sMaz

cant get rid of this leak!! its a few drops right after the car is turned off after driving. It is coming from the tranny (pretty sure). At least thats what my mechanic said and we have changed both driver and passenger side tranny/axle oil seals AND tried that tranny "stop leak" fluid. Still no luck. What could it be? Drives perfect, no weird noises or anything. Just leaks the couple of drops a night.

The leak is the two spots that look wet. I just came in there from driving and it will leak that amount within 5 minutes of shutting off and thats it. weird? yes.

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

use a bowl to see what type of oil is dropping.

also dry everything up and then look again. where it's coming from should be easier...

g'luck

fflint_18

I like the bowl trick.

Definitely use an engine cleaner and get everything cleaned off good. Then drive around a bit so the heat of the engine dries all the water.

Then park in a dry spot and place the bowl on a large piece of cardboard and wait.

You may find the leak is somewhere else and traveling a ways before gettuing to the drip point.

sMaz

im pretty sure he said its coming from the tranny/axle oil seals. where they meet. but since those r already changed i dont know what it could be. ill go to the shop again and see

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

alot of shops suck at putting in and removing those seals. it wouldn't surprise me if they did a bad job installing them. i'v done a ton of axels and only once replaced the seals. it was a huge hassle. if a shop replaced them and now it leaks it's THEIR FAULT. and they need to fix it.

sMaz

yea im definitely taking it back there tomorrow and seeing whats what

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

It's unlikely on a 5th gen trans, but bad diff bearings will lead to it flopping around, and leaking no matter how many seals you put in.

If the shifting rod oil seal failed, it could be leaking from there.

Could also be seeping from the R/N position switch.

Basically, there's only...5 seals there that it could be leaking gear oil from, barring a breach in the case.

Have you checked the fluid to make sure it's not motor oil?

kukx30de

iTrader: (4)

Those pics dont seem to be very good... but in the last pic i see a drop right at that point where the engine and trans meet.
Something tells me this aint Tranny fluid but engine oil... and probably the Upper Oil pan rather than the RMS. I have read on here that the RMS on the maxima's dont go very soon but the upper oil pan gasket does leak.
Do report back once you do the bowl collection idea and confirm what fluid it really is.

Good Luck.

maxipower

check the coloration of the oil,,,red= tranny...black = motor oil...also you can smell the difference of tranny oil to motor oil,

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

If he's got red trans fluid, then he's got a bigger problem than a leak.

kukx30de

iTrader: (4)

Why do you say so? I hv been using Dexron Mercon III for the last 40K miles... now at 172500 and no issues.... It is pink/red in color.... Just curious after reading your post!

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

Look at his pictures again, you tell me.

Merlyn

iTrader: (4)

Hmm, after flushing / filling my trans probably um 20 times... I never once saw red trans fluid *shrugs*

kukx30de

iTrader: (4)

LOL... good one... I did not catch that earlier... Seems like he might be in need of a Tranny drain n fill too!

I'm still thinking the upper oil pan... !

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

I think you're missing the point....his car is a 5-speed manual. Not an automatic. We use gear oil and therefore it should not be red.


I agree with everyone else. Wipe everything clean and then you'll be able to trace the leak a little better.

fflint_18

After cleaning things up and getting a sample you should be able to tell right away if it's engine oil or gear oil.

Gear oil has a smell all it's own.

So clean up everything good and follow the leak to the origin.

sMaz

OK, so i did the test to see what kind of oil it is this morning, and it is definitely gear oil. Has that gear oil smell. So its not engine oil. Now thaT we have that figured out.. where else could it be coming out of other then the 2 seals (tranny/axle). If those r the only seals and an escape route for gear oil, then it is starting to look like the seals were not put on properly.. right?

fflint_18

Or the main shaft input seal.

After you cleaned it, couldn't you trace the path of the oil??

If it's leaking from the input shaft you won't see much oil on the outside of the case at all. It would just be coming from seam on the engine to tranny.

Champ2433

iTrader: (9)

Hey SMaz...I have the same issues as you. Changed both seals and it's still leaking. I also changed the input shaft seal when I changed my clutch a little over a year ago. I'm kinda thinking it's leaking through the differential bearing but was hoping you had an easier diagnosis...

tbergma1

pmohr nailed it, bad diff bearings or reverse switch seal. I would replace the reverse switch and see if still leaks. If it leaking from the axle after a seal change then you have some bad diff bearings. You need to rebuild your tranny. Sorry dude $$$$

sMaz

ok so .. problem was diff bearing! and still is actually. You can move the axle about an inch up/down into the tranny bearing. Leaking pretty badly now actually. but the thing is, that it drives / shifts perfect. No grinds etc.. Now what? rebuild or used tranny swap? Or is there a cheap fix to this?

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

The cheap fix is replacing and properly shimming the diff bearings.

sMaz

so basically a rebuild?

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

Not necessarily, but you might as well while you're in there.

sMaz

Yea i went and got a quote the other day and the dude said im looking at around $800-$1000 for that. Havent priced a 5th gen tranny yet but im guessing it'll be cheaper to find a low mile tranny and swap it out.

Second option: if i keep topping it off every week or so how long will it last me before it goes boom! .. ive heard people lasting over 20K with just topping it off

Tippy Toes

iTrader: (6)

I went to the dealership today and they told me I had possibly a small leakin the passanger rear axle seal.(said I needed a new seal) Said it was 240 dollar job. Is this something I can do with some tools or is it a PITA? Any help would be great.

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

You can do anything on the car with 'some tools', even the PITA stuff.

Passenger rear? There's no rear axle seals...

Pull the axle, may have to drop the Y as well to get to it. Other than that, a seal puller and a hammer is all you need.

sMaz

UPDATE:

k so the leak as mentioned above was the input shaft bearing in the trans. SO, i finally got around to swapping the old trans out with a 5spd out of a '96. Along with the trans i got a stg 1 EXEDY clutch installed.

NOW: the problem is that this trans is making some horrendous noises. Its like some metal on metal grinding action. its quite loud (ill have a video posted up soon). the noise is in every gear, and u can feel the vibration through the shifter while driving. the noise goes away when the clutch is pushed in, but still vaguely there on idle with the clutch out.

little background on the new trans: out of a '96 that was being parted out with around 100,000 kms. And its an LSD (out of a canadian ES model).

Sooo... is this trans toast as well (if so, i officially hate this car, because after $2000 it still has a bad trans ($600 before changing seals in the old trans, but then finding out the input shaft bearing was fkd [yea my mechanic is an idiot] and the rest on the swap) )

It shifts smoothly and all, just that constant grinding noise. So .. again, trans fkd? or can some redline MT-90 fix this? I have already put some of that LUCAS oil stabalizer in there, which claims to reduce noises and smooth out rough transmissions, but nothing has happened yet.

second problem is that after the clutch install i have lost some pedal feel. when u let the pedal go, it kinda gets stuck 50% up for a sec then goes all the way. We bled it about 5 times, pumping it 52 times after(yea, thats what it says on the box haha). Its a little better now, but still kinda annoying. Will this get better with time, or should we bleed it again? Any special methods?

Thanks in advance for the help maxima men.

sMaz

bump.

pay attention to me!!

StenholmEngineering

iTrader: (3)

ever get it figured out????

J-Rod

iTrader: (1)

My driver side seal is leaking also. Mine started after changing out a bad axle. I haven't changed the seal yet, have tried but failed. I ruined the new seal I had trying to put it in which is a PITA. So I thought about putting the new seal in the freezer for awhile to shrink it a bit... maybe that will allow me to slide it in place a little easier. Anyone have a better "move" to get that thing in a little easier?