How would transmission fluid end up pooling on the intake? TH350

[bucket]

If Chuck would have labeled that engine, it may have been "buick", "buck", "ellic", "lectra" or something along those lines. Or even just "Jim's" if he happened to think that our boss had plans to put it in something else. Can you imagine someone trying to figure out what those markings could mean today? Lol.

 

[AuroraGirl]

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this probably isnt helpful but is that looks like a th350..?

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can one even ID from the firewall view of the trans

 

[Grit dog]

Maybe the squirrels siphoned off some atf out of (any number of) vehicles beached in the pasture to marinate those acorns in! They’re probably trying to poison the chipmunks who are taking over their nut stash under the hood of a Buick….
I’d hook it to a running vehicle, put the car in neutral and drag it out of the field before it’s snowed in and de-grease and pressure wash the hell out of the engine bay. That is if you’re going to rebuild it and this isn’t just a hypothetical scenario.
On another note, there’s also something painted red down in the ****** of the engine bay, which combined with the junkyard yellow paint pen or grease pen markings says likely not original engine.

 

[Grit dog]

What makes you think it’s not a TH350 in it? It’s got a kick down cable that appears to be hooked up.
Another advantage of actually cleaning all the ____off the engine is if you get it running, you can actually see what is leaking from where, much easier.

 

[Goldie Driver]

I should have mentioned its the electra.

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I actually was planning on parking the truck and borrowing the edelbrock to move the thing and get it so I can look at things and stuff, the last time it ran the carb is just so due for rebuild it was forever to get ti started. its been sitting a long time with a 3/4 full radiator and that is not changed. HOWEVER I know the IDIOT who I bought it from put ******* washer fluid in the overflow and presumably rad, and it froze enough to spring a leak somewhere above 3/4 the way up opposite side the cap(driver side). The cooler for radiator is prob on side with cap I would think, but thats the thing. This puddle of ATF on the intake isnt milky and the dipstick tube isnt milky and the fluid is the right color, it has a slight burn smell but that is from when it caught fire bringing it home because it ran really low on ATF and the ******* who "fixed" it enough to baby it home a few miles used a pen and like washer sprayer tubing for vacuum line and that he layed it across the EGR valve it was a mess. but thank good ness gas stations have fire extinguishers. ANYWAY,

oh and there is vacuum line in place of fuel line on the fuel pump to the fuel line(down low) because of course he did. the oil is no different, still 1988 old but not higher or lower or even moisture evident.

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i stick my finger in that puddle, its bright red ATF. the dark is from the grime under it. its just I dont know how it got there exactly. where is the Vent?

This has been sitting with a slightly low ATF level for a long time like a long time, last checked a couple months ago and it was kosher. the radiator level is.. just not different enough to be that. plus its not full which is really making head scratch. and the ATF is just not like water but its physically thinner you can feel it. but its so strange....
I did a little googling, and I read that when the diaphram in the modulator fails like FAILS your engine can vacuum ATF to the intake because of course the vac source is up there I assume. The last time I physically moved the car I putted around a little bit, never smoked out the tail pipe but the car DID take a lot of cranking to run and I thought the brake fluid must have been low for the front brakes or a line had leaked because the car didnt really brake for ****. Like I was freaking out when going in reverse down hill and nothing happened. but it wasnt so much no pedal but no assist, kinda. I just drove carefully but the car seemingly took a lot of encouraging to move it forward, backward like instead of creeping away when off brake you need to give gas which is the only time It had done that. i assumed the fluid was slightly low which I knew it had a bad leak, so I thought, on getting it, and made that future mes problem.

I am wondering if that last time, that diaphram didnt fail and I sucked atf up the intake or at least opened the path, and then simple pressure or maybe some physics pulls some atf up over time? but its so weird as its recent that puddle at least. but i have no idea how long its been "worsening" either. If the coolant was corrosive i could see the loop failing, maybe the coolant/washer fluid that remained kinda co-mingled with ATFand the car is technically downhill a fair amount and this or that... could it be? basically the diaphram on the modulator being the thing to fail, which it was sitting unused since 1988 before 2018 or whatever so I assume it was brittle and not in best shape as a general idea. then dumb **** son of guy who died whos car I bought who shouldnt touch cars puts pen shells and fish tank hoses everywhere, add in the fact i DID have a fire on the back of engine/between firewall there , the ABC powder is visible on other valve cover still.

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I think you ought to get that one back on the road. Nearing the end of the line of GM Land Yachts with that.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I think you ought to get that one back on the road. Nearing the end of the line of GM Land Yachts with that.

first year of the downsize too

pics to follow.. this got weirder....
the ATF is seemingly at normalish level and the Coolant is green and 3/4 full, lots of scale build up but its not mixed in the rad... the dipstick literally today is half the level....

 

[AuroraGirl]

in case anyone needed a good inhale of 1970s

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also here is the trans top, th350 i think. wet

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So... the day before I pulled it, it was full, i wiped and re did. still full. there, I pulled it.. without running the engine and getting the reading that looks about where a decent or maybe slightly low fill would show on the dipstick but i could be wrong... but it seems normal in most ways....


also unrelated but these 1980s tires are looking really healthy for the age and low wear. itwas in a shed I know but still holding air surprisngly too.

