Good day all,
I'm looking for advice and recommendations for An issue i had over the weekend. I was heading to U-Albany for my daughter's graduation and about an hour into the trip..."im on the thruway with cruise control set at 70mph" i look out my rear view mirror and start to see white smoke bellowing from the rear of my car... so far no other issue's at this point besides the smoke and smell of burning trans fluid now, so in process of pulling to the shoulder of the road and as a step on the gas pedal my engine revs high and my car barely moves....check engine light comes on and D starts blinking. Not wanting to do any more damage I call my buddy with his tow truck and he tows me back home. I put the car up on Jack stands pull the driverside wheel and inspection/windage tray from under the car and degrease the whole underside of the car to try to locate a leak...no leak to be found!!!!, so I check the dip stick and levels are full? Start the car "while on the stands" and run it through some gears and let it idle....no leak!!!
don't quite understand what's going on or where the fluid came from? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Paul.

 

glad you were only an hour away when it happened.
i dont necessarily think there has to be a leak for the tranny to grenade itself.
maybe there was/is a separate issue of a headgasket leak

 

did you check both oil and trans fluid dipsticks?


also how are you coolant levells? whtie smoke is typically water or coolant burning

 

it was definitely trans fluid, it covered the whole underside of the car and the smoke was the trans fluid burning on the exhaust.

 

checked trans dip stick...good
checked oil dipstick....good, just did oil and filter change last week.
coolant level...ok little on the low side in the overflow but otherwise good.

 

Not sure what Honda uses, but many manufacturers also use ATF in their Power Steering systems. I'd check that next, just in case.

 

I checked that last night just for piece of mind all hoses are intact with no leaks from them or power steering pump.
I have no leaks or wet spots on the top or sides of motor only place wet with trans fluid is bottom of car? But can't get it to leak again with car up on stands and running.

 

Might be coming from the axle seals; I've seen them leak when under load, but when up on a stand, dry as a bone.

 

Hmmm, I'll have to check on that, I know I just did upper, lower ball joints and inner and outer tie rod ends last week and don't recall any leaks or seepage from the axles but I wasn't looking for it either👍thanks for the recommendation