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At wits end with this leak


amsterdam84

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I have been battling a transmission leak for over a year. Granted I'm not working on it every day but I do when I can. Replaced the oring on the speedo gear and now the dipstick tube but now its leaking like a sieve. I just cant drive this car anymore. If I have to put in 3 or more litres of fluid every time I drive it its not worth driving. I would be lucky if I've driven 100km this year. Its not the fun car I had years ago. That's sad.

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Try putting it up on jack stands and running it to see where the leak is coming from. A leak that big shouldn't be hard to find.

 

ditto

 

That much I bet it is the front seal. If you don't see it leaking bad it could be the vacuum modulator. I've seen a few of those go bad where the diaphragm went bad and let the fluid get sucked up in the motor. Pull the vacuum line off at the modulator and see if there is any fluid.

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There are a few places that could leak unless there is a cracked housing or seam split in the torque converter .

Heres the places I can think of on a TurboHydromatic 350

1 Front pump /input shaft seal(pump to case O-ring not likely)

2 shift shaft seal

3 dip stick tube O-ring

4 vacuum modulator/O-ring

5 speedpmeter O-ring

6 extension housing O-ring

7 driveshaft/output shaft seal

8 oil pan

9 govenor cover )O-ring

10 detent cable O-ring

11 Oil pressure switch

 

On the TH350 I prefer the later dip stick tube (TH35c ? ) because it uses a grommet type seal rather than just the O-ring of the original 350 tube .

 

On the TH 400 should be similar except it has no detent cable . Instead it has an electric wire plug . Also the Govenor cover is bolted on unstead of press in .

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It most definitely is coming from the dip stick tube. I can see if flowing out. It wasn't that bad before the change but because I lost the o-ring that was on it when I went to remove it I had to eyeball the replacement. Guess it was the wrong size. Was a pain getting that out last time too.

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The best solution will be a bit spendy but you will never have to worry about it again. I ordered a dip stick/tube combo from TCI via JEGS that had the new style seal that is cone shaped instead of an o-ring. You cannot use an old style tube with the new style seal the tube diameter is too large. If I remember correctly it was around 45.00. You can also get the new style from a GM dealer but it might not be available. I am not sure what the cost would be from JEGS or SUMMIT to Canada. Or I have heard of some guys using two of the O-rings on the old style tube. My advise is to grit your teeth and spend the money to upgrade and enjoy your car lol. David

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Might have to. Beats just staring at it every time I come home. I miss when I used to only be able to afford 1 car for insurance so I was driving it as my daily driver. Got lots of thumbs up.

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It most definitely is coming from the dip stick tube. I can see if flowing out. It wasn't that bad before the change but because I lost the o-ring that was on it when I went to remove it I had to eyeball the replacement. Guess it was the wrong size. Was a pain getting that out last time too.
I had the same thing after the flex plate was replaced on mine. I took the tube out and the o-ring was not the right size. I wasn't sure if the newer style would fit, so I didn't order one. What I did was suck the fluid out of the trans so it was well below the tube level so it wouldn't over flow after sitting a while. Then applied some sort of sealant to the O-ring area and put the tube back in and let it sit for a couple of days before I even thought about messing with it. Then refilled the trans and no leaks since. I forgot what I used, but NAPA is where I got it.
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Which one would you order if you got one of these and why? I do not like the flex ones personally. Was looking for the original style top as opposed to the locking ones and end comparisons.

 

http://www.jegs.com/i/Mr-Gasket/720/9764/10002/-1?parentProductId=744206

 

http://www.jegs.com/i/TCI/890/743860/10002/-1?parentProductId=748555

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  • 1 month later...

I put one in mine. You're definitely right about it being a pita. I didn't use the stud; I bolted the clip with a bell housing bolt. I wasn't able to get the bolt and nut to work, so I used some tie wire. It worked. I pulled my motor today, and when I pulled the distributor out, there was plenty of room there. I'll be able to use the bolt and nut when I reinstall.

 

If I was doing that dipstick tube again, Im sure I'd just pull the distributor to get it out of the way. Just a thought.

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I thought about pulling the distributor but didn't want to mess that up as well. Perhaps I will next time. Did you not use the stud because it wouldn't fit our because you just couldn't get your hands in there to do it?

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Did you not use the stud because it wouldn't fit our because you just couldn't get your hands in there to do it?

 

I think it seemed like the best fit. Also, the directions seemed a little vague. I might take a look at it tomorrow, now that the motor's out, and maybe I will go back with the stud.

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  • 3 weeks later...

oh yeah. I have the rag joint to complete my replacement steering box as well. Hope to have more responsive steering soon.

Bought the rag joint and the press in fittings to go with the 98 Jeep box from Lee Engineering. Very helpful people.

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