Hello everyone, so I'm trying to get my 63' coupe on the road. Fires up no problem and seems to shift fine but I've noticed a decent amount of fluid leaking from a factory punched hole in a small access panel on the bottom of the transmission. I don't think I over filled it, but perhaps I did. I took the panel off and I can see the flexplate? Flywheel? Not sure exactly, I'm pretty green which mechanical knowledge. Definitely a fabrication guy. So I'm wondering if this is bad news, or if it's somewhat fixable, did I just over fill the damn thing? Any help or at least ideas would be great. Hoping to not have to rebuild it or pull it out to work on it but I guess winter is coming so if it does, it does. Thanks everybody!
Sounds like you've removed the inspection cover. If fluid is leaking at the inspection cover area, you may have a front pump seal leak, which would require a transmission removal to repair it. If you intend to do your own mechanical work, begin by buying a Cadillac shop manual for your specific year. Best money you'll ever spend.
Are you sure it's tranny fluid leaking? Double check. To be sure it's the front pump seal leaking, remove the inspection plate, you gotta take the starter down 1st, then you can see inside of the tranny to check where the leak is. If it's motor oil: I just wrestled with this after rebuilding the motor on my 1960 Caddy 390, thought for sure it was the front seal on the motor. Turned out to be the oil filter mount leaking, it was traveling down to the trans inspection plate making it look like the front seal was shot. This piece is hidden by the starter, so to get a really good look pull the starter. The oil filter spins onto this piece which is mounted to the block with bolts, between there a gasket. Prone to leaking. If that's it, EZ to replace the gasket. To check for that kind of leak, this is what you are looking for under there
If it turns out to be the front seal on the tranny, Autotran.us or Fatsco will have the front end seal up kit. You do need to drop the tranny to do it, but you don't have to disassemble the trans itself very far just to do the front seals. There is a good thread on the Hamb about it http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...matic-transmission-leak-with-pictures.671689/ All you need are your standard sockets and such, some tall jack stands, and this beauty: Cheap and awesome from Harbor Freight. (If anyone wants an internet battle about Harbor Freight I'm game, but not right now. I'm on a film shoot this week, right now I'm hiding in the honey wagon for a few minutes to write this quickly, they are already calling for the art department on the walkie so I have to thumb quick.) I had to rebuild my Jetaway twice, and it worked great. (I messed it up the first time and had to pull it and do it all over again, so I'm a dumbass who likes HF, yes)
Mine is definitely trans fluid, very red. Thanks for the tip on the jack and the seal kit. Anyway to tell for sure its that or is this really that common so I should just go for it?
Pull the starter, (not that hard), pull the inspection plate and look inside, you'll see for sure if it's the front seal. If it were the trans pan gasket, you would see the stream coming from it. I used to put a cookie sheet under it when I parked, but that gets old, especially when you need to bake some cookies.
In my youth, I had a leaky '64 Olds tranny, I pulled the transmission and no parts store carried my seal, so I took it to a local transmission shop and they put one in for a few bucks. But you should be able to do it.
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