Transmission Leaking Questions

Ok, so I dropped the motor on my '69 Ghia and have been going through it since it has been leaking oil from 'everywhere' since I bought the car about a year ago. So while I have the motor out I figured I would drop the tranny, check for leaks, and wash the underside to get the caked on oil off before putting all the new rubber on. I did check the level of transmission fluid and it seems ok and was not dry. But I did run into a couple of things that were odd and so I have a couple of questions for you seasoned VW vetrans:

1: There appears to be some seapage around the front seams. Is this normal or should I look at replacing some gaskets or seals? If I should replace something, is it a big deal to separate the parts of the transmission. I do not want to get in over my head with any type of gearing issues.

2: When I removed the right CV joint from the transmission, there was a bunch of fluid that drained out. It smelled and looks like transmission fluid. Is it possible for the transmission to leak out the seal behind the flange? I guess since there is a seal that I just answered my own question.

Does it make sense to just get a transmission gasket set and go for it? Is it something that an average garage mechanic can tackle? Any thoughts appreciated, I have a few pictures I took below:





Thanks...

My 2 cents..

If it is minor seepage just tighten the bolts and drain the tranny.. put in some good ole thick stuff. Chances are the fluid has not been changed in a very long time and is just thin. New trans fluid is thick and won't seep as easy.

Yes, there is seals behind the sides, but don't know much about getting to them. Those might be good to replace if the book show not to difficult to do. Other wise, the new fluid might help that area as well.

People forget that the trans can get hot and break down the fluids just like an engine. I just drained some of mine and added in some Lucas and some 85-110wt trans fluid. Really made my tranny quite.

I agree with admin. Here's 2 more cents.... The nose cone gasket is easy to change and judging from your pics, seems to be the major leak. There is a vent hole up high on the nose cone that you don't want to plug. If the hockey stick (shifter rod) seems loose, you can replace the bushing easily and inexpensively. To get any deeper into the gearbox is better left to professionals. Note: after filling a "dry" tranny, run it a couple miles and recheck the fluid level. It will probably need a little more oil.

Thanks for the collective 4 cents.

I was planning on putting in some nice new thick synthetic so I think I will replace the final drive seals as they seem fairly simple to get to and the nose cone gasket and see where that gets me.

So replacing the nose cone gasket and hockey stick was easy. The 'final drive seals' are proving to be the challenge. Can't get them to go in. I don't know if putting them in the freezer is bad for the rubber but that is what I am trying. I thought they would be similar to getting the main seal in, but since the dirve splines stick out, it is proving much harder. Live and learn...

So 4 days of frustration, two trips to Sacramento, and several hours of research later and I think I am back on track.



Notice the correct seals are much thicker and have a smaller diameter. This would be why, even with a shop press, I could not get the larger seals in place.

So the lesson learned this week is always keep the old part you are replacing to compare the new parts to should you have a problem.

Thank you Vallero, again...

Ray Vallero is the best!