Transmission oil leak

[CMcCardell]

I asked a local mechanic (excellent but unfamiliar with motorhomes) to check out a small tranny fluid leak on my '04 Adventurer (W22) as he was changing oil and flushing brakes.

He said the leak is in a quick-connect fitting from the tranny oil cooler to the tranny - it's a fitting he's unfamiliar with. He's pretty sure it's the return line.

Can someone tell me normal procedure to fix this? Replace the fitting? Get 2 new fittings and make up a new hose? Or order the hose/fittings complete?

What's the best supplier for the parts?

Thanks,

- Clay

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMcCardell What's the best supplier for the parts?

Clay, I would go to an Allison shop in a heartbeat. They will have those fittings immediately in stock and you should be in and out of there in no time.

[CMcCardell]

Thanks DriVer -

Well, since the coach just blew that cooler return line and is sitting on the side of the road - I will! It was a minor leak, not minor any more....

Good Sam road assistance has Stewart Stevenson on their way -

- Clay

[CMcCardell]

Update - a tech from Stewart Stevenson came out and fiddled with the line - apparently it's a kind of quick-connect and had come slightly unseated before, and finally blew out. He seated it, and in order to get the tranny oil to even register it took 6 quarts - to get to high normal, it took 10. So it was empty. I shut the rig down as soon as I had an indication of a problem (pulled off at the next street, coincidentally in front of my office) and the idiot light came on after I pulled off. I turned around to get where I could park and shut it down. Once the line was seated and the tranny filled, no more leaks.

So, 2 questions -

1) Will I have done any damage to the tranny?
2) They're telling me that the quick connect is now seated - we pulled and fiddled and it's not going anywhere, and not leaking anymore. None of the techs were familiar with that kind of fitting, and they're the medium-heavy duty Allison shop in town. It must have not been completely seated before (53,500 miles on it?) and gradually came unseated. Do people think this is a permanent fix? I'll keep an eye on it.

Thanks,

- Clay

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMcCardell So, 2 questions - 1) Will I have done any damage to the tranny? 2) They're telling me that the quick connect is now seated - we pulled and fiddled and it's not going anywhere, and not leaking anymore. None of the techs were familiar with that kind of fitting, and they're the medium-heavy duty Allison shop in town. It must have not been completely seated before (53,500 miles on it?) and gradually came unseated. Do people think this is a permanent fix?

Clay, Smell the fluid on the stick, if it smells burnt it maybe so consider a fluid change or an upgrade to Transynd or other synthetic fluid.

One BIG warning sign would be the GEAR (icon) and Exclamation Point! This would indicate a transmission failure.

I don't expect that you will have any further issues with your tranny. Those fittings appear to be overall pretty reliable since we don't often hear about this type of failure or leak.

[CMcCardell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer Clay, Smell the fluid on the stick, if it smells burnt it maybe so consider a fluid change or an upgrade to Transynd or other synthetic fluid. One BIG warning sign would be the GEAR (icon) and Exclamation Point! This would indicate a transmission failure. I don't expect that you will have any further issues with your tranny. Those fittings appear to be overall pretty reliable since we don't often hear about this type of failure or leak.

Thanks DriVer -

Well, fingers crossed then! I'll keep an eye on it. As soon as the tranny had oil in it, the idiot light went out. And the fluid doesn't smell burnt at all and looks fine, but then again I put in a total of 9 1/2 quarts to get it up to level, so it was 90+% new fluid!

Best,

- Clay

[TrekPR]

Clay,

I had a friend whose daughter drove a Ford Explorer into Yosemite Valley, she had noticed the transmission was not acting right around Fresno. She finally was able to coast into the valley but when the road leveled out it wouldn't go any more so she called her dad who called me. I found a loose connection at the radiator and poured a lot of fluid in it. The transmission ran no problem for 2 or 3 years when they traded it in. I would be confident it was OK but just to be on the safe side I would have the fluid and filters changed.

[sknight]

Your trans should be fine. This is different than driving it low on fluid. Once the fitting gave out it dumped the fluid and with no pressure to work with it basically went into neutral.

That fitting is a quick connect style that GM uses on all it's transmissions, the ones for Allisons are just twice as big than everything else. If they replaced the fitting then you should have no troubles. They have a wire retainer that clicks in with three ears. The lines have been partially snapped in before and leaked from the factory, they're an easy fix if you're familiar with them.

If your guy touched it checking it out then that's why it finally gave out. I'm not saying he did anything wrong, it's like touching a house of cards.

If there's an issue with them in the future and the shop isn't familiar with them a GM shop even a car dealership should be able to help.

[CMcCardell]

Thanks guys -

I guess I'm confused about the connectors. Maybe my normal mechanic wouldn't know them (but they work on EVERYTHING and Dmax/Allison setups are common here) but Stewart Stevenson is the local Detroit Diesel - Allison dealer and no one in the shop had ever seen these connectors before. You'd think they would have....?

Anyway, the field tech pushed the cooler line (steel, not a hose as I originally wrote) back in, it seated and now won't move and doesn't leak. The coach will be sitting for a couple of months at least with my mom living in it, but next trip I'll keep an eye on it and make sure I change the filters and check the magnet and hope that all's well!

Thanks everyone for your input -

- Clay

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMcCardell The coach will be sitting for a couple of months at least with my mom living in it, but next trip I'll keep an eye on it

Clay, I'd belt mom in and take her for a ride at least once a month! Motorhome is better used than allowed to sit for extended periods of time.

[CMcCardell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer Clay, I'd belt mom in and take her for a ride at least once a month! Motorhome is better used than allowed to sit for extended periods of time.

That's very true! But I've put about 5,000 miles on the coach in the last couple of months, so we'll just have to call it "giving her a rest"....

- Clay

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMcCardell ... so we'll just have to call it "giving her a rest"....

Clay, All our best to mom!