[SM90Stanger]

Hey guys,

So today I went and changed my tranny fluid in my T-5. To get the bolts loose I needed to add a bar onto the end of the ratchet. When I was tightening the bolt back up I decided to put the bar back on the ratchet to get it back to roughly the same tightness. When I went to tighten the drainage bolt (the bottom one), I didn't get too far before I heard a crack... turned out the case cracked right under the drain hole. The crack is about 1.5 inches long. It leaked a little bit and so I loosened the bolt and it didn't leak quite as much. But it is still a slow leak.

So far I tried putting some silicone sealant on the crack to stop or slow it down but it doesn't seem to be working very well.

Is there some sort of leak stopper for transmissions or something that I can use to stop the leak permanently without taking it out and welding it shut ()?

I am taking the car to get safetied tomorrow so I really need some help quickly... and thank-you for your input.

[SM90Stanger]

Would radiator repair fluid work?

[spoulson]

I'm not familiar with T-5's specifically, but in my experience with transmission sealing you're probably SOL. Welding it will be the best solution.

But to get by, one thing you can try is to seal it from the inside. Since it sounds like the crack stems from the drain plug hole, you may be able to drain it then fit your finger or a tool in there and apply the right kind of sealant on the inside. Regular RTV won't last long against gear oil. What you'll need is either axle sealant RTV or something like Permatex anaerobic RTV 51813. I used anaerobic RTV on a trans I rebuilt for a different car because it's more readily available at the local parts places than axle sealant and works just as well.

[DROPTOP STANG]

you should try some good old JB Weld or some permaseal. they are spacifially designed for metal and is promised when dried to be as strong/stronger than the metal itself. in its terms "hard as steel"



check it out, finally i get to help you after you helping me these times lol

J-B Weld Company - J-B WELD Product Information

[TOM RENZO]

Ouch??? 90 well i cant say i never did that because i did. One thing you have to learn is that aluminum is not strong and a pipe plug(drain & fill) on most transmissions ia a wedge. It is tapered and will push the hole apart. When tightening plugs(pipe plugs) over tightening will make them leak even if you dont crack the housing or fitting. Unfortunately the only perminent fix is to remove the box and have the case professionally welded. I have had very good success with JB weld on tranny cases but in reality it is a temporary fix and it will be on your mind constantly. If the box is a keeper pull it and have it welded properly. I would even go as far as eliminating the drain plug completely. Find an aluminum pipe plug and have the welding shop weld it in perminately. Just a question and i mean no disrespect. Why in the world would you tighten a plug with a pipe on a wrench That exerts terribly high torque loads and expansion on pipe fittings and threads. you may be able to JB weld the pluc in the tranny. Pull the plug and let it drain completely. Then clean the threads and hole with brake clean. when its perfectly dry and void of fluid install the plug after coating the plug with loads of JB weld on the threads. The plug also must be super clean. Install the plug and tighten it very little. Then let it sit for 48 hours before refilling. Good luck and welcome to the club of OH my GOD what did i DO Sorry dude.

[SM90Stanger]

Originally Posted by DROPTOP STANG

check it out, finally i get to help you after you helping me these times lol

^LOL^

Thanks guys... I am going to get some gasket maker or JB weld right now. I'll see if the leak persists as I drive it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Steve

[SM90Stanger]

Originally Posted by TOM RENZO

Why in the world would you tighten a plug with a pipe on a wrench That exerts terribly high torque loads and expansion on pipe fittings and threads.

I am thinking that excact same thing right now Tom. So stupid! But I am still learning and I did not realize that it is a tapered bolt. When I went to loosen the drain plug though, I did need to put the bar on the end of the ratchet, so my thought was that I would get it back to that same tighteness by doing the same thing... Never, ever, ever doing that again!

So now for sure I will get some JB weld, especially if the leak persists. And when I put in the turbo motor this winter, I will get the crack welded and I might even follow your advice Tom and get the hole pugged permenantly, because you should never really have to put in new tranny fluid for a manual transmission.

Thanks, Steve

[TOM RENZO]

Well cant say i never did that because i have. You just learned a good lesson on how a pipe plug expands when its tightened. pipe plugs are tapered. The more you tighten them the more they push out. Pipe fittings dont have to be tight to seal. As the matter of fact if you tighten them to much they leak. The best thing to do is pull the box and have a weld shop install an aluminum plug or plug and perminately weld it in. You can try JB weld i have had good luck with it. Here is what i would do if you decide on JB. jack up the car from the opposite side of the plug and drain all fluid out. Let it drain over night. In the morning jack up the car from the plug side. This way no more fluid can run in the threads. Then clean the thread out and get a reducing bushing that is the same threads as your tranny. Clean out both threads and coat the threads in the tranny and the bushing with JB then install. Tighten lightly then allow it to cure 48 hours. wonce that ids done you can install the reduced pipe fitting in the reducer. This will perminately fix the box and you will still be able to drain the oil from the reduced bushing. Never use a pipe on anything like that to tighten it. Good luck TOM.

[TOM RENZO]

HAY 90 THAT IS HOW WE LEARN. I was doing an L89 vette motor once and was putting in the bypass fitting . Then it happened i heard that god offle soung CRACK. I imeadiately knew what i did. I cracked a manifold that is like a hens tooth to replace. I made a new bypass fitting with longer threads and tapped the hole in the manifold deeper. Cleaned both pieces with brake clean mixed up some JB and coated the inside of the threaded hole and threaded end of the adapter i made. Then i screwed it in a little tight and let it cure overnight. It worked fine and did not leak. The trick was the longer nipple i made. When i tapped the manifold deeper i passed by the crack and the longer nipple grabbed new meat and it did not leak. Good luck. Did you go to turboford.net off topic page 11 happy fathers day and see some of my toys. What do you think about them????? Tom Renzo Good luck and it happens to all of us. My favorite saying is (LIVE AND LEARN BUT THE MAIN THING IS TO REMEMBER)

[SM90Stanger]

Pretty damn impressive Tommydan ce:...

I always try to learn from my mistakes so as to not do the same bad thing twice... So far that has worked pretty well. Lack of knowledge and experience usually gets to me at times with this kind of stuff, lol...

As long as our mistakes are fixable (the less fixable the mistake, the less likely it will happen again)