Well my 84' Firebird with a 700r4 leaks a baseball size puddle of transmission fluid overnight. The car only has 90k miles on the clock. My question is, will this cause my tranny to go out? I always check and top off the fluid, i was told that the pump seal was the problem. I was planning on taking the car on a trip this summer but thats the only thing holding me back?

Any ideas?

 

Yes, get it repaired.

 

Get it repaired and do it now. If the front pump seal is bad, you'll eat up the front pump in a hurry if you don't get it taken care of. It's real easy to drop the tranny on those things, so just get under there and do it. Of course, while it's out you may as well rebuild it and modify it.....

 

Would it usually cost alot to bring it in and have it done? I think the seal went bad from sitting for about 10 years.

 

You SURE it's the pump seal? That's not a real high probability failure.

While it's not impossible that it's the pump seal, odds are about 95% it's either the fill tube O-ring (or seal, whichever your tube has), or the seal for the TV cable. Take the car to the car wash, clean that whole part of it up real good, park it overnight, and see where it's actually leaking, before diving off into a (probably unnecessary) major PITA like that.

 

No, it's not exactly cheap. Also, you may have a hard time getting a shop to replace the seal. The issue is that most of the time when you have a front pump seal go bad, it screws up the interface with the front pump. Now, any competent mechanic can replace the seal. But any shop worth their salt knows that there is a reasonable chance this will not fix the problem, and they don't want the customer coming back saying they didn't do the work, just because it still leaks.

Seriously though, this is a nuts and bolts operation. Nothing special to it. Disconnect the TV cable at the throttle linkage. Unhook the trans from the wiring harness on the driver's side. Pull the speedo cable on the back driver's side. Drop the torque arm (7 bolts i think, 4 on the diff, 3 on the tailhousing). Pull the driveshaft. (4 bolts on the diff) Have a drain pan under the slip yoke as you'll probably lose some fluid when you yank the shaft. If you pull the crossmember now, you can adjust the angle with the jack, and it can be easier to get to some of the bolts to the engine. First, however, unbolt the torque converter from the flexplate. (either 3 or 6, dependent) You'll need a really big screwdriver or the correct tool if you intend to turn the engine over at the flywheel to access the rest of the bolts. Alternately, you can turn it over with the key, or any other way you prefer. With the torque converter off, all that's left are the bolts to the engine. A really long extension and an impact help here, but aren't really necessary. A cheater bar is just fine.
With the trans on the floor, you may find that you can't get it out from under the car, depending on how high your jack goes. Pulling a front wheel will make that task a lot easier. Now, remove the TC and drain it. Drain the trans out the tailshaft. (may not be necessary, but if the car's been sitting for 10 years, that fluid is no good, and it may as well get a new filter while you're at it) Remove the seal. There are a number of ways to do this, and the only correct one involves removing the front pump. Personally, I would just *carefully pry it off with a slotted screwdriver. Don't gouge the aluminum or the new seal wont actually seal. Putting the new seal on will be a bit frustrating if you've never done it and don't have the correct tool. A hammer is just fine, but remember to alternate sides so you don't just knock it back out. New seal in? Put it all back in the car in reverse order. You'll need about 11 qts of atf.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Dave

 

Yeah, i was told by a Transmission when i had the fluid changed out that it was it, but i still might try that.

Thanks Dyed, I may try this. Will it hurt the transmission to drive it intil the seal has completly gone out? Sorry im a noob when it comes to transmissions.

 

Well, if its leaking, I wouldnt drive it at all. A transmission needs fluid to lubricate the insides and to make everything work. If you are driving and loose most of the fluid, guess what happens? Things will burn up inside. And the guess what, rebuild time.

 

OF COURSE they told you that.

Think about it.... to fix the front pump seal, they won't just change out the seal, because they can't warranty it. They'll want to sell you a whole rebuilt trans swap-out, the usual deal; probably $750 or so. Whereas, changing either of those other 2 things that it probably actually is, wouldn't take 15 minutes and they probably couldn't charge more than $40 or $50 for it. So if YOU, as the trans shop, thought you had a live one on the hook, what would YOU try to reel him in for? Yeah it sucks, but that's the way the world works.

Clean it off, look at where it's coming from with your own eyes, fix what you see. Approach it with an open mind. Put that other crap out of your mind until you verify it independently. Don't let yourself get sent off on wild goose chases by someone who has a vested interest in spending your money for you.

 

Your probaly right, im going to degrease it down and power wash it then check it out. Thanks