Aw4 phantom leak…
08-12-2022, 10:01 PM
#16
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Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Let's say the fluid foams. Where's the first place it will leak? Dipstick tube o-ring. Is fluid up that high at any other time if it's not foaming?
08-13-2022, 06:13 PM
#17
yep 😜
I was suspecting front seal. I cleaned it up and did as suggested, but couldn’t reproduce the leak. It was probably 2 months between the 2 leak events with zero leaks, even after long highway/city drives. I figured if it was a bad front seal it would leak pretty consistently after reaching operating temps. I can drive it all day long, highway speeds, side streets, no problem. Would a bad front seal be so intermittent like that?
Only seems to happen when it’s really hot ambient and I get caught in bad traffic, or the second time the trans was working pretty hard on the gravel road with hills and lots of acceleration/slowing down.
since it seems temp related, even tho it happened with trans reading around 185f, I’m thinking maybe restricted flow thru cooler? No pinched lines or anything, but maybe buildup inside? I could do the flow test from fsm but I’ll start with cruiser’s suggestion and go from there. I’m a firm believer in starting with the simple solutions, po using wrong fluid is pretty simple 😆
I was suspecting front seal. I cleaned it up and did as suggested, but couldn’t reproduce the leak. It was probably 2 months between the 2 leak events with zero leaks, even after long highway/city drives. I figured if it was a bad front seal it would leak pretty consistently after reaching operating temps. I can drive it all day long, highway speeds, side streets, no problem. Would a bad front seal be so intermittent like that?
Only seems to happen when it’s really hot ambient and I get caught in bad traffic, or the second time the trans was working pretty hard on the gravel road with hills and lots of acceleration/slowing down.
since it seems temp related, even tho it happened with trans reading around 185f, I’m thinking maybe restricted flow thru cooler? No pinched lines or anything, but maybe buildup inside? I could do the flow test from fsm but I’ll start with cruiser’s suggestion and go from there. I’m a firm believer in starting with the simple solutions, po using wrong fluid is pretty simple 😆
08-13-2022, 06:34 PM
#18
Junior Member
Thread Starter
If iy was the front seal, it would depend on where the seal was compromised. I had this happen on both of my XJs (98 and 99). The seal was old and brittle. If seal cracks on the upper part, then you'd be ok until the fluid really expands. If it cracks on the bottom half, it would start leaking sooner. After I replaced those seals, it was clear that the "seal conditioner" kinds of products would do nothing. the seal gets brittle, cracks and won't hold fluid.
08-16-2022, 10:10 AM
#19
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Update: I did the first drain/fill this morning, the fluid was darker than I expected from the stick, not burnt but a deeper red. I’m sure it will benefit from some new fluid regardless if that’s my issue. Quick question, how long should I wait before repeating? To me as long as it runs/drives for a bit I shouldn’t need to wait long, right?
08-16-2022, 03:53 PM
#20
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No need to wait real long.
08-16-2022, 05:58 PM
#21
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Thread Starter
Perfect, thanks cruiser!
As a side point, I was driving around in a bit of traffic today with pretty warm ambient temps, the trans got up to about 195 on the gauge and I didn’t have any leakage at all. I’m not saying it’s solved, but that’s a good sign based on the past occurrences. Thanks again all.
As a side point, I was driving around in a bit of traffic today with pretty warm ambient temps, the trans got up to about 195 on the gauge and I didn’t have any leakage at all. I’m not saying it’s solved, but that’s a good sign based on the past occurrences. Thanks again all.
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cruiser54 (08-16-2022)
08-24-2022, 09:04 PM
#22
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Looks resolved…
Just wanted to post an update after a few hundred kms since doing a simple drain/fill.
just got back from a camping trip, the last time I drove there I had the leak-this time, completely fine. It was a pretty hot ambient temp, average trans temps ~150 and peaked at 200f, but no leak at all. I’ll keep an eye on it and post any changes, but I guess the conclusion is either wrong or worn out atf which caused it to overflow out the vent, which dumped it above the bellhouse/flywheel area so it dropped down on the exhaust and appeared to come from inside the bellhouse.
thanks to all who contributed, Im quite relieved it turned out to be a simple fix!
just got back from a camping trip, the last time I drove there I had the leak-this time, completely fine. It was a pretty hot ambient temp, average trans temps ~150 and peaked at 200f, but no leak at all. I’ll keep an eye on it and post any changes, but I guess the conclusion is either wrong or worn out atf which caused it to overflow out the vent, which dumped it above the bellhouse/flywheel area so it dropped down on the exhaust and appeared to come from inside the bellhouse.
thanks to all who contributed, Im quite relieved it turned out to be a simple fix!
08-24-2022, 09:35 PM
#23
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I like happy endings. And I LOVE simple fixes.
08-25-2022, 06:47 AM
#25
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Ain't that the truth!!!
08-25-2022, 08:57 PM
#26
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Thread Starter
So true
Sure helps when trying to find similar cases to diagnose. It’s all about give and take I say. Thanks again to everyone and I’ll post back if anything new comes up.
Sure helps when trying to find similar cases to diagnose. It’s all about give and take I say. Thanks again to everyone and I’ll post back if anything new comes up.
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