Transmission Line Leak

Hello All,

Just picked up a new to me 2012 Tacoma with 200k on it, decided to do my first oil change on the weekend to start off fresh. I noticed a fluid leak from what appears to be from the transmission lines just underneath the rad.

I know the photo is not great, but can anyone confirm these are indeed the transmission cooler line ?

 

Is the fluid coming out there red? That would be trans fluid. I had one of those lines to the trans cooler develop a pinhole leak due to rust. My leak was back where the lines screw onto the transmission. I had to replace those lines. I didn't discover the leak until the trans started slipping and banging shifts and there is no way to easily check the fluid level. So, I suggest you take the time to do a by-the-book trans fluid level check and top it up before it gets low enough to cause problems. And get the leak fixed before it gets worse. Remember that Toyota in its "wisdom" didn't give us dip sticks so there is no easy way to check and top this off. So if you head out on a road trip like this you could be in real trouble. Good luck. I'll find my thread and post a link here in case that will help.

 

You can see my similar leak beginning in post #35 here:

2009 V6 auto - first real problem - trans | Page 2 | Tacoma World

 

Check your steering pump reservoir also. Lots of different fluids including coolant can end up there.

 

Oh buddy, if the rust is that bad there you need to go through the rest of the truck too...

 

That was my first thought too.

 

Thanks Guys -appreciate the responses.

 

I hate piling on here, but looking at that adjacent crossmember & parts I'm curious as well how the rest of the truck looks (mainly the frame)? He may qualify for the Toyota frame inspection/CRC/replacement program.

OP, care to elaborate on the history of your truck? Did it spend most (if not all) of its life operating in the rust belt (cold climate) states?

 

@ctennyson we don’t mean to put down your truck bud.
It’s just we as Tacoma owners know all too well the issue rust cause these trucks.
If you want to know more about where to look for the key areas that typically fail first, let use know.
The transmission lines are usually what gets bad first. That is kind of why a few of us are curious about the frame.

 

+1

 

Hey Guys - I appreciate the responses, when it comes to the rust on the chassis yes there are some concerning spots.

How could I determine if I qualify for the frame inspection/CRC/replacement program ? I am located in Toronto, yes that's a spot where we get 8 months of cold weather.

 

Below are a few Canadian related threads to help get you started and provide some background reference info. Feel free to do some more searching on this topic as there are plenty of threads on it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-frame-settlement-canada-info-with-documentation.564836/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/frame-replacement-crc-application-2011-2017-canada.645598/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/frame-recall-canada.339837/

Recommend you reach out to Toyota Canada and/or Toyota dealership for further details, but from what I'm initially seeing and you're reporting, it seems like your truck might be covered.

I would also advise that if you plan on posting more on this (frame) topic, you'd be better suited either creating a new separate/specific thread or post in one of the already existing Canadian related Tacoma frame inspection/replacement threads.