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transmission fluid everywhere after clutch job

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Hitmachine101

10+ Year Contributor
352
2
Nov 16, 2009
Rochester NY, New York
transmission fluid leaking after clutch job

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hey guys, just did a clutch job on my 95 gsx and everything went smoothly and i just took her out for a test drive and when i got back she was leaking transmission fluid everywhere. ( it wasnt engine oil that i know for sure, smelled like tranny fluid )

anyway got her back on the rack and found it was coming from the back of the transmission right where the transfer case bolts up

the thing that really has me worried is that i found fluid coming out of the rubber boot for the clutch fork ----- is the tranny fluid inside my transmission and now coated all over my new pp and clutch disk??????


is there a seal that im missing here? is it possible that the tranny isnt flush to the engine? wouldnt i feel that in the test drive though because she worked great as far as i can tell.....

i got a gut feeling im ripping this allll apart again and i really dont want to do that again.......

oh and the transfer case is full so its not leaking from there-- deff coming from the transmissions supply of oil

got any ideas as to where this is coming from and what ill have to do to make it stop? is it possible the seal around the input shaft popd off with the install?
 
Did you overfill the tranny possibly? and its pooring out the vent tube? If gear oil fluid get onto your disc somehow, it will not last long at all.

didnt over fill it, i filled it using the fill plug and stopped pooring fluid into it when started to overflow
 
Sounds like you toasted a seal -- either the output shaft seal, or the driver-side axle seal.

Output shaft seal - MD723202
Driver-side Axle seal - MD719710

And you already checked to confirm that your axles are both fully engaged on the front diff, and your speed sensor is properly bolted back in and fully sealed....right?

Did you reinstall the inspection cover? If so, remove the inspection cover to see if the fluid is coming from the input shaft. This seal is only accessable by fully tearing down the transmission, and is unlikely the culprit in this circumstance. Otherwise, pull the transfer case and inspect the output shaft seal and the driver-side axle seal.
 
Hmmmm. You didn't drop the trans or anything like that when you took it out?

I would go with a seal. They're cheap, you can probably do it with the trans in as well.
 
Damaged an axle seal??

ya its not coming from either axel inputs into the transmission so the axels are fine

Sounds like you toasted a seal -- either the output shaft seal, or the driver-side axle seal.

Output shaft seal - MD723202
Driver-side Axle seal - MD719710

And you already checked to confirm that your axles are both fully engaged on the front diff, and your speed sensor is properly bolted back in and fully sealed....right?

Did you reinstall the inspection cover? If so, remove the inspection cover to see if the fluid is coming from the input shaft. This seal is only accessable by fully tearing down the transmission, and is unlikely the culprit in this circumstance. Otherwise, pull the transfer case and inspect the output shaft seal and the driver-side axle seal.


ok is the output shaft seal the seal that sits right in front of the TOB on that input spline that goes into the flywheel?

both axles are fully engaged on the front diff -- no fluid is coming from either

im pretty sure the speed sensor is fine - it went in with no problems and i tightened it down without any difficulty,, i didnt see any fluid coming from there but i wasnt looking to hard in the rear, the fluid was all next to the transfer case in the front

the inspection cover is the thin piece of metal below where the transmission bolts to the block?

just to clarify so were speaking the same language here: the output shaft is the shaft going into the transfer case and the input shaft is the shaft going from the transmission into the flywheel/clutch assembly?

i have tranny fluid covering my PP, i can see it from the clutch fork boot i removed because there was fluid coming out of it -- the inside of the tranny looks covered

Hmmmm. You didn't drop the trans or anything like that when you took it out?

I would go with a seal. They're cheap, you can probably do it with the trans in as well.

i would say that be great but i got the feeling my clutch disk is covered in the tranny fluid and thus needs to be replaced so the transmission is def coming out,
 
Input shaft seal is the only place you could possibly have leakage "inside" the bell housing.
 
Input shaft seal is the only place you could possibly have leakage "inside" the bell housing.

kinda what i figured, again please clarify: the input shaft seal is the seal that sits in front of the input spline on the transmission that inputs directly into the clutch/flywheel unit? just want to know what exactly im going after
 
Yep. If my memory serves, the input oil seal requires removal from inside the tranny bell housing. That would require removal of the gear stacks to gain access, nice little job.
 
Spray down the entire area with brake cleaner to clean off any oil. Put the front of the car up on jackstands. Remove the transfer case. Run the car with the front end up in the air, put it into 5th gear and let it run around 40-50 mph for a couple minutes. Shut it off, climb under there, and find your leak.
 
Yep. If my memory serves, the input oil seal requires removal from inside the tranny bell housing. That would require removal of the gear stacks to gain access, nice little job.

your kidding oh great, this is getting more and more complex as we go, dam seal
 
As already stated try to verify that it is not the seal on the output shaft into the transfer case as this is inside the bellhousing too and could leak in there. Plus if it is this seal you won't have to pull the trans apart. I would clean it up as best you can and change this seal and then drive it again with the trans topped off and see if it leaks again. If it does then the trans has to come apart, if it doesn't then you just need to pull it off to change the clutch disk.
 
