Interesting transmission leak

[thom]

I drove the 1957 Deluxe on the freeway for the first time last Sunday. I managed to get it up to 55MPH, even without a sunroof. When I got to my destination, I noticed some drips of transmission fluid on the ground. At the time, I assumed I had a loose axle boot or somesuch, so I figured I'd look when I got home.

When I got home, I put the bus on the lift and started to investigate; it's not really clear where the fluid is coming from - it's like a 90wt grenade went off under the bus. It does seem to be coming from the left (driver's) side, toward the front. The fluid level was down slightly, but not much. All of the plugs were tight. It seems my only option at this point is to clean everything up and try again.

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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type

[KTPhil]

With no obvious seam leaks, it's a mystery! Maybe a missing ball/spring plug? Did it spurt out a vent hole?

Also, side issue... that clutch cable bend looks to be trouble soon.
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Current Fleet:
- '71 Fastback
- '69 Westfalia
Retired:
- '67 Beetle
- '65 Beetle (x2)
- '65 Bus
- '71 Squareback

[chrisflstf]

Seems like a pressure build up, then spurted out. You can check the vent hole above the nose cone with a piece of wire under the bus. Id clean it up and see if it reoccurs

[70bus]

Is that section between nose and shift rod phenolic, or metal? Never seen an older tranny up close before. Neat.

If a (formerly-plugged) vent isn't the cause, a crack that only opens up when hot or under torque load, or a seal with similar issues? That much spray is a lot even if a seam lets loose under load, so I'd say chrisflstf is on the right track; maybe paint or greasy dirt (or an insect nest) blocked a vent until pressure built and blew it out. If so, another test drive should be drama free.
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raoul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[Eric&Barb]

Knew a fellow who had the same gear oil fountain from the vent hole in the nose cone. Ended up having to replace the nose cone to fix that.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[thom]

This is a rebuilt trans with a new nose cone, so there shouldn't be any old cruft in there.
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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type

[70bus]

[Jacks]

I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the nose cone vent. I can see quite a bit of excess gasket goo on the nose cone mating surface. That can easily clog the vent
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Jack Staggs
Actual name

[70bus]

[Bruce Amacker]

I check vents by sticking a larger piece of fuel hose (1/2"?) into the fill hole, blowing on it with my mouth, spraying Windex onto the vent hole looking for bubbles. It takes two people but it only takes 10 seconds once you fit the hose using a small piece of towel to seal it to the hole.

Brake clean it all off, road test and look again. If you're a tech guru, get a UV dye light and some UV dye and check it that way. $10 on Ebay.

That clutch cable Bowden is looking for trouble.......

Good Luck!
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'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Build threads:
'66- http://www.leakoil.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2888&sid=54d8dedfb3822f99c7f2ea430cb4e856
'65- http://leakoil.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4263

[70bus]

Saw a "pic through the split window" post - how about a "pic over the tranny" one to see if problem is back?
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raoul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[thom]

Ok, a quick follow up. I did a cursory cleanup = just wiped it all down, didn't use any sort of degreaser or solvent. I thought the fluid level was low, evaluated by sticking my finger in the fill hole, so I added some LiquiMoly that I'd got at the car show. I checked again a few days later, and it had sprayed some more - the LiquiMoly sprayed all over was the tell, although it didn't have as much splatter as the first time. I cleaned that up and drove some more - without trying to top it up. I'm not seeing any more sprayage. I think what happened was a combination of over-filling the trans and the vent being partially plugged.
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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type