Any Tips on Fixing Transmission Leak?

[lazabby]

I'm planning on draining the transmission and taking off the pan to replace a leaking seal. Someone told me to skip the paper gasket and use the RT (?) stuff that forms a gasket. Since I will have the pan off, are there any other maintenance stuff I should take care of? Also what kind of sealant works best? I assume I clean and dry both edges that come together, put on the sealant, bolt up the pan, let it cure for a couple of days and refill with transmission fluid?

[David T]

I'm planning on draining the transmission and taking off the pan to replace a leaking seal. Someone told me to skip the paper gasket and use the RT (?) stuff that forms a gasket. Since I will have the pan off, are there any other maintenance stuff I should take care of? Also what kind of sealant works best? I assume I clean and dry both edges that come together, put on the sealant, bolt up the pan, let it cure for a couple of days and refill with transmission fluid?

If you don't get a new gasket reuse the old one with some silicone. The only thing you should be doing inside (assuming everything is OK) is to wipe out the pan, clean off the magnet, note how much and what kind of metal and friction materiel, and then disassemble, clean and reassemble the filter.

[Delorean Industries]

Silicone pan gaskets to replace failure prone nos cork pieces.
http://www.deloreanindustries.com/29-transmission-pan-gasket-silicone/

[Ryan King]

Silicone pan gaskets to replace failure prone nos cork pieces.
http://www.deloreanindustries.com/29-transmission-pan-gasket-silicone/

I just got this nyself. nice quality product.
And DO NOT reuse the old gasket. If your pan is anything like mine...then it was shot.

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I used a dremmel tool with a wire brush to get all of the old gasket off. That worked flawlessly. I would highly reccomend it. I reinstalled with Josh's silicone gasket. No sealant required. But as a precautionary measure, I will seal all around the pan up around the edges with Permatex Automstic Transmission sealer.

[Jonathan]

...are there any other maintenance stuff I should take care of?

Have you had a chance to get under your car and have a good look at things, Shannon?

I ask only because of my own experience with ATF leaks. My pan seal wasn't great, which got corrected, but the other two places I have seen drips were from the trans cooler hoses (the little ones with ATF in them, not the larger coolant ones) and also the dipstick tube seal.

Between those and the drain plug itself, that seems to be the major places your ATF leaks come from.

[David T]

Have you had a chance to get under your car and have a good look at things, Shannon?

I ask only because of my own experience with ATF leaks. My pan seal wasn't great, which got corrected, but the other two places I have seen drips were from the trans cooler hoses (the little ones with ATF in them, not the larger coolant ones) and also the dipstick tube seal.

Between those and the drain plug itself, that seems to be the major places your ATF leaks come from.

If the gasket is in good condition it can be reused but if it is all shredded up it should be replaced. The pan gasket leaks when you overtighten the bolts and bend the pan. Don't overtighten them, look up the torque spec. Before installing the pan you are supposed to check if it is flat and if it isn't you have to hammer it till it is. The common leaks are:
Pan
Dipstick
Hoses
Wiring Harness connectors
Overfilling causes leaks and makes any leaks worse.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

If the gasket is in good condition it can be reused but if it is all shredded up it should be replaced. The pan gasket leaks when you overtighten the bolts and bend the pan. Don't overtighten them, look up the torque spec. Before installing the pan you are supposed to check if it is flat and if it isn't you have to hammer it till it is. The common leaks are:
Pan
Dipstick
Hoses
Wiring Harness connectors
Overfilling causes leaks and makes any leaks worse.

Personally I wouldn't recommend reusing a pan gasket but can highly recommend Josh's silicone gasket if the first one I tried is any indication. You don't have to slop on silicone like you do with the cork gaskets and it is much easier to achieve an oil tight seal.
I stock it and many other (if not most) of DPI's products as he shares my enthusiasm for quality products at reasonable prices (except maybe his radical twin turbo kit which pomises to be very fast and very expensive! ;)

Rob Grady

[lazabby]

Have you had a chance to get under your car and have a good look at things, Shannon?

I ask only because of my own experience with ATF leaks. My pan seal wasn't great, which got corrected, but the other two places I have seen drips were from the trans cooler hoses (the little ones with ATF in them, not the larger coolant ones) and also the dipstick tube seal.

Between those and the drain plug itself, that seems to be the major places your ATF leaks come from.

It's the pan. But good question.

[Ryan King]

Does anyone have any experience with this product?

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http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81180-Automatic-Transmission-Sealant/dp/B0018PSATO

I have installed Josh's gasket, but as an extra line of defense, I want to apply this around the pan seal. I also realized I am leaking some fluid from where the shiter cable enters the transmission. So I want to apply some there as well.

[David T]

Does anyone have any experience with this product?

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http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81180-Automatic-Transmission-Sealant/dp/B0018PSATO

I have installed Josh's gasket, but as an extra line of defense, I want to apply this around the pan seal. I also realized I am leaking some fluid from where the shiter cable enters the transmission. So I want to apply some there as well.

The shifter cable itself leaks. The crimps do not provide a seal-tite conection. P J Grady sells a piece of heat-shrink tubing that will go over the whole thing and covers it to stop the leaks. Another nifty thing he has for the automatic transmission is a wrap around heat sink to put over the oil cooler to help lower the oil temp. While you are under the car he also has a heat shield for the cross/over pipe. Make sure all of the wiring for the transmission is secured well with zip ties and not near any heat. The wires will melt in a second if they touch the exhaust pipe.

[lazabby]

While you are under the car he also has a heat shield for the cross/over pipe. Make sure all of the wiring for the transmission is secured well with zip ties and not near any heat. The wires will melt in a second if they touch the exhaust pipe.

Very good advice. This happened to me. A must-check item.

[DMCMW Dave]

piece of heat-shrink tubing that will go over the whole thing and covers it to stop the leaks. .

The oil leaks inside the cable at a small rubber seal around the actual wire that moves to shift the trans. It's inside the trans but part of the cable assembly.Simply covering the line with heat shrink will slow it down a bit, but it will eventually just move the where the oil comes out to the other end of the cable and the oil will pool inside the frame.

If you think the cable is leaking, reach inside the accumulator hole and touch the bottom of the inside of the frame. If it's oily there it's running the length of the cable.