Tranny Fluid for T-Case Questions

[98XJSport]

I have a 98 XJ with the NP231 (I think, no full time 4x4). I have recently sprung a leak from the rear output seal, second in 6 months. I am saving up for a SYE so I won't have to keep fixing this, but until I do I need to use it to run errands and such. Will ATF with stop leak harm anything? If it even helps at all.

Secondly, is tranny fluid flammable? Its getting all over my cat. converter and has started smoking pretty good. Landlord won't let me try burning some in the parking lot, so I must resort to asking. Thanks for the help.

[CanMan]

I have a 98 XJ with the NP231 (I think, no full time 4x4). I have recently sprung a leak from the rear output seal, second in 6 months. I am saving up for a SYE so I won't have to keep fixing this, but until I do I need to use it to run errands and such. Will ATF with stop leak harm anything? If it even helps at all.

Secondly, is tranny fluid flammable? Its getting all over my cat. converter and has started smoking pretty good. Landlord won't let me try burning some in the parking lot, so I must resort to asking. Thanks for the help.

ATF with stop leak shouldn't harm anything, but probably wont stop a output yoke seal from leaking. But your leaking seal may be caused by a groove in your output yoke, common on pinion yokes, caused by the seal itself. Or they may just be crappy seals? I personally have never seen ATF catch on fire, but have herd people BS about "it had a tranny fire" stuff, So I can't help you out there. Just try it when the landlord has her/his back turned. ;)

[98XJSport]

I think the leak is from the 4.5" of lift with only a tcase drop and shims. That combined with bad rear shocks allowing for shifting/play perhaps? Anyways its not that bad of a leak, barely drips when not moving, just gotta try somehting cause it sucks to keep having to fill it up frequently while the part hunt is on.

[Jim Mesthene]

ATF burns quite well once it gets going. I've extinguished it more than once.

[98XJSport]

Flame ignited Im assuming then? Not heated until it bursts into flames etc...

[Jim Mesthene]

Once from a cutting torch, once from an exhaust manifold.

[96CheroKeeClassik]

you should wash your cat. most of them don't like water, let alone tranny fluid. ..ha

[HotChiliRam]

Tranny fluid do burn. A guy here totalled his XJ because he had a leak in some of the tranny lines. The Jeep caught fire and burned till fire had nothing more that was flamable. So, it consumed the XJ compleatly.

[lawsoncl]

Had a professor towing a huge trailer back in college. It kept hunting between gears and slipping alot. Being an automotive engineer, it didn't occur to take it out of overdrive. Anyway the tranny overheated badly and started spewing ATF onto the exhaust manifold. Amzingly, he managed to find the fire extiguisher in the trailer in the dark and got the engine fire out. Total damage was nearly $3000 though.

So yes, it can ignite from a sufficiently hot ignition source.

[98XJSport]

Hmm perhaps I should stop driving it until I fix the leak...