From a distance it is difficult to say exactly what is wrong. Doris may still be young in people years, but she is a very old lady in Imperial Years, which happen to be more like dog years. Anything is possible, but one thing that is very common on our cars is for the torque converter to drain back into the transmission case. The obvious solution is to replace the torque converter seal. Obvious or not, that is a major expense.
When this seal begins to fail, the level of fluid in the transmission case rises after the car is parked. Eventually, it reaches external seals that have become dry, seeping out onto the garage floor. These seals can be for the shift linkage, or any other external connection. Several of my Imperials have developed this problem over the years due to long periods of sitting. It starts out as a small leak and gradually becomes overwhelming. In all cases (so far) the problem has been solved for me by purchasing an "external seal kit" from Pat Blaze. The kit costs about $40.00 and is easy and/or relatively inexpensive to install. The torque converter still drains back into the case, but it no longer overflows. Once the car is started, the fluid is pumped back through the system and all is well.
Since Pat is in Washington and Doris comes from here, I expect that she recently may have had this treatment, and that something else might have gone wrong. Still, it is possible that a connection has loosened up, the pan bolts may need to be snugged up, or one of these external seals may have failed. I'd start checking the least expensive possibilities first. If you decide to go for an overhaul of the unit, be sure that you order the seal kit and have it installed. It would be a good idea to have the torque converter checked as well. I have paid for overhauls and still ended up with a well functioning, but still leaky transmission. This is because shops don't always replace the external seals, and almost never replace the torque converter. Also, the transmission may not exhibit the leak until the car has been parked for a couple of days.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: dansgarage@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Denjohn7@xxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 8 Apr 2006 1:22:15 -0700
Subject: Re: IML: solving a leaky trans.
Hi All.....noticed a small amount of transmission fluid coming from the front
part of the trans on 'Doris' my '66 convertible the other day. I don't want to
have the car in the shop right now as I am planning on going to the Southern 7
Northern California Imperial Owners combined get-together at Solvang, CA at the
end of this month. Can anyone suggest a decent addative to stop the leaking for
now? The previous owner said he had had some trouble after the seals were all
replaced and the shop suposedly fixed the problem. The car was completely leak
free until just recently. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!!
Dan melnik
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