727 Leaking fluid if sitting more than a week

[ipstrategies]

Well my 727 seem to leak if it sits more then 7-10 days without moving it.
I can see it dripping around the pan gasket but was told to look around  shift seal.  I drove the car about 11 days ago and it has not leaked until today and I can see it drip with a nice puddle.

The transmisson shifted fine last time I drove it but I did have to add 1-2 quarts transmission fluid. I Have been watching for it to leak and it has been fine until yesterday and today. I bought a filter and gasket when I put the fluid in it and I was trying to pin down the leak which seems to be gasket, any ideas opinions are appreciated

[Charger4404spd]

Look and see if the trans is wet in the front, or out back at the driveshaft. If it is, new seals must be installed. If it is just the pan gasket, apply a thin coat of sealant on the new gasket when replacing it.

[Headrope]

Had exactly the same thing happening to me up to a week ago, when I finally took the transmission to a shop. They said the seals were shot.

[ipstrategies]

Headrope what seals were shot?? Did it require a rebuild? I am trying to decide should I pull the tranny. Yours leaked after sitting for an extended period of time?

[John_Kunkel]

Leakage after sitting is caused by converter drainback, the drainback is normal, the leakage is not. The fluid level rises when the fluid in the converter drains back to the pan and any seals that are weak will leak worse with the higher fluid level.

Common leak spots are the shift shaft seal(s), the dipstick tube, the NSS, and the rear band pivot pin. These are all above the level of the pan gasket but when they leak they tend to run down to the protruding pan gasket before dripping off.

To find the source of the leak you need to thoroughly clean the area and trace the leak back to its point of origin; with a flashlight and inspection mirror if necessary.

[ChargerRob]

My 727 leaked and thankfully it was just the o-ring on the dipstick tube. Changed it and hasen't leak again.

[ipstrategies]

Ok I have started the trace of the leak, it seems to be the gasket but I have a mirror and light to check the other areas. Thanks and I will keep you all posted.
Russ

[Headrope]

Headrope what seals were shot?? Did it require a rebuild? I am trying to decide should I pull the tranny. Yours leaked after sitting for an extended period of time?

Mine started off leaking when it sat for a few weeks but ultimately ended up leaking bad after sitting for just a few hours. It was a progressive thing stretched out over two months.

Explanations I was given when I first noticed the leak was that it was a torque converter drain back issue, but it turned out to be that AND a bad pump seal, o-ring, front seal .. you name it. I pulled the transmission and found all sorts of other hiding spots that leaked - basically everything in there was original, best we could tell. So the decision was to rebuild it.

I'm getting one of those friend of the family prices that The Code prevents me from sharing, so paying for it and the new converter is not a problem. But based on what I've read, and heard from other leak chasers my feeling is that its better to pay the price once - even if it costs a lot. Then you don't have to worry about it for another 20 - or so - years.

Ultimately I think the way to approach a tranmission leak is to decide if you want to tinker with it again. If not, probably best to spend the money and have someone play with it that knows what they're doing. L

[Ghoste]

Mine leaks out the dipstick tube as well which is no big deal.  I just have to crawl under (tomorrow?) and fix it.  My worry is that I think it may also have a leak at the front pump and that irks me because the trans was just rebuilt a year ago.

[derailed]

I have this same exact problem with my car. If it sits a week or so the leak develops and its like a dam broke. And whenever it sits long enough to leak, i noticed that it slips real bad when im backing the car out of the garage but after it runs for a few minutes and the pressure builds up its fine. Im gonna get under there and degrease the hell out of it and see where the leak is coming from exactly. It appears to be up front somewhere.

[ipstrategies]

I spent a few hours under the Charger yesterday and cleaned up as much of the 34 years of grease on the transmission and let it run for a while and warm up, put it Neutral and toppedit off. When I put it back in the garage I put a pan under it. As of this morning no leak, I think it may be from a few spots Shifter seal and maybe pan gasket. My brothers' 72 Buick does the same thing.

I will keep you posted on my findings in the next week.

[Ghoste]

Warm these old cars up in neutral before pulling out of the garage.   Especially if they've been sitting for a while.  It'll fill the converter faster.

[Bob]

As with some of the other replies, mine was doing the same thing as yours. I finally dropped the tranny and it was the front seal. For 20 bucks I got front and rear seals and the leak was fixed. I changed the pan/dipstick/shift seals first and that did not fix it. If you pull the tranny, which is no big deal. You might as well change all the external seals and clean it up.

Just my 2 cents
Good Luck