Tranny gasket question [pics]
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: San Diego, CA Website: ChrisMitchell.us
Tranny gasket question [pics]
I have had a tranny leak for awhile and thought I would try to tackle that problem today. I bought a gasket and filter kit and an O-ring for the dipstick tube. I pulled the pan and found that whoever put in back on last used allot of RTV or something. I always thought you shouldn't use that stuff because it could easily get into the tranny and clog it up. What do you guys think? Here are some pics of the pan:
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00890.jpg
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00889.jpg
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00892.jpg
Looks like a bubba job to me, but I also don't know much about transmissions.
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00890.jpg
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00889.jpg
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00892.jpg
Looks like a bubba job to me, but I also don't know much about transmissions.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,456
Likes: 2
From: Coming home from Luckenbach Texas
BUBBA WUZ HEER! Yup, that's some pretty nasty work. Your gonna have to clean all the crud off. Then take a ball peen hammer and carefully flatten the bolt holes on a convenient flat surface. Don't overtorque when you put it all back together. Fresh bolts & lockwashers never hurt, either. 
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 88,393
Likes: 2
From: eville in
Originally Posted by page62
BUBBA WUZ HEER! Yup, that's some pretty nasty work. Your gonna have to clean all the crud off. Then take a ball peen hammer and carefully flatten the bolt holes on a convenient flat surface. Don't overtorque when you put it all back together. Fresh bolts & lockwashers never hurt, either.
And i wish people would learn,,,The chemicals in RTV breakdown the glue in the cork gaskets... so over a time they are Making a
leak.... i've used rtv on trans pans, put it on and let it skim over and
don't pour it on
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: San Diego, CA Website: ChrisMitchell.us
Hmmm.... Here is the filter that was in it, notice the little gasket has silicone on it too. Also, the particles that it has collected, is that alot? Or is that normal? Maybe a sign of abnormal wear?
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00897.jpg
http://www.77corvette.com/posts/DSC00897.jpg
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: San Diego, CA Website: ChrisMitchell.us
So after smashing about 4 knuckles trying to get the dipstick tube pulled out enough so I could replace the o-ring I have made things worse. I managed to put a little hole in the tube right above were it goes into the tranny. At the time I thought it wasn't that big of a deal. I went down to the local auto parts store and found a nice looking chrome dipstick and tube.
Sweet, just pull the old one out and slide the new cool looking one in and I'm all done. The problem is I can't get the old one out. Now I could just break or cut it into 2 pieces and get it out easily, but then how would I get the new one in? Those tubes have bends in them that make it so you cant just pull them out no matter how you twist and turn it. I'm thinking I'm going to have to disconnect the motor mounts and try to move the motor over just a little to give me some more wiggle room. What do you guys think? Has anyone here replaced the dipstick tube with both the motor and tranny in place?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,176
Likes: 3,994
From: Connecticut, USA
You might want to add a drain plug kit to save you time in the future. I used a skim coat of RTV on the pan side of the gasket to hold and seal it. I used the Permatex Gray RTV. It's all setup and the tranny is sitting on the stand so by the time any oil comes in contact with it there should be no problem.
This is a TH400 pan but you can use the kit on Th350's too. Not NCRS though!
Gary
This is a TH400 pan but you can use the kit on Th350's too. Not NCRS though!
Gary
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: San Diego, CA Website: ChrisMitchell.us
Gary, I hadn't thought of adding a drain plug. It's a great idea, I made a mess when I removed the pan. I'll get one of those plugs on my way home from work today.
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Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 400
Likes: 1
From: California
if you have a Tognotti's Auto store near you go there and ask for a Cast Alluminum pan, it has about 3/8 inch flange on it and wont warp or anything, i love mine, except.. I CANT FIND WHERE MY TRANNY IS LEAKING!! 
it looks like the front of the friggin pan! argh!
it looks like the front of the friggin pan! argh!
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 352
Likes: 1
From: Minneapolis Minnesota
There should be enough wiggle room to get the tube in and out with engine/trans in place, at least I can do it with my BB/TH400. Two quick notes. First make sure the aftermarket dipstick is the same length for accurate measure and second sometimes the leak is not from where you expect it. I had a front seal leak which ran very sneaky down the top lip of the pan and dripped back by the mount. Good luck.
