Leaky trans - pull while motor is out? Talk me off the ledge again!

[patrickdotryan]

Hi guys,
I pulled my motor and it's rebuilt, ready to go back in. It's so pretty, all painted and detailed. While painting the engine bay I noticed my C6 (still in truck) seems to be leaking a lot. No clue from where, but lots of fresh red oil on the subframe. Never noticed before because my leaky motor was probably disguising that.

1. Should I pull the C6 now while I have the motor out?
2. It drives perfectly and I don't have time or skill to rebuild, can I just replace some common seals?
3. Is it hard to remove, I don't have a hoist, will trans oil spill everywhere?
4. Can I keep the trans fluid in it on the bench so I can see where it's leaking from?
5. Can I bolt it to the motor and install it as one piece? I only BARELY cleared the radiator support taking out the motor and I'm nervous about having a much more difficult install.

FYI, my truck is sitting out in the street, on very uneven ground, so conditions are not ideal.

Would love help. Thanks, Patrick

[sargentrs]

The basic gaskets and seals are easily changed with the tranny still in truck. While you have the engine out, go ahead and change the front seal in the C6. You'll be unable to get to that one once you have the engine back in. Go ahead and drain the tranny, remove the pan and replace the filter and pan gasket. Don't know much about the C6 but if it has O-rings or seals on the shift shafts, and they're easy, replace those too. That just leaves the tranny lines and the rear seal. Clean off around both real well and then when you get the engine back in, you'll be able to tell where it's leaking from and may have already fixed it.

[patrickdotryan]

Thanks Randy. There's so much grease and I already pressure washed it when I took the motor out, but maybe some time wiping might help. Where is the front seal that you mentioned in the following diagram?

http://www.fordification.com/tech/image ... atic08.jpg

Is it 7B258? That would mean pulling apart the front part of the tranny wouldn't it?

Patrick

[fordman]

The front seal (front pump seal). Is behind the torque converter around the main shaft. In is the only seal there. It rides against the converter to keep fluid from coming out.

[fordman]

See this recent thread. In the first picture u can see the orange/ red sealing surface around the shaft. http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =4&t=78049

[sargentrs]

Thanks for the pic, Craig! It comes out easily with a seal puller or just lightly tap a screwdriver behind the flange and work around it, wiggling as you go. Clean the sealing surfaces real good before installing the new one. Tap the new one in to get it started and then take a piece of PVC pipe big enough to fit against the seating diameter and tap it in good till it's fully seated. I use a piece of PVC with a cap on it, don't need to glue it together. Wipe the inside of the seal with ATF and I like to always smear a smidgen of RTV around the seal before installing, just a thin wiping.

[patrickdotryan]

Thanks guys. My front seal doesn't seem to be leaking. Is the advice to find all the other leaks and fix those without taking out the tranny but since I have the motor out just replace the front seal as a precaution? Thanks. Patrick

[patrickdotryan]

Ok, so I've taking a machete and bushwhacked through all the grease. I think the leaks are coming from:

1. Shift selector / kickdown rod shaft where it enters the tranny. Looks complicated.
2. To front of selector shaft there is a threaded cap like a plumbing cleaout. Looks easy enough but hard to get to.
2. Pan gasket. Looks pretty easy.
3. Maybe a little seepage around the dipstick base but can't tell if that's just sympathetic or a past spill.

So. NOW, can I do all that with tranny in place? Bear in mind that I also need to remove the cooler lines because mine were hacked off and I'm making new ones. Does all this add up to take it out. That also looks a little complex and heavy out on the road.

Thanks guys.
Patrick

[sargentrs]

I'd go ahead and drop the tranny. It'll be much harder to do all that work with it still in place. It's really not all that bad ti pull it. Get a couple of ratchet straps an put one under each end, hooked over frame rail to frame rail. Lower one end at a time using the straps to carry the weight.

[fordman]

Those can all be done in place. Do the dipstick oring last after the pan and shift seal o ring.