Technical Cleaning vent tube on a Turbo 250/350, HELP!

So the transmission on my Dad's '41 Plymouth is pushing fluid out and I've narrowed it down to the vent. How the hell do I clean it out? I get fluid coming out of the kick down cable. I've got the motor running good now, so I want to drive it without burning up the transmission!

 

You better drain some of that fluid or you're REALLY going to be pissed.

 

Is it a tube or the cap type vent on a rear end? If a tube you can poke a wire up through it if its the cap type you can pull the cap off then poke something through it.

 

I think it was a tube. There isn't one anymore. It's on the drivers side but it's just a hole from what I can tell. And not it's not overfilled.

 

You can try a blow gun on it but then you will blow the crap inside the tranny.

 

Whatever is in there is going to end up in the trans no matter what you do. Might be one of those mud daubing wasps.

 

Am I cleaning the right one? It's up on the drivers side, near the bell housing. I've put a wire in it but it only goes in an inch or so. Then it hits something hard.

 

sounds right. There should be a plastic piece in there, with a cap on it. transmission parts places used to sell them, they still might.

The vent will not leak fluid unless the trans is over full, or really really hot.

The kickdown cable will leak if it's old and brittle.

 

Mine is just a hole. Nothing else. The vent doesn't leak but the kickdown cable does.

 

Well maybe you should address the kickdown cable then see how the vent works.

 

Yep- A lil overfull,and a leaky o-ring. Sometimes because the stick has a hash mark,and "says" full,doesnt mean it's correct.
So fix your leak at the cable,and drop it down a half/ 3/4 qt,totall,and report back with your findings.

 

The cable is leaking at the top not the bottom. As in it pours onto the intake. And no it's not overfilled.

 

Oh....that's interesting. Might save some trouble if you mention those little details in your first post?

Anyways, the vent hole takes a 90 degree turn and heads towards the front of the transmission, towards the pump.

 

I thought I did. Sorry this transmission leak is bugging me!

 

Well....sort of....but I've never seen fluid coming out of the top of a kickdown cable. I've seen it coming out the bottom, and part way up.

Anyways, see if you can poke and open up the vent hole. Although I'm kind of surprised the fluid is making it up that far, a TH350 will usually find several other places to spew out of that are closer to the ground. Rear seal, shift shaft seal, dipstick O ring, accumulator cover, speedo gear, etc.

 

With a 90 degree turn in the vent your only option is compressed air. I would remove the fill plug to give the compressed air a way out, with out blowing a seal somewhere. Since the vent is plugged when the fluid gets hot and expands, it must be being forced up the kick down cable to vent the pressure.

 

if it has been apart it may have the wrong or misaligned pump gasket

 

Thats what I was thinking but then it probably wound not work.

 

That would be hard to do....

 

not that hard ,seen it happen

 

Well I got some air into the line. Started it up and nothing so far!!!!!! But now I can't keep the damn car running long enough. UGH!!!!!!!!!

 

If the last part of the broken vent tube ( the last inch or so that goes through the case) is not plugged, then I doubt the rest of the passage that goes through the pump could be plugged.
Take a piece of bailing wire and put a little crook end on it, and run it around in and out of the hole, and see if anything comes out. Someone mentioned wasps or bugs..That's about all it could be.
The trans ought to vent through the dipstick tube anyway, unless you have a new or locking dipstick . Maybe a Lokar type? Take the o-ring off it in that case.

 

Drain a couple of quarts of trans fluid. Remove the dipstick and blow some air into the dipstick tube that is sealed. Air should come out the vent at top.

 

I do have a Lokar dipstick. And I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It came with the transmission.

 

OK, we drained some fluid and then topped it off, just to make sure it's not overfilled. Drove up and down the road and it still leaks coming out of the TOP of the kickdown cable. I've blown air into the vent but the problem still persists. The trans goes into gear fine and shifts fine. Ugh.

 

The pump gasket will only go on one way, it is impossible to instal that wrong, and if it was possible the trans would not work right because fluid would no go where it is supposed to go

 

Dear god does someone have an answer??? I'm trying to finish this for my Dad's 82 Birthday in August. We're so freaking close!!!!!!!

 

You have an answer...no one knows wtf is going on with your transmission.

 

You could eliminate the kickdown cable completely, fabricate a block-off for the cable hole at the transmission, and just downshift manually when you want "passing gear." That's what I did with mine.

 

I probably will eliminate it but I'm concerned on why it's pumping out the top? It's not suppose to do that.