Question:
Well, finally the trans is leaking, after 265,000 miles. I took off the plastic cover on the bottom and saw what looked like the torque converter, and it seems to be leaking where the prop shaft goes from the converter (big fat disk-shaped thing) into the rest of the trans. Is a trans sealer a good idea for this problem ? Is there another way to fix it which won’t total the car ?? I can drive it forever this way, but the ever-increasing grease blobs on the road where I park are getting embarrassing. And I want to keep my other newer car in my garage and the Caprice outside in the winter. . TIA, John My Jekyll Doesn’t Hyde ::: Ozzy Osbourne
Response:
YOU WROTE THE FOLLOWING:
Well, finally the trans is leaking, after 265,000 miles. I took off the plastic cover on the bottom and saw what looked like the torque converter, and it seems to be leaking where the prop shaft goes from the converter (big fat disk-shaped thing) into the rest of the trans. Is a trans sealer a good idea for this problem ? Is there another way to fix it which won’t total the car ?? I can drive it forever this way, but the ever-increasing grease blobs on the road where I park are getting embarrassing. And I want to keep my other newer car in my garage and the Caprice outside in the winter. . TIA, John Hey there John, When it rains, it pours, doesn’t it??!! Well, with a Tranny that has been behaving as good as this one has, I definitely wouldn’t recommend any of that tranny leak sealer shit, it causes the rubber parts of the seals to swell, and get more mushy, and can cause more problems down the road. The seal you described is the torque convertor seal, just like a wheel bearing seal, it’s a one piece rubber mounted to metal seal, with a spring around it on the inside. If you rent a tranny puller, you can drop the driveshaft, (drain the fluid from the tranny first,)and then disconnect the cooling lines, and of course jack up the car and place on jack stands. Place the Tranny jack( it’s a special type of jack with cranks for tilting forward/back, and side to side to allow you to align the tranny with the engine) under the tranny. Loosen(don’t fully remove) the bolts that attach the tranny to the engine, you might want to place a block of wood under the engine oil pan to support it so it won’t put all of the stress on the engine mounts. Then jack the tranny up to lift the tranny to take the weight off of the torque converter shaft, fully loosen and remove the bolt, and then wiggle the tranny back towards the rear a bit, then slowly jack it down, wiggling as you go to ease the tranny from the torque convertor, adjusting the angle as needed. Then you can replace both the front torque seal, (you might even want to replace the pump housing seal while you’re at it, it’s rubber also, but requires unbolting the pump housing. recommend a torque wrench to replace), and the tail shaft seal. Just pry them out gently with a screwdriver or other pry type bar, then gently replace them tapping in with a rubber hammer, or metal hammer and block of wood in between so as not to bend the seal. Then apply some tranny fluid to the seals. Then take some emory cloth and polish the possible rust, corrosion, build up from around the torque and drive shafts. Then put it all back together, connect everything, and fill-er up with fluid, and you’re done!!!! Or put a litter box under the car !! Good Luck!! TopCatG