Transmission Leak; How Much Trouble Am I In?…..

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you can always taste it to confirm 😅 seriously - it’s bitter-sweet taste-
You mean, I'm not only *&*:) taste test. Yummm!
 
You mean, I'm not only *&*:) taste test. Yummm!

Haha....

That would be one way to find out.

I tend to agree it looks more like coolant (if Toyota Red or similar).

The color looks more like coolant than ATF and ATF tends to spread out more and not make a heavy/rounded 'bead'. Coolant will 'bead' up heavily before dropping because it is mixed with water which has surface tension.

Anyway....the mystery continues. Hope the OP finds the source and it is a simple repair.
 
Coolant it is! I have a nice puddle in the “V” under the manifold. Few spots of fluid up front but nothing in the back. Thinking it may be the o-ring on the front pipe. Will know more when I can tear into it. Just need my work schedule to
Slow a bit to have time to get at it 😉.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted up things for me. Happy Holidays to you and your families!

I’ll keep everyone updated.
 
Coolant it is! I have a nice puddle in the “V” under the manifold. Few spots of fluid up front but nothing in the back. Thinking it may be the o-ring on the front pipe. Will know more when I can tear into it. Just need my work schedule to
Slow a bit to have time to get at it 😉.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted up things for me. Happy Holidays to you and your families!

I’ll keep everyone updated.

Glad you found it.

I had to repair this same leak last month. The o-ring was hard as a rock and had flattened out on both sides. It was an involved repair, but very manageable.
 
Any chance that you still have the part number for that o-ring if it does prove to be the problem?
 
Any chance that you still have the part number for that o-ring if it does prove to be the problem?
You should replace the oring regardless. it is the only thing sealing that hole. Sealant is not supposed to be used there. If you think the leak is at that junction, you may also have a cracked front crossover pipe. Then you need the pipe and the two gaskets too. Its easy enough to spray water in the valley to clean out the red color, and then run it till the thermostat opens and then peak in there with a flashlight and you will be able to see. I did this on my first 100 without knowing a thing. I can not remember but I may have posted some pics.
 
Some pics I found

BAC10FE2-BF02-4D41-B200-08713F922A13.jpeg

Toyota red after cleaning
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035CED92-C5AF-4E73-A85A-BDB7762C3541.jpeg

crossover pipe cracked from previous owner
BCC8B72B-0908-40D4-B589-11D93A411728.jpeg

gasket maker - makes it worse
47612040-075C-488E-B59E-C34028B3B42E.jpeg

when completely clean and seeing just the crust, when trying to diagnose
106F08ED-8836-4775-A318-3608B8490C0C.jpeg

crusty
8D72CA5B-F511-44B0-AA61-B5D2B68D62D0.jpeg

a closeup showed not only the crossover pipe cracked, but leaking at the gasket to the engine. This required some sotchbright
12C9999B-3740-4336-ADF8-EEBBBF8A0F51.jpeg

Yes, vac out and clean the ports, and then protect. you can see that the engine is very clean before the surgery
DD352F70-98A7-4F9B-B562-F24CE041498F.jpeg

temp fix while waiting for new crossover...did not work. Even fipg
F3E8F25B-0B6F-42FC-9169-DF5F6E43D147.jpeg

I unfortunately did not take any of the install. Here is the old pipe and you can see how large the crack is. Do not use anything but the oring for install and do not use tools when trying to remove gasketmaker and thermostat, there is a high probability of cracking this. PO cracked and tried to fix it and I mangled it trying to diagnose. 70 bucks at the time and was fairly fast to do, twice..
 
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Thanks for the great photos Baltistyle! This gave me hope that I wouldn’t have to remove the entire manifold. Something curious was discovered as I began to remove parts and pieces to gain better access; I found what I can only describe as a displaced “cap”. I’ll attach pictures to better illustrate the situation. My question is (I have so many more now) does that cap pop loose for any specific reason? When I start the engine fluid is indeed coming from that port. I’m going to
Hold here until I gather a little more information as this was totally unexpected. Thanks again guys for any new insights that you may be able to provide.

D95DAC46-44E7-4432-93FD-1AD0863A82AB.jpeg


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Just found this thread on the forum “

Coolant Leak Issue, Near Throttle body. (4 Viewers)”.​


It looks Like exactly what I’m experiencing except that my plug was completely out and only held in place by the overlying hose. Anyway, thought that I would add this to my dialogue and see what you all think 🤔…..
 
