OK, I was under my 70 Stage today (new pavement is incentive to fix leaks) and noticed what I believe is fluid leaking out of the speedo cable. I removed the cable and it had ATF in it. Going deeper, I pulled the gear housing out and looked at the outer o-ring and the inner seal. What really bothered me was the driven gear has a really big groove from the seal on it. Could that account for more leaking than I think? It looks dry above the pan line except in the back where the housing is. Here's a picture with a black line drawn on it for contrast. driven gear groove
Greg, you'll probably require a new gear, or a good used one. Maybe try a local tranny shop and see if they have one. I had the same problem with my th350 leaking there, but the gear was still good. I just put a new seal in and it stopped the leak.
Yep, I called the local Buick dealer and they say they will have the new gear hear by tomorrow. I also had them get the O-ring and seal since they are cheap and I've already got the thing apart. The dealer was actually cheaper than TCI, where I looked it up, plus no shipping but tax will balance it out. I'm trying hard to get all the leaks sealed up and these things are sneaky!
OK! That's the first time I've ever been asked about a Torino! One guy did ask if it was a GTX because of the hood. Owning a Buick is about getting no respect, though. The dealer didn't have the O-ring but I got the gear and seal. I'm going to go ahead and drop the pan, rough up the chrome pan's mating surface. Any other tricks anyone can think of for a leakproof seal? I'm currently thinking of using only black permatex instead of a gasket. Would a scotchbrite pad be sufficient or do I need to hit it with something stouter? It has leaked tranny fluid for 10 years and I'm finally motivated to fix it. Sad, I know but it has only seen about 2,500 miles in the those ten years. I've had the same bottle of tranny fluid the whole ten years and still haven't leaked out a whole quart. That stuff sure goes a long way... especially on concrete! If only the oil pan were a simple fix. She leaks everything but oil and brake fluid. I am swapping in a GN steering box to fix the pitman shaft leak on the 150K mile original.
Glad you acknowledged the Torino thing, hell some white wide stripes and you will have a S&H car. As far as the pan, well I normally scrape as much as I can off the mating surfaces, both pan and transmission, then go to a wire brush to get the rest off. Next I check for flatness all the way around the pan. Next I use permatex hi-tack on the pan and the gasket face going to pan. Leave the other surface dry, along with the trans. Put the pan back on and torque evenly starting with back bolt, then front bolt, then right side, then left and start back again till done. Try this and see if it works
Try and staple a piece of emory cloth to a 1X2 (or equiv.) piece of wood, for a really flat clean surface. Use as a sanding block, and discard when you are done. Good luck, ElectraJim
I usually try to fit 2 inner seals into the speedo housing if I can. You can probably find such seals pretty cheap at a trans shop.
Actually, the old one doesn't look too bad. I may see if I can just push the new one in on top of the old one. As for the pan, is the consensus to use a gasket rather than purely using copious amounts of permatex? If so, are cork or some sort of rubberized gaskets better? Neither seems all that strong. 20 years ago I know I started out with the gasket permatexed to the pan with the bolts just tight enough to make the gasket move. I was very careful not to squeeze it out. However, it leaked almost immediately and I put a bit more squeeze on the bolts. The gasket pushed out a bit. It simply will not seal the way I did it before. If it wasn't the most bullet proof tranny I've ever owned, I'd be putting an overdrive in it right now. Before I got this Kenne-Bell T400, I broke sprags and input shafts like they were made of pot metal. Nothing like hitting 2nd gear at 6000 and watching the needle bounce! I'm hoping the slick chrome on the mating surface is the major culprit. I've had this car for 28 years and it has leaked through three different transmissions. I'm going to do the same for the chrome rear end cover, too!
So what is that stuff? I've looked briefly on the web but it just sounds some kind of permatex-ish stuff.
No its way different, its a semi drying gasket that can tkae many heat cycles, similar to yamaha bond used to keep motorcycle main cases from leaking, where a gasket would over time and cost allot to replace. Its nifty stuff.
I found some motorcycle guys comparing this to loctite 574 and saying it was superior to that. I hope this stuff lives up to the expectations! Interestingly enough, it shows up on Amazon and my wife wanted some DVDs so I got it all from there. I bought three tubes because I want to do the tranny pan, rear end cover, oil pan and valve cover gaskets. 20 year old gaskets just can't keep it all in.
I might not have seen it, but is this a th350 trans you are dealing with? If so does it leak immediately after starting the car and idling in park or neutral? If so then it is either the pan not sealing or the dipstick seal. If it leaks after driving, then have you checked the second gear accumulator cover for leaks? It is on the passenger side of trans, just above the pan and in the middle. I had one go and it leaked like crazy! 50 cent O-ring to fix, but labor is not as cheap, but can be done in car.
Good to order more then one as its super handy. Used it on my intake and new rear end. I had that classic sucking oil form the bottom intake ports under hard load. Just a dab will do ya and that sucker is never gonna leak again. None of them are really super special, its the semi drying part that is. Where silicone based ones like RTV once cured thats its, if the part moves allot with heat n cold its not gonna go with the flow and can leak again later. I still use silicone RTV on some things but some part I don't wanna F with ever again. super high heat stuff I use 100% clear, no more Y pipe donuts or exhaust leaks for me. 100% clear does the trick well. Learned that when I got my drag bike, being a 2 stroke it had expansion pipes, well they are just held on with springs like a dirt bike. But if them sucker got even a tiny sip of air good bye piston. Healthy bead of 100% clear and no leaky.
It is a turbo 400 and if it didn't shift like a stick while in "D" I'd have an overdrive in there already. Third gear rubber at 35MPH with one arm hanging out the window is just too much fun! It leaks after it sits for more than 4 days so I'm assuming it is mostly pan gasket and/or the speedo as it drained about a quart out of the speedo housing when I pulled the old gear out. I got mine today. Three tubes should last me a little while. How much working time do you get before the parts need to be mated and tightened down? The box says apply then wait a minute and mate the surfaces.
It does I don't wanna say set but ill say it sets quick. I was in a mad rush to get everything done when I did my intake twice. I did a thin thin coat on each side of the gasket as told by Dave. When I did my rear end cover it had lots of time to fudge around.
OK, I put the new driven gear and gasket in, put the rear end cover back on and resealed the tranny dipstick tube as well. The biggest problem I'm having with the tranny pan is the thing starts squeezing out well before it is any where near the 12lb/ft spec. I only got it snug and a little more before it started to come out. Do you guys think that will hold it? I'm hoping this stuff is the bomb for leaks!
