Transmission Oil Leaking Again (91 5spd trans)

[nsxexotic]

Background - Snap ring broke so I got a new case and clutch at DAVIS ACURA earlier this year. A couple weeks later my garaged was flooded with fluid leaking from my transmission so they had to R&R the transmission and replaced the seal.

AHHHHHHHHHH - why is my transmission oil leaking again. My car was on the lift today and me and the mechanic confirmed the transmission oil is leaking.

This will be my second time bringing the car back for the same problem.

 

[hlweyl]

Sorry to hear of the troubles. Did they tell you where it's leaking from?

 

[AndyH]

I got tranny oil leaked awhile ago too. My mechanic told me to replace the seals, which is alot of labor $1000+ then I went to read the FAQs (toward the bottom of the page), I decided to change to Mobile 1 synthetic oil and the problem went away. No more leaking and happy driving

 

[AndyH]

Also from FAQs: "If you drive high speeds it's better to put a good synthetic oil in the tranny instead of the OEM mineral oil that tends to foam. That can cause a leakage (it did at my car) which is not only dirty but also dangerous (oil at the brakes).
Since I have the synthetic oil in the tranny everything is okay"

 

[nsxexotic]

hlweyl I saw it first hand. Leaking between the upper and lower case. The same area where it leaked before.

AndyH thats interesting but I can't figure out why that would solve the problem. I always thought that syn oil was thinner?

 

[ATERPAK]

The synthetic version of the tranny fluid may be slighlty thinner, but it also has greater properties in protecting the parts inside the tranny. One is the reduction of foaming that a normal oil might produce. Also it is much better at higher heat and protecting the tranny's internals than stock oil. Most synthetic version still meet the same viscosity specs. as the original if not better. I've used Redline MTL and it works great. On the track my shifts from 3rd. to 2nd. are just llike butter. Highly recommend it.

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

The transmission case mounts to the clutch housing with Hondabond. The Hondabond must be layed down evenly and along the entire perimeter to get the flanges to seal. If you're sure the leak is between these surfaces, the origional Hondabond may not have been removed completely, the surfaces may be gouged, or the new Hondabond seal may not be complete. I doubt a thinner lubricant would cause such a noticeable leak. Also check your axle seals. These commonly get torn when the axles are replaced.

Best luck,
-- Chris

 

[GPW]

Totaly agree with Cris. That is actually what I told him when I inspected his car in my shop. Just a sloppy job when the tranny case was replaced at Davis Acura. They didn't take time to put enough sealant between two cases.

 

[nsxexotic]

Taking it out to Davis Acura next week.

 

[nsx-tech]

have them check the transmission vent tube to see if its plugged or bent.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

nsx-tech,

Are you suspecting an over pressurized case??

Thanks,
LarryB

 

[nsx-tech]

it's posible. if it's plugged it can cause leaks and with new hondabond it could force it to leak. there was a bulletin for the vent tube positioning. it can also cause the fluid to be siffined out via the vent tube. just one more thing to check.

 

[Dave Hardy]

1. Yes, it sounds like the Hondabond seal isn't behaving. Never had this happen, as Hondabond is a kickass sealant, but that's what it sounds like.

2. I'm all for synthetic tranny fluid, but using synthetic motor oil in a tranny is usually a bad thing. The synchros don't have enough friction to function properly and that leads to premature engagement wear. I prefer Honda MTF, followed by Redline.