Question: Is there a good way by visual inspection to tell whether a transmission fluid leak is the fault of a bad gasket or a leaking electrical connector sleeve on the transmission for a 2003 S-Type V6 3.0 base model?


Noticed transmission fluid drops on the garage floor the weekend of March 8. Up on ramps the transmission pan was dry except for one bolt which had a large drop of reddish-gold (yeah, I know you're thinking what I'm thinking -- previous owner went the cheap route... but the car shifts fine) fluid.


My local independent shop confirmed the trans leak on Tuesday, said it was likely a leaking gasket and a stripped bolt. So I ponied up the cash for a new gasket, bolt, and multiple litres of unicorn blood.


Drove it home from the shop, left it in the garage during a week-long family vacation, and drove it to work yesterday. Today? A little over an ounce of transmission fluid on the floor and a wet forward edge of the transmission pan.


Before I take it back to the shop, I'm wondering if it wasn't the gasket (assuming the shop guys didn't over-torque the bolts, or the pan, which doesn't seem cracked, isn't warped) could any other source for the leak make it appear to be a leaking gasket?

 

The electrical connector is right above the pan. This is why it is always best to replace both at the same time. Guess its the shop's turn to pay for the fluid this time since it probably wasn't diagnosed correctly the first time.

 

In my car the electrical connector sleeve "leaked " when the car was parked over the winter.I had an oil patch of 3 in diameter after 4 months.


If you clean the area around the sleeve with brake cleaner or similar, it will be obvious if oil is leaking through the sleeve "O" rings after a short run.

 

My Stype is doing the same thing! At least the shop diagnosed it correctly. I've decided to watch it carefully. They added a quart of fluid and it has only leaked about a quater size coin drop on the garage floor since then and that was over 2 months ago. They said it was the electrical sleeve that was the culprit. No problems shifting at all. I won't replace the sleeve unless the leaks gets much much worse.

 

While some of these sleeve leaks have been reported to be very intermittent initially, I've been told by a couple of trusted sources that once they begin to leak, it is just a matter of time before the leaks get worse. So if you opt to drive around with a known leaking sleeve, watch it regularly. Once your ZF 6HP26 loses more than two litres of ATF, you are in danger of blowing your transmission....

 

Thanks for the replies folks. Turns out the culprit was... wait for it... neither the gasket nor the sleeve! The pan was cracked, likely by someone over-torqueing a bolt when they put in the cheap transmission fluid. Right now some artfully-applied J-B Weld is holding things together until a new pan and replacement sleeve arrive.