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Tranny fluid in bilge


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I know most of you have been on the water for weeks now, and most years so have we. I finally got around to getting the boat ready to go. I noticed a film of oil under the engine...no problem. I had been a little sloppy with the oil change last fall. Only problem is that the oil is red. I checked all of the hoses and fittings on the tranny and they are all in good condition, tight, and dry. The rear seal is also dry. The fluid seems to be coming from where the tranny bolts onto the engine block. My dealer (over the phone) said that it is probably one of two things. 1. A leaking seal 2. A cracked housing He said that he has had small leaks fixed by tightening the mounting bolts on the tranny. I got three of them to turn a small bit.

Has anyone else had a similar issue? Any suggestions or ideas?

By the way...01 SLXI, Monsoon 325, ZF Hurth 1:1 DD, 300 hours.

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Did this happen over the winter just sitting or have you used the boat yet? Did you change the fluid or add any recently? After my first change i had ATF in the bilge because I overfilled by about 3 oz's.

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Have you recently changed your tranny fluid? There were a number of Indmar manuals that were printed in 2001 with the wrong amount of tranny fluid to replace after a fluid change. My buddy found this out after he started having problems with his tranny after a fluid change. The seal popped, and he called Indmar to find out why. They told him based on the model year of his boat, that he most likely overfilled the transmission due to the misprint in the manual. As far as I know, this misprint occured in the Indmar book, not the Malibu Owners manual. My Malibu manual does not give the fluid amount, it just says to check it with the dipstick (not screwed in).

Sorry about your problem.......hope you get it fixed.

Edited by spinxt
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Don't know about a direct drive but on the V-drive setup the transmission has a cover at the very bottom of the housing that holds the filter screen in place. If for some reason that rattled loose over time it could be the problem.

post-1292-1210563715_thumb.jpg

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I was just looking in my service manual and that is what it says. The leak is defanatly at the bottom of the unit, which is where the filter and cover is. I guess I will check there next.

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I had a tranny fluid leak on my 99 Sportster. It was the hose fitting from one of the hoses that connect the transmission to the cooler. What I suggest is to disconnect both your hoses and bring them to your local hydraulic shop. They will put pressurised air in them and will be able to tell you if they leak. If so, they can replace it on site. They have all they need to custom build hoses. Plus you can buy just one. My dealer asked 80$ for the pair, it cost me 28$ for one that was made of better material (Heavy duty grade used on heavy machinery). The connector was better and the hose had a fireproof sheating.

What I did to find what hose was leaking with disconnecting them, is I cleaned them with degreaser. Then, wrapped the hose connections/fittings with Bounty type paper towels and put some vinyl tape to hold in place. I took a spin around the lake and removed the paper towels. One of them was soaking with red tranny oil.

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Don't know about a direct drive but on the V-drive setup the transmission has a cover at the very bottom of the housing that holds the filter screen in place. If for some reason that rattled loose over time it could be the problem.

post-1292-1210563715_thumb.jpg

Because this is the lowest point, it could be dripping from anywhere...

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You sure it just didn't burp after a fluid change?

I sometimes burp during a fluid change. Is that bad? Crazy.gif

I fart... does this mean I will go to hell when I die?

Edited by 1FootDan
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You sure it just didn't burp after a fluid change?

I sometimes burp during a fluid change. Is that bad? Crazy.gif

At your advanced age, loss of control over bodily functions is normal.

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Hoses and fittings are good. The sides of the tranny are clean and dry. The leak is at the bottom. I haven't had time to mess with it, but the place where the filter goes will get checked. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be that easy... Dontknow.gif

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You sure it just didn't burp after a fluid change?

I sometimes burp during a fluid change. Is that bad? Crazy.gif

At your advanced age, loss of control over bodily functions is normal.

Punk.

;)

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