Cat C15 + eaton 13, coolant leaking from transmission?

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Joeziah, May 29, 2022.

  1. Joeziah

    Joeziah Light Load Member

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    Long story short.

    Hit a deer, coolant leak from a hole on the bottom of the rad. Managed to drive it to a truck stop as the last of the coolant was leaving the reservoir.
    All the coolant leaked out through the rad, I ended up patching the hole with JB and refilled with distilled water, no water was leaking I thought I was in good shape.

    Ran truck for about 10 minutes and shut it down. waited about 5 hours to cool. Topped coolant off again as I assumed it was getting air out of the block or something.
    Noticed that the res was empty today, poured in about 2 gallons to bring it up to min line.

    Now I have coolant leaking from the bottom of the transmission. Looks like its coming from inside the transmission?

    I have the bunk cores and interior core valves turned off, they were off during the deer strike.

    Now the leak is pretty fast, I need to get it 370 miles to my mechanic that was going to replace the rad. But I don't think I can drive it like this?

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    Pull the plug out of the transmission and see what happens. If the cooler failed it would have filled the trans with coolant. You’ll know if you pull the plug out of it.
     
    AModelCat Thanks this.
  4. Joeziah

    Joeziah Light Load Member

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    Wish I could find my 1/2" ratchet, only have my 3/8 and my adapter seems to have gone missing.

    I suspect if I pulled that plug it would belch coolant though, I'm thinking the impact of the deer must have caused the tranny oil cooler to fail. I was seeing some nasty oil like stuff but I thought it was just the CAT ELC mixing with water. Now I suspect it was the transmission oil. Deer was centered and went under the truck so maybe it did more damage than I thought.

    Guess I'm not going to get away without having it towed. I have zero experience with transmission coolers, much less one that appears to be internal.
     
  5. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    Coolant will take the bearings out the transmission in no time. I’ve had it happen. If it’s full of coolant tow it.
     
    Roger McG Thanks this.
  6. Joeziah

    Joeziah Light Load Member

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    Update, tranny full of coolant, everything points to a breached oil cooler and there must be a breather that it started leaking out of.
     
  7. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    That was what I suspected, there’s a vent in the top plate of the transmission similar to the vent on a rear-end.
     
  8. Roger McG

    Roger McG Light Load Member

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    If the transmission oil cooler has coolant lines in and out, and transmission oil in and out. the transmission cooler is junk filling your transmission with coolant. Replace that cooler with a heat exchanger cooler
     
  9. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    One transmission lost to a leaky cooler cured me. That truck was changed when the transmission went in, and the other 2 transmissions with the same coolers on them got oil changes and oil/air coolers the next time they were in the yard.
     
    Roger McG Thanks this.
  10. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

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    The oil to coolant ones do have an advantage though if you're up in the north where it routinely hits 30 below or colder. Keeps the oil flowing easier.
     
    Roger McG Thanks this.
  11. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    Not enough advantage to risk a $7k transmission over a $200 cooler. You can destroy a transmission before you even know it’s leaking. We cover the coolers at -25 or so and they stay around 180 most of the time. Synthetic fluids make a big difference. Get a couple of nasty shifts in the morning but nothing like shifting an aux full of 50wt mineral was.
     
    Roger McG, Jammer' and AModelCat Thank this.
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