I had my beloved 1989 Chevy C1500 stored all winter in my garage, and when I backed it out last weekend, I had about a quart of ATF on the garage floor. Where did it come from? The seals are in reasonably good shape, and there's only an occasional drip when driven regularly. I'm wondering: is it possible for the torque converter to drain back over time into the pan which then overfills and spills out a vent or some other opening? I didn't think to check the level before starting it. It was nearly a quart down at idle.

 

Don't worry about it. Just keep driving til it won't go no more... ;D

 

Whatever you do, do not listen to him. Your TC may have drained and overfilled the pan. I'd add more fluid in it and drive it around some and see if it leaks again.

 

I have numerous cars in storage - some start leaking trans fluid over time, some don't - most have TH400 trannies like your truck.<br><br>The front seal is the most common culprit but it is only a problem if it continues to leak after you get it hot the first time. Most time they get a little hard from sitting and need to be heated up to regain their seal. If it is truly blown then you wouldn't be able to keep enogh fluid in it to be able to go very far and you would leave a trail when you did move.<br><br>Keep an eye on the trans level and check for puddles whenever you get it hot and then stop. If it continues to weep you might want to replace it.

 

Hey Tom,,,,,,,,,<br> If someone locked you in the garage all winter,,,,,,,,, wouldn't you leave a puddle on the floor? ??? : ;D

 

.....hey that's for sure! Well, it's at the local garage to let them take a look at it. What redramnc said corroborates what I read about front seal trouble. If left unused for a long time, the weight of the TC distorts the seal, and can cause a leak with disappears once the vehicle is run.

 

Don't worry about it, my '70 Checker wagon (350 Chev w/ TH400) does that every winter, never leaks when driven. Freaked me out the year after I replaced the original Borg Warner Flash-O-Matic. Man was I p. o'd.

 

[quote author=RATTLINRAM link=board=10;threadid=14464;start=0#135932 date=1052343123]<br>Hey Tom,,,,,,,,,<br> If someone locked you in the garage all winter,,,,,,,,, wouldn't you leave a puddle on the floor? ??? : ;D <br>[/quote]<br><br>

 

Well, I found out what's causing the leak. It's a bad selector shaft seal, and my local guy doesn't want to mess with it. He thinks the TC is draining back slowly over time and the high fluid level in the sump is leaking out the bad seal. So, we'll see how much it costs a transmission place, and if it's too much, I'll let it drip on a floor pan until like Hoss says, it won't go no more.