Oil leak from the rear of the auto transmission on 00 Outback

A

_AWDfan_

2000 Outback was diagnosed with some engine oil leak/seapage around
transmission in rear.
The mechanic says some seals over there have to be replaced. Along with
another leak form the oil pan gasket the repair estimate runs about
$1000. Seems very high to me...
Do you think it is justified? