i've got a 2003 impreza and every now and then i would see smoke come out of my hood scoop with a smell of something burning...i've heard that this might be caused by a leaking transmission. i don't see any drip marks or any sort of marks under the hood....how do i check and make sure if i have a leaking transmission or not. please help.

 

unless your transmission is leaking fluid directly onto part of the exhaust, you probably wouldnt see smoke, and if you did, it probably wouldnt be able to come out of the hood scoop.

what color is the smoke? what does it smell like? when do you see the smoke? check your owners manual for the location of the tranny dipstick. iirc, its by the firewall on the passenger side, around or under the IC.

 

the color of the smoke is white and it usually happens when i'm at a full stop...i don't know how to describe the smell of the smoke, but yesterday it had a little bit of smoke and i checked the engine and it seemed like it was coming from the turbo. i took it in for a checkup last month at the dealership, and they said they didn't find any leaks. what do you think it is?