The car had head-gasket repaired with many other things (timing beltm, water pump etc) done on the way very recently. I am very surpriced the mechanci who did that did not notice the leaks. If they did would that save on the replacement cost (i.e. less labor)?
Thanks!
The best "snake oil" I've found for auto trannies is Lucas automatic transmission additive. I don't recall what the bottle looks like, but the additive looks like a very thick Dexron. Considering the awful reputation Lucas has otherwise ("Why do the Brits drink their brew warm?" "Because they have Lucas refrigerators.") I was surprised it works so well. It didn't stop the leak in my old Volvo - it had been leaking for many years by then - but it slowed it down about 90%. I add fluid once a year instead of every few weeks. The 2-3 shifting even smoothed out a bit, which is remarkable after over 200K miles and 20 years.
(Before adding anything, give the others a chance to weigh in so if there is a dark side you will know about it before committing.)
Mike
It's not uncommon to find leaks at the rear tranny seal. Unless it's real bad (leaving puddles of ATF), just top off fluid as required. $1000 seems excessive; bring it by and I'll do the seal for you for $100 + parts; 5 or 6 quarts of ATF, plus about $20 for the seal. Really, tho, it doesn't take too much to do this, in fact a totally reasonable DIY project; drain the fluid, unbolt the drive shaft from the rear diff, unbolt the center carrier if so equipped, and slide the front of it out of the tranny. Use a large channel-loc pliers to pull the shield off of the tailpiece, pry out the old seal, and use an appropriately sized socket to drive in a new one. Reassemble, and refill. An hour max. Leaks at the oil pan, and/or the engine crank seals (betcha the oil pan gasket _isn't_ where the oil is coming from, tho) are stinky, and more troublesome to fix. While these can probably be addressed with the motor in the car, I've found that it's easier, and neater to lift the motor out of the car for this service. (For the front seal, I would generally plan on doing the timing belt, water pump, oil pump, etc, while I'm into it.) I could see where service at that level could run up a $1000 bill, but that still seems on the high side; I'd have estimated $700-$800 . . . probably most of an 8 hour day plus parts.
Hmmmm. Same mechanic? A savvy wrench would have done as I suggested above, and replaced the front seal and oil pump O-rings while into the timing belt. Should have recommended that, anyway. Cost to do everything vs cost to do just the timing belt would be higher, but most or the extra cost is parts. Majority of the labor is in disassembling the front of the motor to gain access to the timing belt, etc. Rear seal replacement requires that the engine and tranny be separated, and the oil pan is troublesome with the engine in the car. This is why I lift the motor out for these chores; it's just not that much trouble, and it greatly facilitates doing a clean job on the seals and such. Good opportunity for steam-cleaning and detailed inspection of engine/engine compartment/steering components (and clutch assy. if so equipped), as well.
Hope this answers some of your questions. Times and cost estimates derived from what it takes me to do the work, working on my own vehicles in my garage. I _do_ have a car hoist, shop crane, tranny jack, etc, and that helps a lot. FWIW, I was just kidding re the $100 seal job; only very rarely will I work on someone elses' car. Frankly, I'd rather go fishin' . . .
ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101
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