Bob,
After the clouds of smoke I pulled over and let everything cool down
for a while.  Then I started it up and the leak was very small.  I
was several hundred miles from home.  I nursed it about 20 miles and
stopped for the night.  During that time it was still smoking but not
as much as the heavy load climb.  I added a trans additive at the
next town that seemed to help quite a bit.  The next morning, there
was a small stain on the pavement.  I drove it that day and there was
very little leakage.  I made it home and probably another year or so
dealing with the slow leak there and finally got it rebuilt.

Edward

At 06:46 AM 9/24/2013, ROBERTANDERSON294@comcast.net wrote:
>Ed,
>Thanks for the reply, I was also pulling the hill in (D) drive and
>thought afterwards that maybe if I was in 2nd this May not have happened.
>Have you experienced any ATF leaks since? And/or did you need to do
>any repairs as a result of the overheating torque converter?
>Thanks,
>Bob
>
>  Date:    Mon, 23 Sep 2013 12:26:33 -0400
>From:    Edward Maglott <emaglott3@GMAIL.COM>
>Subject: Re: Torque converter seal leaking?
>
>I had a very similar experience.  I was going up a long hill in "D" third
>gear and theorize the torque converter was working extra hard and got extra
>hot.  Now I'm pretty careful to shift it into 2 when the speed drops to
>45-50.
>
>Edward
>
>
>On Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 8:47 AM, Bob Anderson <ROBERTANDERSON294@comcast.net
> > wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > It appears that my '86 GL is leaking ATF from the torque converter seal
> > even though I recently replaced this seal when I had the engine out this
> > past winter.
> > Saturday I was driving in some hilly areas here, in central Massachusetts,
> > when we came up one long steep climb I noticed lots of smoke coming out the
> > back as well as the side vents. I pulled right over and shutoff the engine
> > and in the engine bay found what appeared to be oil all over the place and
> > the smoke coming from the oil on the exhaust pipes. I checked the oil dip
> > stick and all appeared well. It appears the oil was coming out through the
> > openings at the torque converter. We let the engine cool down and wiped off
> > all the oil spots and then drove to the nearest gas station and topped up
> > the ATF fluid. Checked the oil and water levels and all appeared well, so I
> > drove the 100+ miles back home without incident, gratefully!
> > When we got home, I checked the engine bay and fluid levels and all looked
> > good.
> > Next morning I noticed a small puddle of ATF, on the cardboard I placed,
> > on the ground under the engine, so I'm guessing it's the seal or could it
> > be the torque converter itself?
> > Also, will I need to pull the engine again to replace the seal or can the
> > transmission be pulled alone?
> > Thanks,
> > Bob Anderson
> > '86 GL
> > Wilmington, MA
>
>You need to assemble one of these to help you diagnose and/or isolate the