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#1
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Leaking....."FLUID"...?
My '95 SVX is leaking some fluid onto the exhaust pipe on the driver side at about the rear of the engine position. I had a trustworthy mechanic put dye in the engine oil, but he found no such leak source. He said the Rack & Pinion was wet and appeared to be the culprit. Beav on this website said I should consider the AT lines which pass on the drivers side.
I checked the Power Steering fluid level to confirm the Rack/Pinion as the leak source, but found after SEVERAL WEEKS now that there is no apparent loss of power steering fluid (ATF)! I finally got around to checking the AT fluid level this week...only to find that the level is actually HIGH! Please let me pose and consider a new, but important question: Is it bad to have the automatic transmission fluid level at about 1/2 inch above the highest mark? It seems that the level is at that heighth whether checking when hot...or when cold overnight??? THANKS for your help!
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Jim 1995 Laguna Blue SVX AWD L - 240K (daily driver) - "ReBuILT" used engine at 236K miles (6/13) 2013 Veloster Red - Driver Now??Dropsprings [1/2" rear, 1" front] with Koni Strut Inserts> Magnaflow Exhaust System> ECUTune Stage 1av1 Upgrade (from 1v4)> ECUTune TCU MOD> Aluminum Crankshaft Pulley> Stainless Brake Lines> Phenolic Spacers> Perforated Brake Rotors (dint like, OEM now)> SmallCar Shift Kit (resting since TCU MOD)> 7-Position Ground System> High-Pressure Fuel Pressure Regulator (resting)> ATF Cooler & Campaign Filter> Yellow Polish Polyurethane Bushings> Pioneer Double-DIN Stereo with JL AUDIO Speakers> Driveshaft Rebuilt with C-Clip U-Joints> 15 Min MOD> 20 Min MOD .. . (2011) Valentine One Radar Detector with Remote Display - ucan'tseeme! |
#2
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Jim, my SVX was going through the same thing..I suspected an engine oil leak..the problem is the leaking oil gets blown about under the engine while driving..check the very front of the car near the radiator..look for the ATF lines that connect to the radiator.they are on the drivers side..look for pooling of liquid in the plastic lower cover..if you have some there I would suspect an ATF cooler line..my leak soaked the power steering rack and other parts ..yet the levels of those remained constant..even my ATF level was fine and actually higher than recommended..although it was leaking..then after months of this the line burst after a road trip..dumping about 5 quarts of ATF in my car port..food for thought..and good luck locating the leak..
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#3
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You should check the transmission fluid when its fully warmed up and with the car running. That way its more accurate. Check for the hoses to see if they are leaking.
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1993 25th Anniversary Edition # 156 of 301 ~ 121, 488 miles ( SOLD TO svxfiles 8/6/06) 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i....5spd - My daily driver 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5i -7k miles..Mom's daily driver 2,543 Member of the SVX World Network |
#4
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My power steering resevoir looks full as well but the hose is leaky and always has some fluid on it.
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1993 25th Anniversary Edition # 156 of 301 ~ 121, 488 miles ( SOLD TO svxfiles 8/6/06) 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i....5spd - My daily driver 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5i -7k miles..Mom's daily driver 2,543 Member of the SVX World Network |
#5
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Mine smokes the same way, but it chugs power steering fluid like a fratboy downs beer. Mechanic said the rack was probably going. Of course, he said that after the PS light came on. After he forgot to connect the speed sensor...
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#6
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ATF leak
Hi everyone, I' ve seen that this has been covered to a point but I have a ATF leak driver's side between the back of the engine and the fire wall. I have dropped the exhaust (on the driver's side) just to get a little space to work, went and check all the hoses (and clamps) and they seam OK. After putting it back together I started it up and the leak showed up once more. Now at this point I can do one of two things, replace the short rubber hoses between the metal pipes for the transmission; or start looking at the steering rack.
The manual's (two books and the CD) are no help; so I am asking for pictures, or any help that you can send. P. S. the leak seems to be coming from one of the two hoses that go into the top part of the steering rack (at the bottom of the steering column) , where the two metal hoses go in.
