The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Well I never knew that...

I had a drive shaft made for my 51 with 350 and R7004. That was a year ago or so. Last week after installing my Lokar dip stick I added 6 qts of oil. To my surprise I discovered a leak coming from the front yoke. Under closer investigation I could see fluid seeping from a small hole in the center of the yoke. In research I see that the drive shaft company should have put an automatic tranny yoke on. The one I have is for a std tranny.
Solution: cut a cardboard circle the size of the back of the yoke and after cleaning the yoke put Permatex Silicone Ultra Black on the cardboard and infuse it into the hole.
You never get too old to learn

LOL nice fix. I like it, but how long will it hold up?

Tony

According to the guys over at Phoenix Transmissions it will last for years and years.

If the fluid level is that high, you've got other problems. If the torque converter is leaking down and filling the case to the level of the center of the output shaft or higher, there's a problem in the valve body with the converter anti-drainback valve. The fluid level in the case should NEVER get high enough for fluid to leak out of the vent hole in the slip yoke!
Jerry

Thanks for the heads up Jerry. Question: This transmission is brand new and never run. It is bolted to my 350 crate that also has never been started. I put 6 qts in just to be able to use the new dip stick. I probably won't start it up for several months, I'll still working on wiring, gauges, steering column and front sheetmetal.
Now, knowing this do you still say there's a problem with the valve body?

If the engine/tranny has never been run, the torqueconverer is dry/empty,
hence the hi fluid level and the seepage, 3-4 qts will fill the torque converter.....

That makes sense. I just measured 2qts that was lost. 6qts minus 4qts equals 2qts.

I discovered the same thing when I overfilled a rebuilt Torqueflite 904 before starting the engine. 2 quarts ended up on the floor out of the case vent! Unless the engine is running once the filling begins, the torque converter will not fill. Once it fills, a check valve in the valve body keeps it from leaking down. Don't add any more fluid until you're able to fire it up!
Jerry

Thanks buddy!

You guys probably know more than I ever will but I have a comment/question.
Most all my tranny work has/is done by a guy who, along wih his dad, have been building trannies for over 40 years and have a very respectable business and known for their quality work.
This said they "shared" something with me that I had never heard before. When they rebuild a tranny the first "quart" that goes in the tranny is a quart of 5-30 motor oil into the torque converter. Since they told me that I have always put a quart of it in any tranny that I put in and start up. They gave a reason for this but I was wondering......have any of you done this or heard of it????
Jerry, how about it. Is this old news I've only heard about a few years ago or is a "trade secret" that I just never heard about.
I may add that they also build all types of racing trannys from funny cars to rail dragsters.

I'm going to have to disagree with your buddy. While the motor oil might not hurt anything, I don't see any reason to use it instead of the proper grade of trans fluid. I grew up around a shop my father owned in Nashville, and he was the second man in middle Tennessee to work on automatic transmissions, beginning in 1945 or so. From the mid-40's to the mid-60's, he probably worked on thousands of transmissions of all types. The original automatac trans fluid was "Type A, Suffix A", which contained a little sperm whale oil. Since whaling was banned, or at least severely restricted, synthetic oil similar to whale oil was added to transmission fluid, resulting in a bunch of special designations.

There are about 4 or 5 varieties of the "Dexron" fluids, depending on the year and performance level of various transmissions. I think Chrysler runs a dedicated fluid, as well as some of the import cars. All of them run a bunch of friction enhancers and other additives that just aren't present in any motor oil. Trans fluid must help the clutches lock up firmly, yet engage smoothly, and it must lubricate moving parts at the same time. It must also transmit pressure efficiently. There are detergents and anti-foaming agents different from, or not present in motor oils. Transmission fluid has to do a lot more than motor oil, so I don't see any advantage to mixing a foreign fluid into the situation. Ditto for transmission "additives" unless you're trying to solve a specific problem like slippy clutches or pressure leaks past hardened clutch piston seals.

Jerry

Thanks for your view Jerry. I am definitely not one to add "snake oils" to try fix a problem. When it gets to that point its time to actually FIX the problem and not look for bandaids. But I must confess on this one. I have added to automatic tranny's as I mentioned earlier and have not had any bad effects with the last one running almost 200,000 before selling the car. I really don't understand why but this guys dad is about 75 and has never did anything but tranny rebuilds...and his son has been doing it with him for "umpteen years" so I put a little faith in what they said.
Hopefully I will never have to have a rebuild for the rest of my life but if I do I'll consider your point of view....which mine was tje same as yours until I worked with these guys.

Thanks Jerry, your a gem to have around the stovebolt.

I've built import trannies (and a few domestics)for the last 20+ years and I would never add oil to an automatic. Just my opinion, but I don't see any (logical)reason behind it,
Scott

It's great fun to hear all these "old husbands tales" from the old time garage. I always heard that a gallon of diesel to a tank of gas would help the engine. I never did this mainly because there was never any diesel at the "service" station where I bought my .30 cents worth.

The right mixture of diesel and gas is an explosion waiting to happen. I don't buy into any of those old urban myths,
Scott

Plus, along the lines of adding engine oil, there's a difference in the pressure that's created, or the compressability (is that a word?) of engine oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, or power steering fluid. They're all designed for different pressure levels, and, from what I know, mixing any of them is just a recipe for trouble.

I've always just filled the torque convertor with 2 quarts of trans fluid before I put it on the trans, wiped a little on the seal, and never had any problems.

Tony

I guess you would have to have been around back then to appreciate that old folklore.

I alway's add a handfull of sawdust to the tranny to quiet it down before selling,,,,,,,LOL just kidding!

And bananas to the rear end to stop the grinding sound!

my uderstanding is oil softens the rubber parts in a tranny-not in a good way. It's OK in a pinch but should be drained as soon as possible..Trans fluid does not harm rubber, likewise power steering fluid.

Keith