2003 Dodge Neon leaking fluid

MINTISH

MEMBER
2003 DODGE NEON
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
36,000 MILES

My Neon was fine until three days ago. It started sticking in neutral infrequently. Yesterday it was slipping about 4 times every half hour. I checked the levels, and the meter was only marked at the very tip with an oddly whitish slightly pink fluid. I added 1qt transmission fluid (normal pink color) to it, and it ran fine again.
Upon returning home, I noticed a large puddle of transmission fluid on the garage floor, and today it was slipping infrequently again. Is this simply a problem with a gasket or a hose?

3 Replies

ZACKMAN

MECHANIC
4,202 POSTS

You really have to raise the vehicle and check where the leak is coming from. I suspect a cracked hose.

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Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 AT 3:11 PM

MINTISH

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I got it checked at AAMCO in the mean time. They said that the radiator went bad, leaked into the transmission causing the milky pink fluid I found on the dip stick.

From there, the transmission was pumping the tranny-coolant mixture into the cooling system causing it to be too full thus causing the fluid to expel via the overflow valve which was the leak I was seeing.

Though I hadn't checked it prior, I was shown that the coolant indeed had a slightly pink tone to it.

I checked out radiator problems with Neons and it seems this isn't just a rare occurrence, but in spite of its multiple appearances, nobody has ever seemed to have found the cause(s) for why the radiators go faulty and leak into the transmission.