluid that is red that belongs in cars and trucks is also the power steering fluid. Be sure that you check to see where the red fluid is actually leaking from by checking the transmission fluid level, and power steering fluid level.
Transmission fluids are also clear in color and are usually found in Japanese, and European cars.
How to check transmission fluid level
We want to locate the leak so we have to do some basic checks to eliminate the transmission fluid leak. Most cars or truck’s transmission fluid is checked with the engine running.
First, open the hood of the vehicle and locate the transmission dipstick as listed n the picture below.
Possible places transmission fluid could leak from
- Transmission tail seal leak
- Transmission torque converter leak
- Transmission line leak
- Transmission case leak
- Transmission front seals leak
- Transmission sensor leak
Some of the newer generation cars and trucks in the past 10 years do not have a dipstick. The way that the transmission fluid is checked is from a hole usually located on the transmission oil pan.
If your vehicle has no dipstick then it will be a good idea to have a professional technician or repair shop to check it for you.
How to check power steering fluid level
First, start the vehicle and locate the power steering reservoir under the hood of the car as seen in the image below.
Places power steering fluid could leak from
- Power steering reservoir leak
- Rack and pinion leak
- Power steering hose leak
- Power steering pump leak
Pretty easy and straight forward to check the fluid. On the power steering dipstick, you will see minimum and maximum lines.
Where you want to have the power steering level is at the full mark obviously. Do not overfill the transmission fluid or else it will begin to foam the fluid and spill over.
How serious is a transmission leak?
Oh, it’s really bad. If you continue to drive your vehicle with the transmission fluid leak, you risk the chance of running the transmission dry and damaging the transmission. You won’t damage it on the first day that it’s leaking so head to a qualified mechanic or repair shop fast.
