Subaru Legacy Outback Edition 1998 leaking transmission fluid?

First I want to apologize for how clueless this question may sound. My Legacy has an oil leak, but yesterday when I was returning from a trip at a stop sign she started smoking pretty badly.

When we checked it out later, we were able to see where something that spilled out onto the exhaust but I couldn't figure out what it was. Today I noticed where it is most likely coming from, but I don't know what it is, so I have no idea where to begin looking for a solution.

This is the picture I took of the area in question. It's down low in front of the passenger side of the car.

If someone could tell me what that might be I would really appreciate it. Thanks,

Saille

this is a picture of the front diff dip stick hole that has been over filled with ATF, auto trans fluid.

 

it will not kill your front diff in the short term,

lube is lube.

but long term it will cause trouble.

 

but more important,

if ATF is in the front diff,

WHAT IS IN THE AUTO TRANS????

 

the auto trans dip stick is located in the rear of the engine compartment,

near the fire wall,

driver side,

under the AC and heater hoses.

it has a yellow dip stick handle,

just like the front diff dip stick is supposed to be.

 

usually this problem is caused by some putting the wrong stuff in the wrong place,

after draining the auto trans fluid.

and soon there after the auto trans dies from lack of fluid.

 

but is could also be caused by a bad seal in between the diff and the trans.

especially if no fluids have been added recently.

Hi John,

Thanks for the info. I am not sure about it being a dipstick hole. I had wondered that, though couldn't figure out what it would be for. I took and cleaned it up a bit and took another picture. I checked the ATF and that seems fine, it's at the correct level, and the fluid looks like it should.

Here is the second picture with it cleaned up. It looks like something is missing obviously, because I don't imagine that would be left in the open like that, but I don't see any place for a dipstick to be put.

Thanks again.

Saille

I forgot the important info. This is a 1998 Legacy Outback edition.

It's easier to see in your second pic that hole has a snap ring in it and it should, mine does too. Your dipstick will be just forward and slightly inboard from that location. I would have another look and see if you can locate the dipstick and confirm that it is either leaking or not, i suspect it might. Although i do agree with John in that it looks like ATF.The dipstick has an Oring on it and they can get worn and loose over time. If the dipstick tube is leaking i could see it gathering and filling that depression they are quite close to each other.

brackets is right.

the second pic shows that this is the ''speed sensor'' location.

(think speedo cable but electronic, not a cable.)

in any case your sensor / cable is missing.

(in the US, they switched to electronic from cable in 95.)

does the speedo work?

 

the speedo drive gears,

below / inside of what you see,

is in the front diff.

so if it is leaking here,

it should be gear oil 85w-90.

BUT i have never seen a speed sensor that was oily.

so there must be a seal in between.

 

sorry for the mis-identification in my above post.

 

check you fluids.

Thank you! Both of you. Now at least I know what I am looking at. I can work with that.

I checked the ATF, and that was at the right level, and I've seen no signs of a leak otherwise, and I'll see what I can do about locating that dipstick. Thanks again,

Saille

When you say speedo, do you mean speedometer? If so, yes that works. The tachometer also appears to work fine. The only reason I even noticed that was because of the fluid that was in it.

Thanks again for the info.

Saille

i had a crazy weird leak one time from trans fluid that wasnt anywhere near it, after a few drives and checks i realized the cooler line had a split in it, and once under pressure would spray across the engine bay and splatter on the opposite side (and the under side of the hood, that i hadnt noticed yet). have you checked the hoses and such from around the area?

That's actually the strange thing. Aside from right there were you can see the fluid there was nothing wet on the engine. Considering the color and texture of the fluid I know it's oil/transmission fluid. Most likely transmission fluid. I haven't had any issues since. The area has remained clean and dry, this happened originally on Sunday evening.

 

The only thing different about Sunday's driving is that I used it in 3 and 2. I was driving on some of the rougher seasonal roads. Would shifting it into those lower gears have caused an issue - when normal driving doesn't?

 

I'll check all the hoses this weekend and see if I can locate anything.

