Engine oil leak from the tranny????

[DBR01]

I did a 4G63T 7 bolt rebuild. Put in new rear oil seal. Started her up and now i have a steady leak of ENGINE oil NOT tranny fluid coming from the flywheel inspection plate area. It's being slung around by my flywheel so I'm pretty sure it's coming from the block but just don't know were. I've replaced the main oil seal twice and made sure that the oil galley plug was not leaking. I've also made sure that the pan bolts were tight and the head was not leaking. Its weird because i have clear/clean engine oil dripping and also some burnt/black oil dripping out. It may be the gunk buildup on the bellhousing being washed off by the fresh slung oil but I'm not sure. Any advise?

 

[DBR01]

I just had an Epiphany. It only leaks when it's being driven. It doesn't leak if the driveshafts aren't moving. Could it be my transfer case? Is there a seal on the transfer shaft? I just compared the gear lube i used and the motoroil and i can't tell a big difference between the two by rubbing them between my fingers so it's possible it could be gear lube.

 

[GTM]

I just had an Epiphany. It only leaks when it's being driven. It doesn't leak if the driveshafts aren't moving. Could it be my transfer case? Is there a seal on the transfer shaft? I just compared the gear lube i used and the motoroil and i can't tell a big difference between the two by rubbing them between my fingers so it's possible it could be gear lube.

Usually transmission oil will have a different smell from engine oil. I am bit confused with the driveshafts, it should be easy to determine bellhousing leaks over driveshafts. I would certainly check transmission fluid level, for the most part the lip-seal outer diameter will be in oil but the inner diameter will be above oil level.

The is a lipseal on the crankshaft and the transmission input (pilot shaft) which like the others should not be constantly under oil. There is a plug for the oil gallery on the block which if not tight could leak, however, unless this is squirting oil onto the back of the flywheel it should just run down the end of the block. Whereas the crank seal will migrate to the back of the flywheel and be slung everywhere. This will soon contaminate the clutch disk and cause slipping, transmission input seals don't leak nearly as badly but can also contiminate the disk and pressure plate but rarely the back side of the flywheel.

Probably the easiest is to remove the sheetmetal inspection plate (if it has one) at the bottom of the bellhousing mating face or the starter to see if it's wet with oil.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[DBR01]

Usually transmission oil will have a different smell from engine oil. I would certainly check transmission fluid level, for the most part the lip-seal outer diameter will be in oil but the inner diameter will be above oil level.
GTM

Well before I last changed the rear oil seal the flywheel was saturated with oil. WTF Now I'm not sure. The engine oil level is fine and with the amount of leakage it would be noticeable. I've already cleaned the mess up with brake cleaner but tomorrow after the Easter feasco I'll check the tranny and transfer fluids. Thanks again GTM for your replies! Also, when I was talking about leakage from the transfer case I meant from the shaft that comes out of the tranny and drives the transfer case.

 

[DBR01]

As I assumed the transfer case was about 1/2 quart low. For anyone that doesn't know the transfer case only holds 1 quart. Anyways, I called my bud down at the Mitsu parts desk and we looked over the diagram. It seems that there are two $6 seals that could be the problem. They are on both sides of the transfer case drive shaft. One is one the belhousing and the other is inside the transfer case. They should be a breeze to replace but I won't jinks myself. I'll let you guys know if that solves the problem.

Again thanks GTM for helping me get to the bottom of this!

 

[GTM]

...
They should be a breeze to replace but I won't jinks myself. I'll let you guys know if that solves the problem.
Again thanks GTM for helping me get to the bottom of this!

You are welcome, just make sure you don't introduce any new leaks where the cases meet. I'm no DSM expert and have never seen this AWD design but presume it has machined faces which must come apart to change the seals.

So did oil get on the clutch?

Sometimes when solvent isn't an option hot soapy water and a brush will get rid of a lot of wet oil. Use a strong soap like Joy for you can buy cheap soaps that won't cut grease and oil.
If not badly stained, aluminum will come out looking like new if you use solvent then the soap and water. What
Cheers,
GTM

 

[GTM]

...
They should be a breeze to replace but I won't jinks myself. I'll let you guys know if that solves the problem.
Again thanks GTM for helping me get to the bottom of this!

You are welcome, just make sure you don't introduce any new leaks where the cases meet. I'm no DSM expert and have never seen this AWD design but presume it has machined faces which must come apart to change the seals.

So did oil get on the clutch?

Sometimes when solvent isn't an option hot soapy water and a brush will get rid of a lot of wet oil. Use a strong soap like Joy for you can buy cheap soaps that won't cut grease and oil. If not badly stained, aluminum will come out looking like new if you use solvent then the soap and water.
Cheers,
GTM

 

[DBR01]

You are welcome, just make sure you don't introduce any new leaks where the cases meet. I'm no DSM expert and have never seen this AWD design but presume it has machined faces which must come apart to change the seals.

So did oil get on the clutch?

Sometimes when solvent isn't an option hot soapy water and a brush will get rid of a lot of wet oil. Use a strong soap like Joy for you can buy cheap soaps that won't cut grease and oil. If not badly stained, aluminum will come out looking like new if you use solvent then the soap and water.
Cheers,
GTM

Yes the transfer case and the transmittion are machined and must mate perfectly. When I was hanging out with my bud down at Mitsu's part desk a guy came in because the transfer case was leaking bad. He had bought a transfer case out of an AWD Galant and mated it with a talon tranny. Mitsu suggests that if you buy one, buy the other also. But a machine shop should be able to hook you up on that surface.

Anyhow, I just pulled the transfer case and I kicked myself in the *ss for not seeing the seal before. I pushed it with a screwdriver and the seal fell right out. WTF Man was that thing bad.

And now that I look at the placement of the seal and input shaft I can see why this problem is misdiagnosed for a bad rear main seal. It's about 1/2 an inch away from the flywheel and on the block side. The transfer case input shaft, when in motion, throws oil right onto the blockside of the flywheel.