Tranny fluid leaking at bottom of dipstick

[Guest]

I am leaking tranny fluid at the bottom of my tranny dipstick where the tube meets the tranny. It appears the tube wiggles a bit. How does the tube mount to the tranny and how can I repair that?

[jopizz]

If it's the original cruise-o-matic the dip stick tube screws into the pan. You may just need to tighten it.

John

[pcjr]

Can I ask a favor of you? I had a modification done where a third party shortened the tube which holds the transmission dipstick. They have now lost the piece they cut off and I no longer know how much to cut off the dipstick to give me an accurate reading of the fluid level. Would it be possible for you to measure the length of the tube so I can determine how much I need to cut off the dipstick? Any help is greatly appreciated

[jopizz]

According to the Ford parts book the tube is approx 23 9/16".

John

[Yadkin]

I am leaking tranny fluid at the bottom of my tranny dipstick where the tube meets the tranny. It appears the tube wiggles a bit. How does the tube mount to the tranny and how can I repair that?

It's a large flare fitting. Work the nut back and forth with a large open-end wrench and if you feel grit in there then you'll need to loosen it up a bit, and hopefully the grit will wash out as the fluid drains through the loose joint. You can then tighten it up and hope for the best.

If it continues to leak you'll have to drain the pan and clean the flare by hand. Examine the contact areas carefully. This is a good opportunity to drop the pan, install a new filter and clean out crud inside the pan. I use a smear of copper RTV on the flare fitting contact surfaces to seal it.

[Tbird1044]

I also had a slight leak at the dip stick tube. When I drained the trans and changed the shift seals, I took a good look at the dip stick tube. I found a small crack in the tube by the 90 where it goes into the trans. I cleaned it up, soldered it and all has been good. I also made sure that there was no strain on the upper support bracket and that it was firmly tightened to the head. If anyone has ever removed the top bracket and tried to move the tube out of the way, it is easy to crack the tube. Just something else to check.
Nyles

[pcjr]

According to the Ford parts book the tube is approx 23 9/16".

John

Thanks John. That is very helpful.