This is when I wish cars could speak. (Or at the very least I spoke their language.)

Thanks,

Saille

i think i need to go back and delete both of my posts above.

the repair info in general is correct,

it just does not apply to your problem, picture.

sorry.

 

i do not know what is pictured,

some part of the trans.

it is located on the main trans body,

not the front diff body.

so it is not the speed sensor or the diff dip stick location.

 

but it does appear to be a leak point.

it probably should have plastic plug or a cap on it.

and it is possible that higher rpm of lower gears may have played a part.

(but just because you were in 2 or 3 does not mean you were rev-ing the engine.)

or it could just be old age.

 

i lost the rear output shaft seal on my 97 lego auto trans (w/160k) on the hiway at 70mph.

i felt a ''bang'' under my seat and then it drove fine.

i got to the gas station and as i was filling up,

a puddle of trans fluid ran out from under the car.

i never found a cause, but the seal blew out of the rear.

high speed, high rpm, high fluid pressure, old tired plastic, pop, oops.?????????

 

you need to look at other auto trans to see what is there .

and change your trans fluid .

clean fluid is always better.

do a search for ''drain and fill three times'' or just ''drain and fill''.

 

you may need a dealer or a trans shop to help with the plug.

or you may be able to ID it here :

http://opposedforces.com/parts

and order it from some where.

the local dealer will cost a little more, 25 - 30%,

but this is a $10 part.

if they have it in stock, get it, it's quicker.

 

let us know.

I'm not totally convinced that this is the source of your leak. It may or may not be. It might just be where the oil is most visible because it's gathering in there. Looks like you have 2 or 3 small rocks in there too. I have the exact same snap ringed plug on my '97 auto gt Wagon only mine is bone dry. There is no other plug or cap on mine either. That doesn't mean there isn't one to go in there but i doubt it.

Have you located that dipstick yet? It shouldn't be that hard, it's only a few inches away. That may not be the source of the leak either, it should not contain ATF and would probably only puke out if it was way over filled, but unless you've owned the car since it was brand new and done ALL of the maintenance and servicing yourself you can't take anything for granted.

I have two more pictures for you guys. Of what's under the hood.

I haven't found the dipstick you are talking about, which makes me feel pretty silly.

Red arrow is pointing to where I took the original picture.

The next image is a slightly different image of the area in question. I am not sure if it gives you any better idea.

Thanks for your help. I'll let you know when I get some answers.

At the moment no one around here can put a finger on it because it's not doing anything strange. It's not running poorly, it's not leaking anywhere visible at the moment. The only fluid I am finding on the ground is oil, and that's always on the ground under the the area where the dipstick and fill area is.

Saille

Saille

In the 2nd picture you can see part of the yellow handle of the front diff dip stick hiding behind the wiring harness.

 

I recommend cleaning the area with engine cleaner so you can try to locate the leak. Very possible it is being sprayed from a hose in the engine bay, but if I recall the cooler lines run along the drivers side frame rail.

Very possible it is being sprayed from a hose in the engine bay, but if I recall the cooler lines run along the drivers side frame rail.

 

yup, the power steering lines are on that side

Twisty- Thanks for the info, because I was wondering if perhaps it was actually power steering fluid, it's the only fluid in the car that appears to be lowered at all. I hadn't checked that originally, but I noticed this morning that it looked lower.

 

I'll have to have them take a look for that.

 

Thank you guys so much for all your help.

I'll let you know what it turns out to be, but I bet it is the power steering.

Thanks,

Saille

Very possible it is power steering, as it also uses ATF.

Looks like spray from a line.

 

Check your power steering hoses but wear glasses and don't probe around with your hands. I got a very nasty laceration once from leaking fluid under pressure.

 

Use an empty paper towel roll or something to run along the cooler lines and hoses, while someone turns the steering wheel to the extreme left and right. That should help you find any leaks.

When I had this similar thing happen to my legacy the seal between the transfer case and the transmission broke so everytime I put atf in my tranny it would just spew out of the transfer case dipstick.

 

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