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white walls. stylin.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Maybe the squirrels siphoned off some atf out of (any number of) vehicles beached in the pasture to marinate those acorns in! They’re probably trying to poison the chipmunks who are taking over their nut stash under the hood of a Buick….
I’d hook it to a running vehicle, put the car in neutral and drag it out of the field before it’s snowed in and de-grease and pressure wash the hell out of the engine bay. That is if you’re going to rebuild it and this isn’t just a hypothetical scenario.
On another note, there’s also something painted red down in the ****** of the engine bay, which combined with the junkyard yellow paint pen or grease pen markings says likely not original engine.

there are actually numbers all over the engine bay in mostly yellow marker. on engine, firewall, parts, etc. weird. it was the the original guy estate who owned it, he stopped driving it in 88(plate still on it) and it sat in a shed. then yeah the engine is a small block buick but now I am unsure of the exact CI because of that fact it may be a different engine which isnt a bad thing to me i am glad its just a buick one. The PS pulley being misaligned and some other things does lend reason to believe that too. I need to find an ID tag. and I can yank it from where it sits but I have no one to turn or guide it and its directly facing an obstacle and the way around it needs turning and since I know it runs and now im not sure what the **** is up with the ATF now that its normal on dipstick and the coolant is fine... I am just gonna put my edelbrock on it and move it.

also yes kick down and the top appears to match a th350. i was just unsure because these cars came with either a th250 or whatever POS with a 225 or v6 engine , th350 with a 350 or a SBC I think, then a TH400 with a 455 or optional.. I believe... large olds or maybe pontiac engine too but it was like a limo only application or something.

 

[hoagster]

Here's my 2 cents, on my 94 burb and muddauber hornet had plugged the vent line on the transmission. And it would work fine everything was normal driving around and soon as I shut it down and parked it the pressure built up in the trans would push the ATF out of the fill tube. So I say get it running move it some where you can get a jack under it or on a lift and start inspecting.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Here's my 2 cents, on my 94 burb and muddauber hornet had plugged the vent line on the transmission. And it would work fine everything was normal driving around and soon as I shut it down and parked it the pressure built up in the trans would push the ATF out of the fill tube. So I say get it running move it some where you can get a jack under it or on a lift and start inspecting.

I BET THAT IS WHY IT WAS ON FIRE WHEN WE STOPPED AT THE GAS STATION! my dad and I were a short walk to his house and only minutes from my house on road, so I said shut it off since it was slipping on the way there(low fluid I figured) no sense in KEEPING it running while running in, if it didnt start for some reason oh wellthe fluid came out that vent and probably touched the hot **** that the pen vacuum tube was melting on and

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[AuroraGirl]

Here's my 2 cents, on my 94 burb and muddauber hornet had plugged the vent line on the transmission. And it would work fine everything was normal driving around and soon as I shut it down and parked it the pressure built up in the trans would push the ATF out of the fill tube. So I say get it running move it some where you can get a jack under it or on a lift and start inspecting.

where is the vent and is it something I could verify from the engine bay the bellhousing is lower than SBC

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[hoagster]

It would be on top of the transmission, might have a tube/rubber hose dangling off one side. It's raining cats and dogs here other wise I'd take a picture for you.

 

[hoagster]

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If its a th350, 400 its on the other side!

 

[AuroraGirl]

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If its a th350, 400 its on the other side!

thank you. I am 80% sure I saw it on driver side but im sure the car probably only has th350 simply because of size (not a 455 or higher trim etc)
the FM half of an AM/FM radio probably comes before a TH400 but you never know I guess LOL

But I saw it on one side vs the other. which means oh okay. Should clearing it involve pushing in or just pulling out like Run a wire into it or use a vacuum on it because i can reach it from the back of engine bay carefully but if it would lodge something in the valve boody vs going into the pan I wouldnt want to do that and if it would ruin any thing pulling with a 2.5hp shop vac and long wand i would want to either.

 

[RoryH19]

thank you. I am 80% sure I saw it on driver side but im sure the car probably only has th350 simply because of size (not a 455 or higher trim etc)
the FM half of an AM/FM radio probably comes before a TH400 but you never know I guess LOL

But I saw it on one side vs the other. which means oh okay. Should clearing it involve pushing in or just pulling out like Run a wire into it or use a vacuum on it because i can reach it from the back of engine bay carefully but if it would lodge something in the valve boody vs going into the pan I wouldnt want to do that and if it would ruin any thing pulling with a 2.5hp shop vac and long wand i would want to either.

I had a similar issue with atf on the top of my engine and exhaust manifold. It turned out to be a clogged vent tube. A TH350 with the vent on the left side like the pic. When the trans was warm atf would come out of the fill tube since that was the path of least resistance. I used a pick to loosen the dirt and compressed air. I refilled as needed and never had the issue again.