71 Buick Skylark Turbo 350. Tranny has been leaking from the shift linkage seal for some time despite replacing the seal more than once. Was told by most recent shop that somebody used the wrong tool to remove/replace the seal putting a groove in the trans casing which is allowing fluid to get by. Have had all different kinds of sealant put around outside of seal with no luck. Everything starts out well when car sits in the shop but as soon as I use the car the leak develops all over again. I was told there is no real fix and the whole tranny would need to be swapped to address the issue. She's tight and fine so I really don't want to go that route at this time. Any ideas. Only transmission shop seals have been used with no luck!
I'll throw this out here, I have never tried this, but a retired dealership mechanic friend told me this and he has never steered me wrong. Leave the existing seal in there, clean up the area where the seal goes, clean up the shaft to remove rust and make a surface where the seal can "seal". Then add a seal. Yep, leave the existing seal in there and put the new one in behind/in front of it. On the transmissions I have worked on, if the first seal is seated where it should be there is enough room for another one, so it seems like it could work. He says you get new sealing surfaces with this method and it will fix problematic transmission leaks like yours. This is only my added thought here. Ir there is a scratch in the case, use a little silicone sealer on the outside of the "seal" when installing it, cleanliness has been mentioned and would be very important for this to work. Bast Luck
I totally agree!! As a Buick Dealership Mechanic for nearly 30 Years I have done this type repair many times with excellant results,but I always use 2 new seals rather then one old seal. Doud
I believe thats exactly what has been done with no luck! It works in the beginning but once the car is used a bit the leak starts again!:rant:
Don't know. o No: Would think (hope) it was checked but will do anyway. Gonna Gunk then pressure clean the whole underside and put her up on ramps overnight to see whats going on. Have done it in the past which is when I saw the linkage seal leaking. Ya never know! Car just wants to be pampered! Gonna start calling her "Christine"! :af:
first thing you do when you have a tranny that is keeps leaking no matter what you do is check the vent. are you running synthetic atf randy:beers2:
No synthetic. Cleaned her up and put her up on ramps last night to get a better look as she sits and weeps!
You can check the vent by using a quick blast of compressed air. Sometimes the shift shaft itself rusts up. While not easy to do, you can patiently polish the shaft with some fine emory cloth, obviously with the seals removed.
Had the car up on front ramps for the whole day. Not one drop of anything! Vent line looked clear even so I tried running wire thru it but couldn't make it past the bend. Is it safe to shoot air into the tranny?
Gonna have the linkage shaft cleaned again and the seals doubled up on Friday. Hopefully it will work the second time around. Thanks for the advice!:TU:
I had the same issue with mine. It only leaked after sitting. My question, and please forgive my ignorance, but is the fluid level really that high in the trans? That seal didn't look like it would hold fluid back if the seal was actually lower than the fluid level. I had often wondered if there was something allowing the fluid to drain back out of the converter. Unfortunately, I replaced the trans to fix it as replacing the seals several times didn't help although I should have tried replacing the shift shaft. Clyde
Any ideas are better than none. Will give a look see as I will try anything to avoid replacing a perfectly good tranny. However the leak drives me nuts!:blast:
Had everything pulled out, two seals put in back to back and she still leaked when I got home!. Checked the trans fluid fluid level and it was a little high on the dip stick. Was thinking of pulling out some fluid, putting her up on ramps and coating the whole outside of the seal with RTV sealer (not sure what kind?). I personally watched the seals installed so I know that how they were taken out and replaced is not an issue. Any ideas as I'm lost at this point???o No:
Go to NAPA and get one of the large drip pans. Just top the trans off ever now and then and try not to fret over it. Unless it is leaking real bad... Bert
Maybe cleaning up the shaft isn't the answer. It may be worn to the point that new seals won't ever stop the leak.
Thanks for all the advice guys. Like I said I'm gonna try putting some ATV sealer on the outside today and see what happens. Otherwise it looks like I'll be getting one of those pans as its alot cheaper than replacing a perfectly good tranny except for the linkage leak.
