Trans leaking from rear
Trans leaking from rear Ive noticed a small trans leak that looks to be coming from the tail shaft where it meets the trans.....does that sound about right. Could there be a bad seal. Leak is definitely at the rear of the trans. If its the seal how much $$$ am I looking at to getting it fixed???
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Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Ann Arbor, MI
The tailshaft seals to the trans with a large o-ring (more like a squared off o-ring). There is also a seal in the back of the trailshaft which seal to the slide-yoke. I would expect a competent shop to charge only 1 hour labor and less than $10 for parts. If you are comfortable removing the driveshaft, you can do it yourself.
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Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Ann Arbor, MI
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ok thanks for the response. Found out my trans mount is also busted. I've heard about the vibrations with the poly mounts and the rubber mounts being to soft and breaking easily. Spohn sells a trans poly mount and they claim theirs are the same height as the oem mount and doesn't have all that vibration. Anyone tried them??
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Verdad Gallardo I cant see any cracks in the tailshaft unless its on top of the damn thing. Gonna have to pull it completely off. Also I installed the poly trans mount and had alot of vibration. So I done some searching and was adviced to remove the plate that comes with the mount. Problem was solved with that and now back to the tailshaft, The tailshaft is a 6 bolt
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Joined: Jan 2013
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From: Thibodaux LA
turns out i cracked it where the bottom torque arm bolt went. broke from wheel hop. I went to the junk yard and got one from the same year as my camaro. i backed the car up on ramps. id do jack stands on the diff cuz you have to turn the drive shaft to get to the bolts. make sure you chalk the front tires. the hardest part was getting the torque arm off. take the bolts of the torque arm where they attach to the diff but dont try to take it off. the bolts are long so you will have to push up on the body to make space to pull the bolts out from the top. drop the drive shaft. then take the bolts holding the tailshaft off. leave the bolts holding the torque arm to the tail shaft. you cant remove them because there is no space and they are long. when you pull the arm off slide the whole unit off. careful to pull straight back so you dont nick the trans shaft. remove the seal or unbolt the arm from the tail shaft. make sure you put the rubber seal back where the tail shaft bolts to the trans. bolt the shaft back to the trans wit hthe arm reattached. put the drive shaft in first then put the arm back on the diff. it may be hard to get it on and off so angle the diff up or down alittle but it will slide on. again raise the car back up from the body to make space for the bolts to slide back in. tighten everything down and make sure the speed sensor is plugged back in. drop the car down and check the trans fluid for proper level.
Odds are you cracked the tailshaft housing. The way the torque arm mounts to the housing results in the arm transferring a lot of stress to it, and can easily develop a small crack under hard driving. I’ve swapped mine twice, and it’s an easy job with just a simple floor jack and stands.
If you did crack the housing and want to guarantee it doesn’t happen again, BMR and UMI make a torque arm relocation bracket that moves the torque arm off the housing. That bracket also allows you to use the tailshaft housing off a 2WD truck, which is much stronger and easier to find than the stock one. I cracked two stock housings and then did that swap, and I’ve been trouble free since.
If you did crack the housing and want to guarantee it doesn’t happen again, BMR and UMI make a torque arm relocation bracket that moves the torque arm off the housing. That bracket also allows you to use the tailshaft housing off a 2WD truck, which is much stronger and easier to find than the stock one. I cracked two stock housings and then did that swap, and I’ve been trouble free since.
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Turnin' Wrenches Infractions: 005
Let me add, there is a bushing in the tail that supports and centers the driveshaft yoke while it spins. If your tail is high mileage and you are replacing the seal, it is a good idea to replace this bushing also. It is lightly pressed in (you could remove it without a press if you were careful) and you need to remove the tailshaft to change the bushing. If this bushing is worn too far, your new seal with not seal for long! I have found that there are places on ebay that sell the seal and bushing combo together for simplicity. If you aren't comfortable with the bushing removal, you can remove the tail and carry it to a machine shop and they can swap it for you.
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Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Bourg La
Let me add, there is a bushing in the tail that supports and centers the driveshaft yoke while it spins. If your tail is high mileage and you are replacing the seal, it is a good idea to replace this bushing also. It is lightly pressed in (you could remove it without a press if you were careful) and you need to remove the tailshaft to change the bushing. If this bushing is worn too far, your new seal with not seal for long! I have found that there are places on ebay that sell the seal and bushing combo together for simplicity. If you aren't comfortable with the bushing removal, you can remove the tail and carry it to a machine shop and they can swap it for you.
