My trans on my 83 sd is leaking. in about 300 miles it will lose fluid and not move the car.
If the car is parked nose down there is a noticeable puddle under the car after first filling it.
When I put it up on ramps I see nothing obvious.
The torque converter is dry, and I can not tell if there is fluid comming out of the housing or not.
If the front seal was leaking, would it get all over the TC?
My next plan was to back it onto some ramps, but then I can not get my fat butt under there to look at it.

give me some ideas to find and fix this. It has been this way since I got the car, it is just time to fix it, and change the radiator. It leaks into the trans cooler some.

Thanks
doug

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside

If the front seal is leaking on this trans,

Will the car leak when off? ide, or only under load?

How easy is it to ruin a pan gasket when installing it?
The car leaks more when it is parked nose down.

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside

It is going to leak more when running. Your leak, if from the front, is either the seal around the input shaft or the seal around the front pump. Most likely it is the pump. You will have to pull the tranny to fix either one of these.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

thank you,
Will the car facing down hill cause more of a leak at these seals? or would it not make any differance?

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside

front seal would leak whether the front end was up OR down. i would look at the pan gasket or possibly the dip tube o-ring.

where, in relation to the car, is the puddle?

could it be a cooler line? the rubber grommets can wear out, leaving the steel tubing to wear directly on the steel clips. also the flex lines that go to rad are a cheep easy repair, and prolly due.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

The other ideas are all possibilities, as well as the flexible cooler lines going into the bottom of the radiator. But if the leak is severe, it is likely to be a pressure related area. That would point to the transmission lines and the front pump or possibly any of the servo civers. Leakage from around the pan of any of the other gaskets is probably not going to be that bad.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

did you say your engine coolant leaks into your trans cooler? not good

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

Yes, the cooler leaks. I bought a parts car thinking I may need a trans. So I wanted to get this leak fixed, or decide to change the trans. before changing out the radiator.
I think I found the leak. Seems to be coming from the bottom of the dipstick tube.
Looks like a bolt bottom and top, then pull tube and replace the seal? Is it that simple? What size is the o-ring on the dipstick tube. Fix and check it.
Then on to changing out the radiator.

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside