ATF fluid with a leak seal additive?

[NavyVet88]

Hey guys I'm asking this question because transmissions aren't my forte.

Ok my dad has a leak in what he calls the "front " seal of his automatic transmission on his 1999 Dodge Ram 1500, v8 with the 5.9L 4x4. He is on a fixed income and a seal replacement is pretty costly and I wanted to see if you guys knew of a good atf that has a leak seal additive in it?

He claims he loses half a quart a week if the truck doesn't move(he doesn't go anywhere except to pay bills and fish).

Also, if you suggest a synthetic fluid, would it bother the transmission since its been used to only have conventional super tech fluid?

 

[NavyVet88]

I found some super tech multi vehicle atf on clearance at my Walmart where I work for 3.97 and I bought all 5 quarts to give to him. If there's a seal additive in another fluid then I'll keep the super tech for myself

 

[Donald]

In High Mileage oils they have additives that cause a little swelling of the seal. If they had that in ATF it might be worth trying. But not a general leak stop additive.

It will be Fathers day in not too long. Get it done for your Dad!

 

[old1]

There are a lot of ATF stop leak additives. Most any auto store or wal mart will have several to choose from. Can't hurt.

 

[Farmer]

Doesn't that truck call for ATF+4? You could try ATP 2015 Reseal, but I haven't used it on transmissions before.

 

[Spillips]

Maxlife is a specific blended ATF if you get the bottle specially marked, it's still at auto stores and MAY help... all depends on what is leaking, from where, and how bad.

Seal swellers can work ? But they can't "fix" a BROKEN or cracked seal. Only enlarge.

And.. all transmission fluid is synthetic.

http://www.valvoline.com/our-products/automatic-transmission-products/maxlife-transmission-stop-leak

 

[901Memphis]

ATP 205 works on transmissions, if it's truly a seal leak. It's worth a shot.

 

[NavyVet88]

Yeah I realize there is no complete fix for a leak via fluid change I'm just trying to buy him some more time till we can get it fixed.

 

[NavyVet88]

http://m.oreillyauto.com/h5/r/oap/site/c...0207?reset=true

 

[NavyVet88]

I've heard that dodge has very minute holes in the valve body and that a stop leak will clog it very easily.

 

[Tanama]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
ATP 205 works on transmissions, if it's truly a seal leak. It's worth a shot.


First, the transmission needs some level of repair.
With no additional details, of all available seal products, this one is worth trying.
If it is a leak.

 

[supton]

It loses a half quart just sitting there? Is it the convertor draining down? I'd think the front seal would be quite above fluid level.

I presume it's losing ATF at a much faster rate when running?

 

[NavyVet88]

Originally Posted By: supton
It loses a half quart just sitting there? Is it the convertor draining down? I'd think the front seal would be quite above fluid level.

I presume it's losing ATF at a much faster rate when running?


I asked him if he was sure that it was half a quart and he said he put a container where the drip was at one time and he waited 4-5 days without running the truck and said he would guesstimate it to be about half a quart in that timeframe.
He said he believed it was the front seal, other than that I couldn't begin to guess where else it could come from. Again I don't know transmissions very well. The mechanic he supposedly went to about the issue stated that if it in fact was the said seal, it would cost around $500 labor included to fix it.

 

[NavyVet88]

He bought the truck used...I wanna say about 4 years ago from a guy he knows. The transmission wasn't leaking at the time of purchase and he isn't the type to go out and try out his four wheel drive capabilities at the local mud holes. He's a homebody type person and puts less than 5k miles on his truck in a years time so I have no clue how he would've caused the leak by any type of driving.

 

[DWC28]

There are several ATFs with stop leak products in the market. Make sure you get an ATF. Anything else is risky.