MaxLife Transmission Stop Leak

[ET16]

I have a slow front seal leak on a Ford CD4E. I'm losing about a pint every two months of driving. Replacing the seal looks to run over $1,000, so I was thinking I might try a fill of Maxlife ATF or their Stop Leak to try to swell the seal. Has anyone tried this product? Would it be better than a fill of Maxlife ATF alone?

Thanks!

 

[JTK]

With that slow of a leak, I'd try Maxlife ATF before any stop leak product. With a heavy leak, I wouldn't want ~$5/qt maxlife dribbling to the ground.

Joel

 

[unDummy]

Pennzoil, Valvoline, Supertech, and Castrol all have high mileage ATF's that are worth a try. Also, a bottle of Lucas transmission snot is worth a try.

 

[mechtech2]

Engine, trans, or differential leak?

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Engine, trans, or differential leak?


It's a trans leak. I looked at the fluid, and it looked pretty good, so I siphoned out a quart and put the Maxlife Stop Leak in. A full fill of Maxlife would have been a lot more expensive. I'll report back in a few weeks with an update.

 

[Tremo]

I would not use that stuff if you gave me $1000 because I might have to use that much for the resulting repairs.

Regular Valvo Maxlife Dex/Merc is just fine, but not the stop leak stuff.

I tried it in a 97 Taurus and it gummed up the valve body requiring a complete flush to fix the problems.

Fix the leak right or deal with it.

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: Tremo
I would not use that stuff if you gave me $1000 because I might have to use that much for the resulting repairs.

Regular Valvo Maxlife Dex/Merc is just fine, but not the stop leak stuff.

I tried it in a 97 Taurus and it gummed up the valve body requiring a complete flush to fix the problems.

Fix the leak right or deal with it.


Was it the Maxlife Stop Leak that you used?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: Tremo
I would not use that stuff if you gave me $1000 because I might have to use that much for the resulting repairs.

Regular Valvo Maxlife Dex/Merc is just fine, but not the stop leak stuff.

I tried it in a 97 Taurus and it gummed up the valve body requiring a complete flush to fix the problems.

Fix the leak right or deal with it.


Was it the Maxlife Stop Leak that you used?


Try Auto Rx as it rejuvenates seals rather than swells them. Its worth a $20 bottle.I might leave it in several thousand miles.

 

[paulo57509]

It wouldn't hurt to try Berryman B-7 Chem-Seal.

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=145

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509
It wouldn't hurt to try Berryman B-7 Chem-Seal.

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=145


I'd be afraid now to put anything more in. The die is cast, so to speak. I suppose I should have just put in Maxlife ATF, but I expect I'll be fine with their Stop Leak. I'm assuming that the Stop Leak is just a higher concentration of what they put in their ATF.

 

[Tremo]

Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: Tremo
I would not use that stuff if you gave me $1000 because I might have to use that much for the resulting repairs.

Regular Valvo Maxlife Dex/Merc is just fine, but not the stop leak stuff.

I tried it in a 97 Taurus and it gummed up the valve body requiring a complete flush to fix the problems.

Fix the leak right or deal with it.


Was it the Maxlife Stop Leak that you used?


Yes. Maxlife stop leak.

 

[Tremo]

Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
It wouldn't hurt to try Berryman B-7 Chem-Seal.

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=145


I'd be afraid now to put anything more in. The die is cast, so to speak. I suppose I should have just put in Maxlife ATF, but I expect I'll be fine with their Stop Leak. I'm assuming that the Stop Leak is just a higher concentration of what they put in their ATF.


Lotsa luck, fella.

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: Tremo
Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
It wouldn't hurt to try Berryman B-7 Chem-Seal.

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=145


I'd be afraid now to put anything more in. The die is cast, so to speak. I suppose I should have just put in Maxlife ATF, but I expect I'll be fine with their Stop Leak. I'm assuming that the Stop Leak is just a higher concentration of what they put in their ATF.


Lotsa luck, fella.


Well, that doesn't make me feel too good.

 

[bmwtechguy]

I know people who have used the ML stop leak and did not have any resulting problems with the transmission. The leaks did slow down considerably. Was it too early to replace the fluid with some high mileage fluid? You still have that option, BTW.

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
I know people who have used the ML stop leak and did not have any resulting problems with the transmission. The leaks did slow down considerably. Was it too early to replace the fluid with some high mileage fluid? You still have that option, BTW.


Good to know. Thanks. The fluid that was in there had about 5k miles on it. I've already swapped out a quart (what I could extract through the dipstick) as the transmission wasn't shifting as I thought it should with the quart of stop leak. The capacity of the transmission is 10 quarts, so I was at the limit of the suggested ratio for one quart of the stop leak. Interestingly, it shifts better now that I swapped a quart. I plan to dump my present fill with the stop leak soon, but I'll have wait as I'll need to use the drain plug.

 

[vxcalais]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: Tremo
I would not use that stuff if you gave me $1000 because I might have to use that much for the resulting repairs.

Regular Valvo Maxlife Dex/Merc is just fine, but not the stop leak stuff.

I tried it in a 97 Taurus and it gummed up the valve body requiring a complete flush to fix the problems.

Fix the leak right or deal with it.


Was it the Maxlife Stop Leak that you used?


Try Auto Rx as it rejuvenates seals rather than swells them. Its worth a $20 bottle.I might leave it in several thousand miles.


I just flushed my system after 10,000k's on Auto-RX with fresh Dex 3.

 

[ET16]

The transmission still wasn't shifting quite right, so I drained three quarts with the drain plug and put in some straight Mercon V. It seems to shift better now.

I think I learned a new lesson: take it easy. I think I would have been better off had I put in about half of the recommended dose of the stop leak.