transmission fluid leak, dripping from the transfer case

[AlphaAssault]

ive got an odd leak that just developed this past week. a large oily puddle will form under the car at random. some days it wont leak, no matter how much i drive it. other days, it will leak a puddle 6 inches in diameter. its been hell tracking this down, because up until today, every time i try to find the leak, IT ISNT LEAKING!

anyway, i finally caught it in the act today, and the fluid appears to be dripping from the front of the transfer case, just barely missing the passenger-side cross member. ive uploaded a picture of what ive found: the yellow dots are beads of fluid. this is where the fluid actually drips down onto the ground from. the yellow line indicates more fluid, but no dripping. the blue dot is an oil drip originating at the oil pan that i dont *think* has any relevance, but i put it in there just in case.

im running syncromesh in the trans right now, so trying to tell the syncromesh from regular motor oil is a pain in the ass. however, im fairly confident that this leak is trans fluid and not motor oil. what i would like to know is what seals on the trans would produce a leak like this? as far as i can tell, it could be the output shaft seal to the xfer case, an axle seal, or the input shaft seal inside the trans. any help is welcome, especially from anyone who has experienced this issue.

EDIT: sorry, i meant to include this: the transfer case is NOT leaking. it was recently inspected.

 

[white90gsx]

My suggestion is pull the xcase/tranny and replace all the seals..Do it once and do it right and be done with it.

If it is for sure the xcase is leaking DO NOT LET IT RUN DRY or you will be in a world of hurt.

 

[SnowBird]

I feel ya, Im having the same problem trying to track down my leak (I replaced both tranny seals with no luck) Im also using syncromesh, and Im leaking engine oil so it just all around is impossible to do. I know mines from the tranny though.

My advice would be to jack your car up just enough to get under and fill both the t-case and the tranny until it comes out the hole and then check up on it in a couple days or so (jacking it up to the same exact height) and see which one is getting lower, thats really all you can do. What are you using in the t-case, can you distinguish it from the tranny fluid? I was gonna put some shockproof in my tranny next time so I can tell it apart from every other fluid I am leaking.

 

[AlphaAssault]

I feel ya, Im having the same problem trying to track down my leak (I replaced both tranny seals with no luck) Im also using syncromesh, and Im leaking engine oil so it just all around is impossible to do. I know mines from the tranny though.

My advice would be to jack your car up just enough to get under and fill both the t-case and the tranny until it comes out the hole and then check up on it in a couple days or so (jacking it up to the same exact height) and see which one is getting lower, thats really all you can do. What are you using in the t-case, can you distinguish it from the tranny fluid? I was gonna put some shockproof in my tranny next time so I can tell it apart from every other fluid I am leaking.

Mine is leaking trans fluid. the transfer case has something else in there, and it is certainly not leaking. which trans seals did you replace? the input- and output-shaft seals or the 2 axle seals? i have a feeling that mine might be leaking from one of the axle seals.

 

[AlphaAssault]

i found this image of an empty bell housing, which helps me a ton when trying to see where this leak could be coming from. in the pic, RED is the input shaft, PURPLE is the output shaft, and GREEN is one of the axle mounts, if Im looking at this correctly. The YELLOW dot at the bottom is where the fluid seems to be coming from; at least, this is as far up as i can track it from looking under my car. is it a reasonable assumption that, since the leak seems to be directly below the output shaft, that the output shaft seal is the most likely culprit here? is it possible for an axle seal or the input shaft to get gear oil where the yellow dot is?

next question, is it possible to replace the output seal without dropping the trans? the xfer case will have to go, but im not sure after that. anyone want to throw out an estimate for how much it would cost me if i had a shop do this, assuming i cant manage myself?

EDIT: this is NOT the bellhousing from my car. this is an image i found in another thread.

 

[erickp86]

Does anybody know the part numbers to all of these 3 sealS??

 

[redline2k6]

for the one in purple ive always had to pull the trans to fix that cause the flywheel is in the way. I just had this happen to me and it sucks but can be done good luck

 

[TomTom93536]

I had the same leak and i put form a gasket around were the gear on the tcase goes into the tranny and no more leak

 

[Gamalier Colon2g]

this is a great find i have been looking for what the name of the seal in the red circle for a long time but i also have only one problem. my clutch engagement is kinds high up on the pedal but i put in a brand new clutch so any advice

 

[Vegas Smith]

Try and adjust the master cylinder rod to lower it down a bit.