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_______________ 92svxman & Freida the co-pilot. First 92 Claret(flat color,IMHO) Two 92 Teal(much nicer color) 5 Speed pending, from 93 Legacy Turbo 4.11 Tranny/rear diff. May go for 3.90 Claret 145K Underdrive Pulley from Newbies2005 New timing belt new radiator new water pump new timing belt cover New headlights and harness Replaced exhaust (with stock) Life on the road who could ask for more |
#7
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The best way to find the source of the leak is to clean all hoses then wrap them in towels. The one with the fluid on the inside is the one that's leaking.
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David B. SVXipedia @ SVX-IW.COM -- SVX Information Warehouse 2.0 coming...eventually! Ebony 1992 SVX LS-L 5 spd Koni/GC Stebro 187k miles RIP (Rust In Pieces) 1993 SVX 5 spd Koni/GC Stebro Polyurethane bushings still available! |
#8
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My ps hose would leak under pressure.With your car running and hood open try to bend or wiggle the upper ps hose,if you see something like small drops of ps fluid appearing,you've found your leak,it really looks like several small pinholes.
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#9
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leaks
Quote:
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_______________ 92svxman & Freida the co-pilot. First 92 Claret(flat color,IMHO) Two 92 Teal(much nicer color) 5 Speed pending, from 93 Legacy Turbo 4.11 Tranny/rear diff. May go for 3.90 Claret 145K Underdrive Pulley from Newbies2005 New timing belt new radiator new water pump new timing belt cover New headlights and harness Replaced exhaust (with stock) Life on the road who could ask for more |
#10
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I'm experiencing the same situation. The Subaru mechanic swears that this fluid is ATF, even thought it's more brown than red. It's pooling in the under cover, and it seems to be leaking somewhere up high on the tranny. But the fluid levels never drop a bit. It's been leaking for about a year, and every day I clean up what seems like a half ounce from my garage floor. Let's seen now 365days x 1/2 oz/day = 183 ounces, or about 6 quarts of ATF!!!! I swear, it's never dropped a notch on the dipstick, and I know how to "warmup, shift thru gears, and check on a level surface" check my fluid levels. Incidently, NO OTHER fluid level has dropped in this car either, except a wee bit of brake fluid from time to time. Any thoughts?
Thanks, Mark
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Cappy '94 LSi Barcelona Red 158,000 miles '92 LS-L Dark Teal 47,000 miles '95 Olds Acheiva 104,000 miles '85 Audi 4000 135,000 miles '87 Supra 129,000 miles - 2nd JDM engine |
#11
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Fluids
I can't say where its coming from, but 6 quarts is a lot and it has to be coming from somewhere. Have you been adding fluids? Because sooner or later it will run dry. Have you check the power steering? It goes without saying that Subaru uses ATF for that, so there is two units that use the same fluid. What I found was that the steering column was rubbing the transmission line to the radiator, but thats just mine. You should go under the car and clean everything from front to back and come back the next day, and hopefully your be able to see where its coming from.
Good luck, and let me know where the leak was.
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_______________ 92svxman & Freida the co-pilot. First 92 Claret(flat color,IMHO) Two 92 Teal(much nicer color) 5 Speed pending, from 93 Legacy Turbo 4.11 Tranny/rear diff. May go for 3.90 Claret 145K Underdrive Pulley from Newbies2005 New timing belt new radiator new water pump new timing belt cover New headlights and harness Replaced exhaust (with stock) Life on the road who could ask for more |
#12
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I check all the fluids at least once a week. Especially on this car because it never ceases to amaze me that I clean up that little puddle every day. The Suby mechanic swears it's coming from up in the transmission, but it's so high up he can't readily see where. I did have a leaky Power Steering rack, but replaced it about a year ago. The only thing I can figure is that it's WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID getting into my tranny and pushing out the ATF, 'cause that's the only fluid level that has dropped at all. (haha).
I dropped it off this morning at the local tranny shop for it's annual service & to see what they think. I'll let you know. Mark
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Cappy '94 LSi Barcelona Red 158,000 miles '92 LS-L Dark Teal 47,000 miles '95 Olds Acheiva 104,000 miles '85 Audi 4000 135,000 miles '87 Supra 129,000 miles - 2nd JDM engine |
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