[orangeglim]

So, about a week and a half ago I purchased a 2018 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E. Today, I discovered several oil spots on the driveway. I only found them because I was hosing off some dirt after doing some yard work. They weren't very visible but washed off oily when I sprayed them. A quick check in the garage showed no oil under the BMW so I started checking over the Honda. I've found transmisison fluid leaking from the front left axle, see picture:


The truck only has 520 miles on it. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. I hate bringing my cars to the dealer, any dealer, something is also dorked up. Any thoughts as to what might be causing the leak? A bad axle seal maybe?

[kitesurfer]

Could just be a bad transmission pan seal

[overcoil]

It could be excess fluid from the production line - the mileage is so low it just may be spill over.

You can check your trans dip stick to make sure it's insterted fully.

And isn't there a plastic access cap on the bottom of the trans? Make sure it's seated properly.

First thing would be to wipe eveything clean and see if the drips reoccur.

Of course dealer tech could quickly determine if seal or porous trans housing etcetera is the cause.

[rcracin]

Not familiar with being underneath a ridgeline, but probably axle seal. Maybe it didn't get seated properly.

[orangeglim]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

It could be excess fluid from the production line - the mileage is so low it just may be spill over.

You can check your trans dip stick to make sure it's insterted fully.

And isn't there a plastic access cap on the bottom of the trans? Make sure it's seated properly.

First thing would be to wipe eveything clean and see if the drips reoccur.

Of course dealer tech could quickly determine if seal or porous trans housing etcetera is the cause.

Its definitely dripping, I put some cardboard under the truck and its spotting. I'm going to try to place a small glass jar under it when I get home today to see how much fluid is actually dripping.

I will see if I can reach the tranny dipstick. If it is the one I think it is its pretty far down in there, not nearly as easy to access as the oil one. edit: I didn't see any plastic caps under the truck.

Any ideas on the level of effort to replace the axle seal, if that's what it is? How much of my brand new truck are they going to have to disassemble to fix it?

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by orangeglim

Its definitely dripping, I put some cardboard under the truck and its spotting. I'm going to try to place a small glass jar under it when I get home today to see how much fluid is actually dripping.

I will see if I can reach the tranny dipstick. If it is the one I think it is its pretty far down in there, not nearly as easy to access as the oil one. edit: I didn't see any plastic caps under the truck.

Any ideas on the level of effort to replace the axle seal, if that's what it is? How much of my brand new truck are they going to have to disassemble to fix it?

They'll pull wheel off remove axle nut, may disassemble brake and then loosen pop off some suspension bolts and joints, shift out axle - may bang it out or use a dedicated pry tool, then use a pick to pull out seal and lubricate and reassemble. Even if they replace the transmission it's rather simple and clean. It's not a very difficult job and it's quick.

If it is an axle seal, it just means it probably didn't seat properly on assembly, even if its a pan seal, just didn't seat properly - not a big deal.

[orangeglim]

The dealer has diagnosed this as a leaking front axle seal. They replaced it this morning with no trouble and topped off the ATF. I've some cardboard under the truck to see if I can catch any drips. It's been two hours and still looks good, so this may have taken care of it.

[PoorLurker]

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com