First of all; is the transfer case and the transmission the same thing? Ive seen lots of threads on here about the abundance of TC failures on these cars and have always prayed Id never have that problem...well. Over the past week Ive found a spot under the right front of my 02 X Type. I got under and touched one of the drips from a black metal shield(which is the only thing that can be seen in the area with drips)and it is a clear red fluid. The spot has gotten bigger each day, now after sitting for a few hours its about the size of a large watermelon. I first thought it was the DexCool coolant because I just had the radiator hose assembly and thermostat replaced and they spilled lots of fluid and thought it just needed to burn off. It did not smell of coolant and all the hoses seem dry. Isnt the transmission on the other side? That is dry too. All other fluid levels are good. Is there a transmission dip stick on this thing? I know its Thanksgiving and the games are on, but please help a girl out. Thanks guys.

 

Queenmb, as for the question of "is the tranny and transfer case the same thing"? No they are not. THink of it this way. The transfer case does just what the name says, it transfers power between 2 points. In this case, the transfer case transfers power between the rear wheels and the front wheels. The transfer case is a fixed gear item (in our cars). The transmission is what converts engine RPM to something that pushes the car by selecting various gear combinations. The tranny is what causes the engine to rev high at low speeds and be at a fairly low RPM when cruising down the road.

As for the fluid that you are seeing, what you are describing sounds a lot like tranny fluid. The fluid in the transfer case is more of a dark grey/brown fluid. So, because you are seeing red fluid, you can forego the question of whether you have a bad transfer case. Now, with that being said, since you are in TX, that would mean that the fluid is coming from the passenger side of the car. I bet it is coming from up near the front bumper. This would mean that you have a leak on the tranny oil cooler. If you remove the plastic panel that is under the radiator (has about 10 bolts on it that require a T-27 Torx bit to remove the bolts), this will expose the tranny cooler. It may be something as silly as a connection needs to be tightened, but it could also be that something hit the tranny cooler and has caused a pin hole leak in it. Could have even rubbed a hole in the lines running between the tranny and the cooler.

As for checking fluid, there is no dipstick for the tranny in this car. The only "check" that you can do is to remove the fill plug on the tranny with the car in gear, engine running and make sure that the fluid level is up against the bottom of the fill hole.

If you need more info, let me know. I will do what I can to help you out.

 

Hey Queenmb....its not a dumb female question, lets put that to bed right away!
Thermos' got your back and he's a top man, so you're in good hands

In the meantime, it can't hurt to bump this thread and ask that ANY kind hearted member / tech within spitting distance might be able to offer help. Knowing Thermo, if he was anywhere within a 100 miles he'd probably help out.

Anyone local to queenmb able to offer any assistance and or info on local techs that may be able to help, please chime in

 

Whew! Glad to hear that. And you are correct, that is exactly where the fluid is coming from. This is very helpful. Ill have it checked out ASAP. Thanks so much Thermo.
And thank you too Jim. You guys are awesome. ;-)

 

"I'll have it checked out ASAP" MUST be quick, quick, quick. Don't put it off. Get it sorted. Transmissions are expensive bits of kit.

 

queenmb, another thing to watch for is the spot on the plastic piece. That will help you narrow down where the leak is. You will probably see a larger spot where the leak is dripping straight down and then a stream running to the location where it is dripping down on to the ground. Like Jim mentioned, I wish I could put my hands on the car. This sounds like a fairly easy fix. Any local mechanic can help you out. Just let them know that you have a leak in your tranny cooling system and they can take it from there. I just hope that the problem lies in the tranny cooler or the lines running to the cooler, not in the radiator itself. The radiator is the most expensive part of the whole thing.