...so my car decided it didn't need either anymore and decided to eat a ball bearing and dump trans oil all over the driveway.

This was my adventure for the day...

I've only had the car back on the road since late last week, noticed a big puddle of gear oil under the car in the driveway this afternoon. I jack it up, gear oil starts pouring out on the ground. Yikes! So I do a little checking and it's coming out the passenger side axle hole. Lame. Turns out that the bearing in the bracket that bolts to the back of the block and holds the axle shaft steady either self destructed, or was destroyed because of my idiocy. Not sure which yet- either way that allows the axle to back out of the transmission about half an inch, causing trans oil to leak out like crazy. The car had only been sitting in this spot about an hour. Here's what it looked like after I got the axle out.






Here's what the bearing looked like. It's supposed to be a ball bearing. Now I know what those "rocks" that I kept hearing bang off the bottom passenger side of my car were, and the slight metal on metal sound was... it was the ***** falling out of this bearing and the remains of the bearing spinning around and clanging against eachother like a windchime.



Here's the oil trail I left in the driveway. I found matching trails around every left hand turn and curve coming to the house, starting about a mile away. I haven't had a chance to backtrack any further and see how far I could follow my Hansel and Gretel bread crumb trail. Maybe all the way into town




Money shot. This is the oil spot after I cleaned it all up under the car and then set the car down. When I set down the passenger side oil started to pour out again. That spot is a good 3.5-4' in diameter, about 2 hours old at that point.




I picked up a new axle (the bearing is built in) from Autozone for $54 and dropped another $40 on 6 quarts of new trans oil.

 

Damn, good job Neal, I haven't seen one of those go out like that before! Hope it didn't mess anything else up.

 

I try to be the first to do things...

 

Get that new axel in and get your azz out here for the track

 

Ahh yes reminds me of when i was leaking gear oil (Bad Mechanic Related)...i don't miss that smell. glad to see it was a simple fix for you butI would double check the passenger side axle seal since it could have been damaged when your axle was moving around with all that extra play in it. They are very easy to damage but the important thing is they are cheap and very simple to install.

 

you have hals cars? or his kit?

 

he has hals car

 

Deja vu...



My prob was similar to yours, but the actual bracket busted in half.

 

yea Ive busted my bracket in half as well too...The guy at the transmission shop said he never saw one of those break in half like mine did...It was before I was boosted too

-matt

 

Yeah, mine broke pre 3.5. It was my fault that it busted though.


Neal, your license plates belong on MY car!

 

looks like something that would happen to me. Do I spy different wheels on the front vs the back? Heh

 

Yes. I had my SSRs on the front for traction purposes, but since I only have 3 of them right now I just put them on the front and left the snow tires on the back (one got destroyed in my accident last year, and I haven't bothered to replace it because I haven't driven the car all year). I've now put the 15" SE wheels on all 4 corners (they were on my beater).

 

I worked on many cars from up North. That bracket is a common thing. Salt is metals number enemy. It rusts and locks up the axle. Tranny removal is a pain while that axle is stuck in there. I use some WD-40 and a big sledge and just hit it out of that bracket. If that bracket is rusted enough it will break in half.

 

My 5 speed has the same atittude. I got it, tranny oil is fine. put 50 miles on it, parked it, moved it a few feet, and noticed shifting was harder and harder. well didnt drain oil, and then pulled out the axle, and no oil! there was a bout a quart left! I hope it was the axle seals. If not it better be the shifter linkage boot or Ill be pissed

GL with the new parts!

~Alex