My 87 GT (5-spd getrag) is leaking along the seam of the two transmission halves. I am wondering, how hard would it be to take the trans apart, clean the seam, throw some RTV along it, and put it back together?
At this point I am 100% certain it is coming from the seam between the halves (not the axle seal or bolt). I ran some clear "sealer" along the outside of the crack and the fluid has shown up underneath it..
Do I have to fully remove the trans and be prepared to rebuild the thing (even with the same parts) in order to fix this? Can half the trans be taken off with the rest still attached to the engine? Is this even fixable?
Ive swapped engines and done clutches but I have always been afraid to take a trans apart..
There does exist wicking-grade anaerobic threadlocker. This is applied to a nut after it is torqued, and it seeps into the thread.
However, I would be surprised if the stuff would wick into the oil-filled voids between the case halves. Maybe there exists an oil-tolerant grade (look into Loctite products).
I do not think there exists any good half-assed fix, but I may be wrong.
Not to pass the buck but unless you have done it before transmission work is best left to the experts that regularly do that work. The Getrag is now over 30 years old and most are well used and worn. In 30 + years your transmission was probably shifted though the gears 50,000- 100,000 times. If your trans has a leak it maybe time to send it out for a rebuild. When owners fail to rebuild and reseal these boxes this can lead to eventual failure and a high replacement cost. You can pay now to rebuild that Getrag or you can pay considerably more later for a replacement transmission. The Getrag was not built to last forever, no transmission was.
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Is it so bad you cannot deal with adding oil and having something in place to catch the drips? owning a Fiero ... you have to be somewhat of a masochist, I used to own a 1966 Mustang 6 banger, which was the original configuration, the first thing I had to do to it was install a rebuilt tranny, crawled under the car and yanked the old one out, popped the new one in, a couple hours max on two evenings oh if working on the Fiero was so easy you are not a man until you've seperated the tranny from the engine at least once, LOL a crazy man that is, for owning a Fiero
To do it right, you need to remove the gearbox from the car.
That said, the case halves can be pried apart a little bit (maybe half an inch?) without removing the detent assembly. I wouldn't recommend it, though. It'll be a huge pain in the butt. And you may not get a good seal. You also risk causing internal damage to the gearbox, if it isn't supported properly while the case is apart.
Originally posted by Threedog: Ive swapped engines and done clutches but I have always been afraid to take a trans apart..
there are excellent directions here on how to remove the cradle from the car, and how to split the tranny case and put it back together sounds like you have the background to do both
IMO, the most difficult job is separating the tranny from the engine/cradle and reinstalling, kinda like wrastlin' an alligator (I got some tips for that)
I suggested dealing with the drips, because at some point you are probably going to HAVE to remove the cradle (engine/tranny) to fix something, fix the drip then
and replace the front seal/bearing/throw out bearing support at that time too (pea poor design that will likely fail) with Dickman's fix
If you do split it, couple of suggestions. IMHO, it is worth buying a new detent cover (If you can find one still - should be out there) I have also, in the past, machined new ones from delrin round stock, that have held up well. Next, if you do a full rebuild - there is a Kent Moore "Assembly Pallet" - that holds everything in alignment while you assemble the cases. I do have experience with gears, and have assembled Getrags without one, but it is FAR easier if you have one. They (at least to me) are a little tricKy to assemble, and I wold not go out of my way to assemble one again without the pallet. Been a few years, but I got one on Ebay for $25-30.00, as I remember. And, DO do Rodney's front sel - or swap th the hydraulic throwout bearing front case half - although this would require re-setting differential bearing preload.
Trans does need to be out of the car. It is easy to reseal the two halves with that anaerobic type gasket stuff once its out. But probably not a job you want to do just to fix a leak, wait until your doing something else in that area, like pulling an axle so you can kill two birds at one time.
Any other solutions to this besides pulling the trans? Anyone found any good exterior sealants that work?
If you actually need to re-seal the case halves, then you need to remove the transmission from the vehicle.
As WKDFIERO notes above, you can try checking the torque on the case half bolts. Maybe one or two have worked loose and allow the case halves to leak.
The big problem with sealing the leak without splitting the case is that the leak path, whatever it is, is full of oil. There's no sealant in existence that can wick and seal effectively with that condition. You'd need to drain the oil, then fill the trans full of brake cleaner or similar aggressive solvent and let it sit until it seeped through the leak point, then let it sit until the solvent dried up, THEN try a sealant.
Don't worry about what Dennis says. He does not understand manual transmissions and is scared by them.
Like edfiero said the case halves are relatively easy to split. Splitting the case is no where close to a full disassembly or rebuild. You do NOT need the assembly pallet. Removing the detent cover inside the bellhousing is a little tricky, but just a little. You'll need at least two pry-bars at once to work the bellhousing case off the alignment dowels, but that's not difficult either.
This is something you can do in your garage with hand tools, but it's just a lot of work. While you have it out, think about replacing the clutch as well.
oh if working on the Fiero was so easy you are not a man until you've seperated the tranny from the engine at least once, LOL a crazy man that is, for owning a Fiero
Am I still a man if I almost cried doing it? Lol !!!
I’d do it again if I had to! *knock-on-wood* I love my Fiero!
Am I still a man if I almost cried doing it? Lol !!!
I’d do it again if I had to! *knock-on-wood* I love my Fiero!
anybody can say they did it, but the fact you admit to crying PROVES you did it, if you didn't cry its probably because someone else did most of the work
while I BH alot about the Fiero, the fact I have owned it for well over 30 years PROVES I love it too
BTW, when I did it last fall I was able to find a new detent cover for $15 shipped, felt like I won the lottery and I suggest Permatex Optimum Black for the sealant, I have also used it on my Toyota and Kawasaki, hasn't leaked a drop and although probably doesn't matter in Fiero, is sensor safe
[This message has been edited by ZaraSpOOk (edited 01-14-2022).]
