Leaking transmission oil, please help

[John Wang 918]

Just noticed my 2022 jl rubicon is leaking transmission oil (my guess because the color is red).
I can't find anything obvious by looking up from the ground.
Questions:
1. Can I still start the car and move of 50 feet?
2. How do I check transmission oil level?
3. Anynidea what cause this? I just went to dinner one hour ago and it it was not leaking when I leave the restaurant.

Please advise.

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[John Wang 918]

Also can I flat tow this jeep given i may have not transmission oil?

 

[oceanblue2019]

Might be coolant. There have been some recalls around the coolant system and leaks.

 

[HiJinx69]

If it's a transmission leak, it would be coming from behind the engine. That's coolant for sure.

 

[jadmt]

feel it there is a big difference in how coolant and tranny fluid feels...remember your tranny lines run thru your radiator......trace those lines and see if it is in fact a tranny line that is leaking.....

 

[MarkM]

Agreed, coolant would be the first thing to look at.

Coolant on the JL is usually a pink or light purple color. The 850 transmission fluid is a light green color. This leads to your first check, the coolant tank on top of the engine, what's it looking like?

The leak is also towards the radiator, the transmission is several feet back from where your pics are showing and it's pan looks dry in your photo. I think there is a hard line for the transmission up front, but that isn't something that usually fails.

Its a bit of a process to check the ATF on the JLs, but it can be done, it just doesn't seem to be the first item to worry about.

You can also feel the fluid, coolant is similar to water, but does actually have a very slight oily feel whereas ATF will certainly feel more like a cooking oil. Does it have a sweet smell?

If the coolant tank is dry, be careful driving it in until you can add more. You can get it in the garage or on a trailer, etc. You just don't want to get it all the way up to temp and cook a head gasket.

 

[Pape]

I'm onboard with this is probably cooling fluid.
For checking the transmission fluid you need to remove the fill hole just like a differential.
If it is coolant, I THINK (not sure if you have some electric pump that will burn) you can run the jeep for moving it 50' just make sure it does not warm up.
As for transmission if you put the transfer case in neutral no rotation will make it to the transmission.

 

[hamiamham69]

Dogs have been known to lap up coolant so be careful if any are around…

 

[John Wang 918]

Thank you all for the help.
Yes, it is coolant, confirmed!
Here comes the next question, I checked the coolant tank, it is 3/4 full, there are no coolant on the cap, so the coolant is not coming from the top of the tank, so does that means I have a radiator leak? how do I find that out?
Please advise.
Thanks again!

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