greenmachine Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 I have a 95 Legacy AWD auto tranny 'ubaru that has a bit of an intermittant smoking/burnt oil/atf smell when idling after being driven for a bit. I'm thinking that it may be ATF because it tends to smoke quite a bit more when going over hills or driving when the tranny has to shift a lot. My oil level is stable, and for the life of me I can't seem to get a good reading on the ATF, its always gooped up from fluid in the dipstick tube or whatever. I'm thinking that during my recent ATF flush that I did myself that I may have overfilled it, and now the fluid is bubbling out of the filler tube when overworked and dripping on the exhaust? Anybody have any thoughts on this? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 What procedure are you doing to check the atf level? Is the car running, did you cycle the gear selector? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Overfilling is a possability. I would clean the engine and then look under the hood after i smell the fluid. How does it shift? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmachine Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 Overfilling is a possability. I would clean the engine and then look under the hood after i smell the fluid. How does it shift? nipper It shifts pretty well, but intermittantly, if you give it some gas as you are starting out--you get a hard shift from 1st to 2nd. Other than that its as smooth as glass. The procedure for checking the ATF that I used was to drive it for 10-15min, then on a level surface, I remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. I put it back in the tube about 2" short of all the way, then take it back out and wipe it. Then put it ack in the tube about 1" short of all the way and repeat a few times. Then I insert it all the way and take it out and check it. Last night when I checked it this way, it was over the HOT F mark. I've also been using a rag and wiping down the outside of the filler tube...last time it came back with SOME black stuff, but not goopy. There should be NO black stuff at all if nothing is boiling over, right? Do you think its safe to use this method as a litmus test to see if anything is boiling out of the tube? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 OK I dont think there is a vaccum modulator on the new generation of soobys . Here are some things to check after re readong your original post. Look at your exhaust pipes, see if the smoke is burning off them from there. There is one other fluid that smells like ATF, Pwr Sterring fluid. The way the exhaust pipes are on the sooby, if it leaks, it will find its way there while driving. Check your Pwr St Fluid. It doesnt take much of a leak to make smoke. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmachine Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 OK I dont think there is a vaccum modulator on the new generation of soobys . Here are some things to check after re readong your original post. Look at your exhaust pipes, see if the smoke is burning off them from there. There is one other fluid that smells like ATF, Pwr Sterring fluid. The way the exhaust pipes are on the sooby, if it leaks, it will find its way there while driving. Check your Pwr St Fluid. It doesnt take much of a leak to make smoke. nipper Yes, after I have been driving it for a bit and then parked it and noticed smoke or the smell, I have looked under the car near the engine and seen white smoke wafting off of the exhaust pipe. Its right where the pipe Y's, and slightly aft. It looks like something is dripping on it because of the way the smoke appears intermittantly while you look at it. The smell is very bad, so I'm pretty sure its not oil...but thought maybe ATF. I like what you are thinking with the PSF, I know that last week when I was driving around a lot of windy roads and then parked it it had LOTS of smoke drifting out from under the hood. This adds up with your conclusion of PSF. Where should I look to see if it is a PSF leak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Its a PS leak. Check you PS fluid level. The PS lines connect to the rack right above the Y pipe. There are transfer pipes (move fluid to the other side of the rack) that come out, and go to the drivers side of the rack, and guess where they are, above the drivers side of the Y pipe. Never been poking down around there before, but it is possible that the pipes are loose. From looking at my car it seems like this task of checking for tightness may be easier from the top side of the car. NEver being down there before, I dont know, but that is where I would look. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmachine Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 Its a PS leak. Check you PS fluid level. The PS lines connect to the rack right above the Y pipe. There are transfer pipes (move fluid to the other side of the rack) that come out, and go to the drivers side of the rack, and guess where they are, above the drivers side of the Y pipe. Never been poking down around there before, but it is possible that the pipes are loose. From looking at my car it seems like this task of checking for tightness may be easier from the top side of the car. NEver being down there before, I dont know, but that is where I would look. nipper Well, after having a thorough look see at the top and bottom of the engine I've found that there is no leak in the PS system, anywhere. But there is another leak which I'm 100% is the cause of the smell/smoke. About 2 months ago I changed the AT filter and pan gasket. Now, I can clearly see that the gasket is leaking fluid at the front edge, it's spilling down onto the bell housing and dripping onto the Y-pipe. When the car heats up, the fluid becomes less viscous and is able to leak out more easily. During driving the fluid sprays backwards onto the ground and wherever else it lands, but when I come to a stop it drips straight down onto the Y-pipe giving some really nasty smelling stuff. I'm considering doing the job again myself (changing the AT pan gasket), but it appears I don't have a clue. Is there any trick to getting that bastard to seat properly? Is it possible to over torque the screws and cause it to leak? or should I just take it to Jiffy Lube and have them do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Well when you do remove a pan or cover, you have to make 110% sure that the lip on the pan is flat. Second is that it has to be clean, Next you tighten each pan bolt a little at a time, in a star pattern (this is only because you have a leak, and i cant see the condition of your pan from here .... poor lighting) . If its still a problem, there is RTV blue. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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