Hot Rods Well, this was easy...

I've been tolerating a transmission leak from the TH350 behind the Hemi in the roadster since I built it. The garage at home up north has so many oil spill stains it doesn't matter, but our driveway and carport here in Florida are new, so I've had a drip pan under the car with a disposable pad in it to sop up the leak.
Yesterday I got the little seal extractor tool and seal I bought on Amazon (I have a tool back in Michigan but that's a long way) so I set work. The old seal rubber was so hard I had a tussle getting the tool to thread into it, but a little tapping with a ball peen hammer while turning it got it started, and the new one seated in once the spot was cleaned up with a Q tip.
The verdict? No runs. No drips. No trans fluid in the pan or on the driveway. Now I can clean up the transmission and squirt another coat of Rust-O-Leum bright silver engine enamel on it and cover up that Chevy orange.

 

two paint jobs without being serviced? wow....

 

If that was me Brian, it would have resulted in a spill of epic proportions and removing the body to complete the job so well done! I have this amazing ability to have every simple job turn into a m***ive disaster.

 

I knew that I should have had it rebuilt when I built the car, but I got lazy and didn't want to separate the engine/trans once I got it together. I guess I got lucky having this little seal being the only issue. It does shift fine and the fluid didn't smell burnt so I took the guys word I got it from that it was a good transmission. Dodged a bullet.

That's how I usually roll! I had to replace the little plastic hub on the governor of the one in the '34, then the speedo gear shucked all it's teeth, THEN the seal on it started leaking. Each of those turned into and E**on Valdez style oil spill in the shop. Didn't lose a drop here! Happily, so far, the shaft doesn't seem to be worn, 'cause the new seal is doing its job.

 

Sometimes Brian **** just goes the way it's supposed to! Then again...

 

Sounds like a great ball game...no runs no drips, no errors...congrats!

 

Glad it worked out so easily for you.

 

you are a lucky guy! I had the same leak (initially I thought it was a pan leak and changed pan gaskets) then, like you I bought the "extractor" tool and replaced the seal. I thought I had fixed it but it still leaked. I removed that seal and did my best to polish the shaft (but evidently not good enough), replaced the seal again with the same results..still leaks I am glad you were successful.

 

Thanks. The next step, that you're looking at and I am (so far) avoiding, is dropping the pan and replacing the shaft. If mine starts leaking again, I'll just keep the drip pan under it, add fluid occasionally, and have the transmission rebuilt when we get back up north. The transmission will drop out easily, at least, it's supposed to...

 

Walking tall ( not down on your knees )
Life is good

 

You reminded me that I need to do this on two of mine!

 

Show us a picture of the seal extractor tool, I’ll pick one up. I’ve got several TH350s with age related incontinence. Where did you get the seal?

 

Nice work in fixing that leak. I too would like to see the tool you used there.

As nice as it is to fix these issues, when jobs go like this I generally find myself mad at myself afterwards, mainly for not doing it sooner.

I had a Torqueflight that was functional but leaked like a sieve, and would leave huge puddles. I acquired a spare transmission that I had rebuilt to swap out, but even after getting the new transmission, I still just dealt with the leak, not wanting to tear into the car. It leaked all over the place for the next 5 years, and I even moved during this time, taking the car and transmission with me. Finally one day I just told myself I was going to do it. I started after lunch and was backing the finished car out of the garage before dinner. I felt like a complete horse's *** for not doing that years earlier.

 

On a Turbo 350, any fix is only temporary. It will eventually find another place to leak!

 

I also finally replaced that seal on my th400 after buying two seals, procrastinating for months, couldnt find the new seal I bought and put somewhere where i knew where it was, so I had to buy another seal.

 

It's re***uring to see a man who's not ashamed to use a Pittsburgh ratchet. Job well done!

 

That's extremely interesting. I've been running a T-350 in Clarence since 1992 and it's never leaked a drop.

 

My th350 leaks while sitting but nothing while driving, I've changed that rod/seal,pan gasket, can't really tell where it's originating from, constant drip pan under it.
Glad you resolved your leak though.

 

My TH350 is like an old hound dog (or old Harley)..... it marks constantly marks its territory....

 

Good to know, the TH350 for my '55 should get one, I'm sure. You saved me from doing this under the car.
Now, if Muncie seepage could be fixed so easily...

 

Here's the little tool, which came with the seal for $13. Now I have two of them...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KZFZFG...automotive&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw

 

That tool doesn't say it fits a 350.

 

Powerglide, TH350, TH400, TH475, 700R4, 200R4, they all use the same seal, the tool works for any of 'em. An awl would work too, if you have room to pound it in and pry the seal out. Or a drywall screw, or a tiny screwdriver, or whatever you could jamb in it. Edit: Or search Amazon for one that says TH350, I copied and pasted the first of 'em that popped up of dozens listed...

 

Thanks.

 

Nice fix B

 

When my Jetaway did that it was the dipstick tube seal. Trans called to be filled at warm idle in neutral. I'd fill it up and it would be fine, no leaks. Shut the car off, and it would barf a half a quart of fluid on the ground over the next few hours. When running, the torus would fill with fluid being pumped throughout the system, but when I'd shut the car off, the torus would drain back into the pan, raise the level of fluid in the transmission over the hole in the case for the dipstick, and pour all over the ground. I fixed the dipstick tube o-ring seal and it hasn't leaked a drop since. It was a sort of nondescript origin though because the fluid would come out of the dipstick hole, but then hit the pan gasket and sort of travel all around. So the fluid would be actually dripping off the back, side, etc., of the trans pan, but the origin of the leak was above it.

 

The cat died about 5 years ago and I still have a 5 gallon bucket of kitty pan litter.
I get some occasional use out of it, though, when the in-laws come to visit.

*They have a policy that they won't even buy a vehicle unless they first know that it leaks.
..

 

Ya, my black '63 started leaking pretty bad. Cruis-o-matic trans. Drop the pan, remove the modulator valve, drop the valve body and dis***emble the shift shaft and downshift levers to replace the seal and o-ring. I would have been happy to be working on a GM trans that day. It's all good though, no more leak.

 

This hasn't leaked a drop in 2 days.

 

Good to know, I have 4 automatics that are leaking currently, 3 are GM ones. The GM ones all hold all summer when the cars are running, but over winter storage apparently fluid from the torque converter creeps out and fills the trans case, and once it reaches a certain point in the case where one of the seals is, it all leaks out. Wasn't sure if it's the shifter seal, dipstick tube seal, or kickdown cable seal, but I'm going to do them all in the hopes of keeping all of their fluids inside over a winter. It's been a huge issue.