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I’m currently working on my uncle’s 2003 S10 with the 4.3 V6 and he has a pretty good leak from the transmission dipstick tube. I thought it would be a simple enough fix once that damn bolt that holds the flange was taken out and a new factory grommet was installed. I guess not though, because it still leaked, even after putting some RTV around the pipe and in-between the tube and transmission. So I figured something was off with the diameter of the tube itself, so I installed a factory AC Delco dipstick tube along with another new factory grommet and it still leaks. Obviously we don’t want to replace the transmission over this, it shifts fine otherwise, but I can’t get this damn thing to stop leaking from that grommet.
Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
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Just out of curiosity have you checked the fluid level? Normally the fluid level should be below where the dipstick enters the transmission. If the fluid level is too high, it could make the situation that much worse.
If there’s some way you could post a picture for us that would be very helpful.
Hey Eric…
Yeah, the fluid level is still low as I shut it down once I realized it was leaking. It only leaks while the truck is running and has pressure to the transmission. I was thinking maybe the vent was plugged or something but it appears to be clear of any blockages?
The truck is about 30 mins away so I have no personal pics, but it’s just like this here.
On the little blown up image, it’s coming out from under the grommet where the grommet meets the transmission, not where the tube meets the grommet. So that it making me think the hole in the transmission casing is bored out too much, but it’s been leak free for over 100k miles so I don’t know why it would be too large now, there was never any metal on metal contact to enlarge the hole.
It’s wacky for sure, just looking for a way to fix it without dumping a bunch of snake oil stop leak shit in there.
One thing that makes this tricky is that the dipstick itself can vibrate within the bore as the engine runs. This means that any sealer that you put int there can work loose and the leak begins again. I suspect you’re correct in that the bore may be too large causing the leak. If it were me, I might try some ‘o’ rings in addition to the rubber grommet to see if that can help seal the leak. I think that would be a better option than RTV or other sealants.
Please continue to keep us updated.
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