1990 Dodge Dynasty Transmission leak and water leak

FRANKLAYFIELD0205

MEMBER
1990 DODGE DYNASTY
3.0L
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

The car just started leaking water where the bottom radiator hose goes back up to the motor. The hose itself is not leaking. I don't know whats leaking to be honest. And I don't think the fans are working because when I drove it last it was boiling loud when I parked the car.

As far as the transmission leak it just all of a sudden started leaking. I was driving down the road and it jumped out of overdrive. I then stopped and checked the transmission fluid. It was completely out. I filled it back up with transmission fluid and drove it about 10 miles to my house. It would not shift into overdrive so I couldn't drive over 35 or 40 mph. Just as I drove up into my yard the transmission stopped pulling all together and the car was smoking pretty bad. Once again it was completely out of transmission fluid and the radiator was boiling bad.

I tried to see where both leaks were at but couldn't really tell. What do I need to check or work on to get my problem fixed? This is the only car I have and I can't afford to take it to a shop so I do all the work on it myself. Can you please try to help me diagnose my problems so I get my car running again? Thank You for your time.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

The water pump on the 3.0L engine is on the passenger side, then a metal pipe runs from the back of it to the driver's side, under the intake manifold. That's where the lower radiator hose is attached. If the clamp isn't loose, most likely that pipe is corroded through. The o-ring where it goes into the water pump housing could be leaking too, but that usually results in a very slow leak. It's not common for that o-ring leak.

You know we can't help with finding the transmission leak when we can't see it. If you have a puddle on the ground, you may need to wash the area with engine degreaser, then run the engine to see where fluid is coming from. The common causes are the two rubber hoses going to the cooler in the radiator, and the gasket for the solenoid pack if you have the four-speed transmission. That is on the front of the transmission. Any other common areas to leak will result in pretty slow leaks.

Check the radiator and reservoir for signs of transmission fluid. If you find it there, the cooler tube in the radiator has corroded though and the radiator will need to be replaced, then both systems will need to be flushed and refilled.