[Cadikid]

I noticed for the first time Sunday morning and also this morning that there were a couple of spots underneath my car towards the front left side (drivers side) almost directly under the bumper between the headlights. There were about two table spoons worth of liquid both times.
Does anyone know what this might be coming from?

I have a 92STS 4.9. It was dark this morning and I think the stuff was black. I have 20% oil life left. Does this usually happen when it starts to get cold outside? This is the first winter I'll have with the Cadillac.
What things should I do to prepare for the winter?

 

[deskjockey]

sure it's black? if it's a reddish tint it can be from the transcooler, keep an eye on your transmission fluid, I am having the same problem should get fixed today....

Ranger'll clear it up for you when he logs in I bet.

 

[Cadikid]

I am not sure that it is black, but will flushing/draining and refilling your transmission fluid fix the problem?

 

[terrible one]

No, if it's coming from your transcooler then that means you have a leak. I guess you could be lucky and have it at a fitting. Then you could just tighten it.

 

[deskjockey]

what do you do if you had a transcooler fitting cross thread and now is leaking? any fix?

 

[terrible one]

Any real fix? not that I'm aware of. There are plenty of CSOB ways to fix it though

 

[Cadikid]

What is CSOB?
Is a transcooler leak a major problem?

 

[terrible one]

CSOB = cheap son of a...well you can figure out the rest.

It depends on what you mean by major. IT definitly need tending to.

Go look at it. Is it leaking at a fitting or what?

 

[lry99eldo]

If you have cross threaded the bung that is swaged onto the plastic radiator side tank you are SOL (s%%t out of luck)! Over the years I have learned that a radiator is a delicate piece of equipment and the cost of repair as opposed to replacement is almost equal. If for ANY reason a radiator is leaking I replace it. I don't even consider a repair that may or may not work. Radiators can be bought for as little as $80 new, are not that much of a challenge and as the second to oil being the lifeblood of your engine it pays to replace it before you need to replace the engine.
lry99eldo

 

[Ranger]

Judging from the location I would agree with everyone else. Either the fitting or a cracked side tank, which is replaceable. Trans fluid has a very distinctive color and smell. It should be easily identifyable. As mentioned, it is red, not black. Probably just looks black on the pavement. If you are not familiar with the feel and smell of trans fluid, put some on your finger and rub your finger and thumb together. It is not quite as slippery as oil. Then smell it. Now open the trans fluid cap and do the same thing for comparisson with some trans fluid from the dip stick. Then go back and inspect that side tank closely for signs of leakage.

 

[Cadikid]

What exactly is the name of this side tank? Is there a tank on both sides? What is in this tank? I want to start a search for a replacement part if it is not the fitting. Radiator was mentioned in an earlier posts.

Are you referring to the radiator when you say tank?

If the tank needs to be replaced, can someone give me an estimate of how
much parts and labor might be?

How easy/hard is it to tighten a fitting?

 

[Ranger]

Look at the radiator. You will see a tank on each side of it where the hose attatches to. Those tanks are supposed to be replacable though I could not find them listed seperately at rockauto or gmpartsdirect.

Look at the left side tank below the radiator hose and you should see two steel lines attatched to it. Those are the trans cooler lines (if equiped). See if there is any trans fluid around the fitting. If so, just snug it up a little and see if that helps.

 

[Cadikid]

The fluid is red. I talked to my friend who has 92 Deville with same engine (4.9) and he had transmission fluid leaking from same area a little while ago. He had his trans cooler line(s) replaced and he no longer lost transmission fluid.

But I will get it checked out as soon as possible to make sure. I hope it is nothing major.

 

[deskjockey]

Hey I don't know if you fixed this or not but I fixed mine with a roll of Pipe dope, or teflon tape from advanced auto, just wind it around the threads 5 or 6 times and tighten her back down, if it's the fitting that is, worked like a charm for me, drove 2000 miles this weekend not a drop spilt!