Transmission Leak After Clutch Install

[halfan8]

I just completed my ACT clutch install today and took the car for a short ride around the block.....everything seemed perfect, then I saw a small pool of fluid collecting under the xfer case and found that I didn't tighten the fill hole plug all the way. After tightening that I went for another ride around the block just to make sure. Everything was OK until I heard a small thud while making a right hand turn. So I pulled into the driveway and now the fluid is leaking out of the bellhousing at a fairly steady drip......the flywheel must be winging it around inside the bellhousing a little because the clutch fork boot has some oil on it. I'm fairly certain its not the rear main seal....the oil level still looks good, and as long as the car remains still while running, no oil pools. I'm also fairly certain its not the transfer case, the fluid level in there seems good as well.

This all leads me to the input shaft or the output shaft. I don't think its the input shaft because even in neutral that is spinning and oil would tend to come out at that point.....not to mention it is fairly high up in relation to oil level. This could only leave the output shaft feeding the xfer case.........it is low in relation to the oil level, would only spin when the car is in motion and is located at the point where most of the oil is coming from!

Any thoughts.......I really don't want to pull the transmission if I don't have to.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[halfan8]

Well this is what I have uncovered so far......the back of the flywheel is dry so I'm assuming the rear main seal is OK. Both of the front half shaft seals are dry so I know its not those. The transfer case doesn't leak any oil when laying on the side that the input shaft comes in so at this point I think that is OK. This leaves 2 possible causes.....the input shaft and the output shaft. I would think that if the input shaft was leaking that bad, oil would be sprayed everywhere. I'm leaning toward the output shaft seal. It only leaks oil after being driven so it must have something to do with the trans. The oil smells like gear oil and the area surrounding the output shaft is wet....not like I would expect with a leak of this magnitude, but definitely wet.

Any help would be appreciated......someone, anyone!

 

[ddavisaf]

translucent dye will pin point the leak exactly. I think you're correct with the output shaft being the culprit though. Before you tear it apart I would run the dye test just to make sure. There are special glasses and a special light that accompany the dye. Most of your local automotive stores carry it.

 

[halfan8]

Just thought I would close this post out. I ended up changing the output shaft seal figuring this had to be it. I started the car up on jack stands without the xfer case on and put it in gear and let the clutch out........5 seconds later I started to see oil pooling under the car. I knew that there was no way oil would spew out of the input shaft seal like this so there must be another problem. Time to pull the trans AGAIN. After getting it out of the car I started inspecting things and noticed a small piece of aluminum about the size of a pencil eraser laying in the bottom of the bellhousing. After more inspection I found a hole punched in the bellhousing right around where the ring gear is for the front diff........OUCH!
That would explain the big thud I heard.

Turns out that over the 6 years my car was sitting, being torn apart and reassembled some bolts fell down the back of the motor.....some fell out the bottom onto the floor and some didn't. Well one must have been sitting right on the speedo drive assembly so that when I pulled it out, the bolt went in.

Long story short, the bolt got mushed between the ring gear and the case and popped off a piece of aluminum the size of a finger nail.......wa-la........huge oil leak. That was a very costly mistake, thankfully I knew someone with a fresh bellhousing because they are 360 bucks.

Lesson learned!