transmission oil line leak

[KIKER]

I noticed the bottom of my truck was oily last Thursday, the day after I filled it up with diesel. I usually work at getting it as full as possible and thought that I might have overfilled, causing my tank to vent diesel as I drove home. I didn't think of any oil leak until my auto trans started shifting weird. Monday morning, after driving the 52 miles to work, I looked under my truck while the engine was idling and saw a small metal line dripping red oil. I drove it another 16 miles to where I normally do my fabrication work and took the leaking line off the transmission and found two places where a plastic "keeper" had rubbed two holes. I replaced the line and put 7 quarts of fluid in and drove it another 170 miles that day. It started shifting in it's normal manner. Have I harmed the transmission? I drove another 130 miles today and put in another quart and got the level just above the safe mark. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any leaks now. I know I lost several quarts out of the trans when I was doing the line switch, so the trans wasn't near that low on fluid. I was hoping that the trans would last at least until I had it payed off, and then I could put the monthly payments into an escrow for a trans rebuild. I have 85,000 miles on it now, with two injector replacements, a problem with the fan clutch, and poor fuel economy. That's all the problems that I have had, so can't complain too much.

 

[KIKER]

Maybe if I put a picture up I will get some responses. I feel like I shouldn't have a piece of plastic able to rub two holes in my transmission line in less than 90,000 miles. The plastic clip at the bottom of the photo is what caused the damage. I guess it is there to keep the lines from rubbing on each other.

 

[cerberusiam]

As long as the trans was still moving its probably OK. If you didn't feel and major slipping when driving and you weren't towing its probably ok.



I blew more than that out on the road, enough so lockup was startting to jerk and truck was barely getting going after I stopped. Fixed the leak, filled it up and 40k later its still going.



Anything that rubs in these trucks can eat a line with the vibration. Hard plastic is amazingly abrasive to these metal lines.

 

[KIKER]

Thanks for the reply. I will not worry so much about it now. I don't tow, but am carrying a pretty heavy load of tools 100% of the time. I do have to navigate some sand and have to mash on the go pedal pretty hard, even in low range, to get thru, but that's about all the bind I put on my transmission.

 

[cerberusiam]

Anything is possible but if its working good now I would not worry too much. I have broken lines on a 727 and run it till it quit moving. Fixed the leak, filled it up and it kept going a long time. Same with a 47 and 48RE, if all it was doing was shifting a little weird and it straightened out you should be fine.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

It would be a wise move to replace those steel lines with hydraulic hose. That plastic clip to hold the lines is a terrible idea.

Godspeed,
Trent