"Bradley Walker" wrote;
Dear Brad, So the car sat there and all by itself started leaking between
2am and this morning? Well, you know what they say, nothing ever happens good after 2am.Went out to get a bit to eat? You have to watch those rough roads going to and from Lovers Lane! I'm just kidding with you. I wish I was still young enough to enjoy Lovers Lane like I used to, but sometimes it did take a toll on our cars when we had to leave quickly.
Sounds like you narrowed it down to the transmission, so lets assume its the transmission for now.
The good news is that it is most likely just a transmission cooling line. The transmission oil is fed through a line up to the radiator for cooling and then returns to the transmission through a second line.
On most models, at least parts of these lines are rubber. These can wear out due to age or get pulled loose. These lines carry almost no pressure.
Climb under the car, observing all safety precautions, have wheels blocked, don't jack car up unless you rest it on jack stands or car ramps, put in park and firmly apply hand brake.
Start the engine. Leave car in park. follow lines from transmission to radiator and back to transmission. You will probably find your leak.
Measure the outside diameter of the metal tube or fitting or the inside diameter of the rubber tube, or just cut off a piece of defective rubber tube and take it with you to the auto store. This is a pretty common part.
Replace rubber tube using hose clamps. Remember, very little pressure is in these lines, but get the right kind of tubing as the wrong kind will dissolve or crack soon and leak again.
Other possibilities for a fast starting leak;
Bent metal cooling lines from Lovers Lane sticks and debrie getting caught under car could crack lines. (just replace with rubber line and keep out of way of heat and moving parts). Overfilling transmission could blow out a transmission seal. Bad bearing could wear out a seal, but this usually starts much slower.
You seem to have eliminated the radiator as a problem because of location.
Always the possibility of a loose fitting on the tranny or hitting the tranny oil pan with a rock, but we are really searching for Zebras on a horse farm now.
My impression is the heavy leak occurs when engine is running. I think you see the residual emptying of tubes or run off after engine is stopped if dripping too slowly, but maybe that is the running rate of leakage, you didn't say. Either way, check tranny cooling lines first.
Power steering uses same fluid, but doubt you could have lost this much fluid without noticing a steering problem.
Good Luck,
Ole Factory Rep (not Subaru)