transmission pan leak
 

Wife has a 1999 Sebring convertible that I have been fighting a transmission pan leak for some time now. It started when we changed the transmission oil at 60,000 miles. Had it serviced by a local garage and for awhile everything was fine then it started to leave a little fluid on the garage floor. Long story short, took it back twice,they put new pan gaskets in it would hold for awhile and then start leaking again. Last summer I decided to tackle it myself. I took the Hayes manual and did everything by the book to the letter !!!! Same results fine for awhile and then it would start to leak again. Had orginally torked the pan bolts to specs.,but crawled under there this fall and tightened them down more. Same result, leak free for awhile and now leaking again. Although the tranny dipstick isn't dropping very fast it still concerns me that I am loosing transmission fluid and at my wits end as what to do to stop it. Like I said, I followed the procedure in the Hayes manual to the letter and the gasket edge of the pan and the matting edge on the transmission were so clean that you could have ate off of them. I was under the car yesterday and the right side of the pan seems to be where the leak is coming from. I used permatex high temp.,high pressure RTV (red) on the gasket and the bolt threads like instructed in the Hayes manual. Is there anything that I am overlooking as I would like to resolve this issue ? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ted

RE: transmission pan leak
 

How long did you let it set before driving it?

RE: transmission pan leak
 

Don't really remember for sure as I stated it was last summer, but I would guess a couple of hours. Should I have let the RTV cure overnight ?

RE: transmission pan leak
 

go to the dealer and get the black RTV
remove the pan clean off the sealing surface so u have silver metal all around apply the rtv around the pan thin coat u can use your finger to spread it out then install and and in 5 min U are goo to go.

if any one says anything different about what RTV to use then I plan on not posting on this subject any more.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

Sorry, Chryslertech.

I forget that this site is tech help only. No owner's suggestions allowed.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

it still is owner help sorry if i came off so blunt but some times it is needed
if u want a no leak no issue seal on the trans pan use Chrysler RTV
if u fond something that will do better and can be proven let us know but to this point and 13 years of doing this I have not found better.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

It was very blunt. And all I was going to suggest based on a fairly extensive background in sealants and adhesives, that, if available, longer drying time before putting fluid back in can only help the seal cure more effectively. Not that they use a different product.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

Chrysler Tech the Mopar RTV is OK and much better than the stuff most will buy at the regular parts place, but I've used it with mixed successif you don't get the surfaces really clean and if you don't get the pan on before that annoying drip at the bottom of the trans gets on the surface, you will eventually have a leak. I suspect you usually don't hear back from customers when a leak develops a few months later, because most will ignore it.

Check TSB 21-05-99 for something much better that will even shave a couple minutes off your service time.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

yes I know about the reusable pan gaskets they no longer make them though once the supply is gone that's it.
That little drip that U are talking about U don't haft to worry one bit about it with the Chrysler RTV that pan can be as hot as a normal trans do the service still leaking like a stuffed pig install that pan tighten the pan up and never leak. The RTV is anarobic does not need air to seal. Make notes to any and all that would like to have this same outcome with no fuss sealing of a trans pan.
Remove pan hot or cold clean off big chunks of old rtv or paper gasket yuck.
clean off same with pan if u dont have a wire brush to clean it off all the way its ok dont want any high spots of old rtv or gasket.
Chrysler rtv 1 tube apply bead around the pan then use finger to spread it around the whole area of the sealing surface u will use half of the tube thats it.
slap that sucker to the trans install bolts all the way around then tighten up.
U can add fluid right away
all done.

ask any other chrysler dodge tech on here.

RE: transmission pan leak
 

I used the Mopar RTV on a friend's Neon and I was even more careful than your post described in terms of cleaning the mating surfaces and providing cure time, but still ended up with a small leak. The stuff has worked great on my T&C though, so it's not perfect but can work.

I'm sorry to hear that the Mopar composite reusable gaskets aren't being made anymore. I love the one on my Durango no scraping anything and I've reused it a couple times with no leaks. When I bought the transmission filter for my Sebring at CarQuest, it came with a rubber gasket in the box. I installed that dry and so far so good for about 6 months it's not reusable and it's nowhere near the quality of the Mopar one though. Time will tell if it is hard to scrape off at the next pan drop, but it was nicer than dealing with RTV on installation.

I wonder if the composite gaskets are available aftermarket. Personally, I find gaskets easier to deal with than RTV when installation involves lying on your back under a car and, from that position,trying to get things lined up while threading in the starter bolts.