As already stated try to verify that it is not the seal on the output shaft into the transfer case as this is inside the bellhousing too and could leak in there. Plus if it is this seal you won't have to pull the trans apart. I would clean it up as best you can and change this seal and then drive it again with the trans topped off and see if it leaks again. If it does then the trans has to come apart, if it doesn't then you just need to pull it off to change the clutch disk.

ok well that gives me some hope, sounds like im taking off the transfer case and running it on the lift a little bit to see if shes pooring out of the T case shaft in the transmission

i imagin it will be extremely obvious if that is the seal that is shot right?
 
ok i just ran her on the lift with the transfer case off and my dad watching, got her up to 5th gear and after about 20 sec she started leaking out of the clutch fork boot first then it started pooring out of the low spot right next to the transfer case,, my dad said the top of the rubber boot started leaking first almost like fluid was being spun all around the bell housing

both axels didnt leak so were good there -- probably will replace them when the trannys out the second time anyways

ok so im thinking its the input shaft seal going into the flywheel -- this is going to suck to change that

i dont think the bell housings cracked,, it would leak if the motor wasnt running or the gears wernt spinnign and it doesnt do that --so i can check that off the list

the axels arnt leaking so check those

so its gotta be the input shaft seals for either the transfer case or the flywheel right???????????

i think ill change the transfer case seal first and see if she still does it -- if it doesn still leak then its my input shaft for sure

how do i change that transfer case seal BTW -- any special tricks or hints or just pop it out and shove the new one in?:hmm:
 
Input shaft seal. Lovely.

Get a seal puller from vatozone, pull it, pop in a new one. Easy.

wait so theres another way to pull the seal then ripping apart the transmission to get to it?

seal puller? will this really work? autozone has this?
 
Well, you're gonna have to pull apart the trans anyways.

Might as well get a rebuild while it's out :D

Yep, they have seal pullers. However those are only for seals that can be accessed externally.
 
ok so finally getting the nerve to go back after my eclipse again, just ordered the transmission output shaft seal ( the one going into my transfer case ) and when i was on the phone with the parts guy at mitsubishi he said that there was no seal sitting behind the TOB and that the only seal really that could leak into the bell housing like that would probably be the seal i ordered -- now two things -- he could be a complete idiot who cant read a schmatics on his screen right in front of him or there isnt a seal there,,, so im getting that seal in thursday and then putting it in and then seeing if it fixes it

can you guys please clarify if this guy is an idiot or not -- ill need to find the seal somewhere else if he is and that is indeed the problem
 
Parts guy is an idiot, the input shaft seal is directly inline with the TOB and behind it. Service manual shows it accessible from the inside of the transmission case only. Output shaft seal is accessible from the bell housing side. Gonna be a fun little trick yanking it off with the shaft still in place, but it is doable.
 
Parts guy is an idiot, the input shaft seal is directly inline with the TOB and behind it. Service manual shows it accessible from the inside of the transmission case only. Output shaft seal is accessible from the bell housing side. Gonna be a fun little trick yanking it off with the shaft still in place, but it is doable.


so replacing the seal is actually do-able without ripping the transmission apart? i know the tranny will have to come out regardless beacuse my disk is now covered in tranny fluid and it will have to be replaced --- i just really dont want to dive into a tranny rebuild right now
 
The input shaft seal is ONLY accessible from inside the transmission case by fully disassembling your transmission, pulling the input shaft, using a seal puller to remove the input shaft seal, then installing the new seal and reassembling the entire transmission.

The output shaft seal is accessible with the transmission in the car. The easiest way to replace it is by draining the transmission, removing the transfer case, and using a pick-tool to remove the seal with the output shaft still in the transmission. If you are wanting to pull the output shaft to get better access (highly recommended), pull the 5th gear cover, and remove the viscous coupler snapring (MD720687), then prying of the viscous coupler and taking care not to lose the viscous coupler detent ball that retains the output shaft in place. After the viscous coupler is removed, the output shaft will slide out towards the transfer case (you need to remove the transfer case first....). With the output shaft removed, now you can remove the old seal with a screwdriver or seal puller, and install the new seal, then reinstall the output shaft, the viscous coupler detent ball, the viscous coupler, and a NEW viscous coupler snapring. Then clean the transmission case flanges, RTV them back up, and reinstall the 5th gear cover, making sure that the reverse synchro is held in place on the 5th/Rev hub and slider (use some grease if necessary to hold it in place). Reinstall the 14mm case bolts for the 5th gear cover, and fill it back up with transmission gear oil.

Both ways work for removing and installing a new output shaft seal with the transmission still inside the car.

If it is an input shaft seal, you will need to remove the transmission and do a complete teardown to access the input shaft seal.
 
The input shaft seal is ONLY accessible from inside the transmission case by fully disassembling your transmission, pulling the input shaft, using a seal puller to remove the input shaft seal, then installing the new seal and reassembling the entire transmission.

The output shaft seal is accessible with the transmission in the car. The easiest way to replace it is by draining the transmission, removing the transfer case, and using a pick-tool to remove the seal with the output shaft still in the transmission. If you are wanting to pull the output shaft to get better access (highly recommended), pull the 5th gear cover, and remove the viscous coupler snapring (MD720687), then prying of the viscous coupler and taking care not to lose the viscous coupler detent ball that retains the output shaft in place. After the viscous coupler is removed, the output shaft will slide out towards the transfer case (you need to remove the transfer case first....). With the output shaft removed, now you can remove the old seal with a screwdriver or seal puller, and install the new seal, then reinstall the output shaft, the viscous coupler detent ball, the viscous coupler, and a NEW viscous coupler snapring. Then clean the transmission case flanges, RTV them back up, and reinstall the 5th gear cover, making sure that the reverse synchro is held in place on the 5th/Rev hub and slider (use some grease if necessary to hold it in place). Reinstall the 14mm case bolts for the 5th gear cover, and fill it back up with transmission gear oil.

Both ways work for removing and installing a new output shaft seal with the transmission still inside the car.

If it is an input shaft seal, you will need to remove the transmission and do a complete teardown to access the input shaft seal.


thank you for clarifying and explaining in such detail - much appreciated
 
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