Leaking transmission fluid

[wotan2525]

I lose about 3/4 of a quart/season. Have never been able to figure out where it goes.... Tranny cooler is new and as long as I keep it topped off, I don't have a problem.

The only downside is that my bilge is pretty gross/filthy. I dump some laundry detergent in there every time we go out to try and keep it somewhat clean....

[villain]

Use dawn dish soap. It cleans grease/oil a lot better

[wotan2525]

Will try.

The other problem contributing to the bilge/transmission issue that I have is that I suffered a catastrophic oil pan failure a few years ago that resulted in a VERY messy bilge. Cleaned it the best I could, but it's still pretty nasty down there. It's still hard for me to tell if I'm seeing new contamination from transmission or if this is still just left over oil film left over. Yuck.

The good news is that I don't have to do much work down there.

[SquamInboards]

Will try.

The other problem contributing to the bilge/transmission issue that I have is that I suffered a catastrophic oil pan failure a few years ago that resulted in a VERY messy bilge. Cleaned it the best I could, but it's still pretty nasty down there. It's still hard for me to tell if I'm seeing new contamination from transmission or if this is still just left over oil film left over. Yuck.

The good news is that I don't have to do much work down there.

I keep an oil absorbent thing in my bilge all the time, it really helps with residual oils from little spills when doing oil changes, and from past leaks that got oil everywhere. Every time I change it, the pad weighs 3x what it did when it went in. My bilge water is pretty clean when it comes out, though.

[trayson]

I keep an oil absorbent thing in my bilge all the time, it really helps with residual oils from little spills when doing oil changes, and from past leaks that got oil everywhere. Every time I change it, the pad weighs 3x what it did when it went in. My bilge water is pretty clean when it comes out, though.

Never used one of these. So, from what I read online, they have oil only absorbant pads that don't absorb water. So does that mean it'd work even if it was submerged??? I take a little water into my bilge and it pumps a bit out, especially after surfing since the bilge pump is in the center and I'm porposing pretty hard when surfing... so I'm confident that my mat would be in water often if I got one... Would that defeat the effectiveness?

[SquamInboards]

That sounds fine, mine sits on top of the little bit of water that's always in the bilge, and I've had the forward pump get clogged resulting in 6" of water up there and it just floats to the top. I tie it off with the little leader string it comes with right around the bilge pump hose at the pump. If you don't tie it to something, it can end up getting wrapped up on the driveshaft and completely disintegrated. Looks like a pillow fight in the bilge.


This is what we use, it claims to absorb 2 quarts. Based on the weight of the old one I just took out, I believe it: http://www.amazon.com/SEACHOICE-9100.../dp/B002IZDO6C

[DAFF]

For those with a messy bilge try adding a clear strainer and putting it on the discharge hose with the strainer part upwards. This should work like a water/oil separator and keep the slick from entering the lake.

[Okie Boarder]

I used one of the pads last weekend and it worked good. I just duct taped around it and the transmission to hold it close to the transmission so it minimized the water it absorbed. The bilge stayed clean and there was very little oil on the pad. I am going to call it my tranny liner. LOL!

[villain]

Tranny liner. Haha that's great! Been using the pads you get in bulk from usd for years. They run about .50 each.