Fix is put cap back on and J.B. weld a quarter onto throttle body over cap.
I JB welded this 2020 Bat quarter, on a 03 throttle body last year.
62882010972__CBFBAFD4-BDBC-447D-BDAF-C9D4F2E64191.JPEG
 
So the Quarter + JB Weld seems to have been the fix. At least I have a plan now for when I need to remove the manifold to get to the starter when that day arrives. Once again I would like to thank each of you who contributed to my little fiasco and to all the others who have contributed so much to this forum. This is an amazing group of people!

9EDAFD58-718B-426D-A43D-A61C499CDC18.jpeg


F437D121-A0B3-4F2C-9991-97F18F109F1C.jpeg
 
So the Quarter + JB Weld seems to have been the fix. At least I have a plan now for when I need to remove the manifold to get to the starter when that day arrives. Once again I would like to thank each of you who contributed to my little fiasco and to all the others who have contributed so much to this forum. This is an amazing group of people!

View attachment 2885037

View attachment 2885038

That's one way to increase the value of your truck.
 
Did anyone take note that in 2020, the US mint released a quart with a bat engraved on it (the one I used). Which planing for and tooling would have been much earlier, than 2020.

Bats = Covid.....

So ironic!
 
I’m up in NY State these days so I thought Lady Liberty was an appropriate application 😉
 
I've got the same red fluid leaking back towards the trans and im freaking out. im gonna go dig around up top and see if I see coolant leaking instead of the transmission.

edit: ITS COOLANT!!! I'M SO HAPPY ITS NOT THE TRANSMISSION!!
 
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You can see the red coolant in the valley under the intake manifold and the residue where it sprayed out of the thermostat outflow.

I don’t wanna talk about the shop that used a generic bend hose and worm clamps when they replaced my radiator 2 months ago. If you had any doubts before on using OEM parts well here’s your proof. I’ve spent 2 weeks chasing this problem and now I find out it’s something they did…

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Similar issue here on my end. I thought I was leaking power steering fluid until I changed the oil and saw this on the transmission:
IMG_20220417_212619.jpg

IMG_20220417_212633.jpg


Wiping it off, it looks darker than coolant but its also pretty dirty:
IMG_20220417_231506.jpg



I checked my coolant and the reservoir is nearly bone dry. I need to give it a fill. There is still enough in the radiator though so no heat issues so far. I looked at what WRP2 posted earlier and saw this, which tells me I may in fact be leaking coolant out of that spot on the manifold, but not as much as he was:
IMG_20220417_231714.jpg


Any thoughts here? Leak on the tranny looks pretty dark, but I'm also dangerously low on coolant...I will get some of the toyota super long life coolant for it, but does that leak look dark enough for me to need to take it to the dealer or a shop?
 
Similar issue here on my end. I thought I was leaking power steering fluid until I changed the oil and saw this on the transmission:
View attachment 2985146
View attachment 2985147

Wiping it off, it looks darker than coolant but its also pretty dirty:
View attachment 2985148


I checked my coolant and the reservoir is nearly bone dry. I need to give it a fill. There is still enough in the radiator though so no heat issues so far. I looked at what WRP2 posted earlier and saw this, which tells me I may in fact be leaking coolant out of that spot on the manifold, but not as much as he was:
View attachment 2985150

Any thoughts here? Leak on the tranny looks pretty dark, but I'm also dangerously low on coolant...I will get some of the Toyota super long life coolant for it, but does that leak look dark enough for me to need to take it to the dealer or a shop?
The oil at bottom of your bell housing weep hole. Can be ATF (red) or engine oil (brown). My first impression looking at picture, was engine oil. Key will be which is loosing/low fluid.

Your low coolant, may or may not be a leak. Very often coolant systems are under filled, after a service. The throttle body leaks are generally so minor, they have very little effect of coolant level. Top coolant with your year correct i.e. 98-03 Toy LL Red. 04- Toy SLL Pink. Do this by driving with both heater set to max. Then park level or better yet, with front end higher than rear of vehicle for 8 hours. Then early in the morning, before sun warms the air, radiator or engine. Check that the coolant level, is to the top of radiator (to the neck under cap), by removing radiator cap. Then top reservoir. If you add any to the radiator. Repeat topping the next day. Keep in mind when look at coolant reservoir, it's level will vary based on coolant temperature.

Look over the engine, from top to bottom all four corners for sign of coolant leaks. This includes head gasket. Especially if coolant level drops again.
 

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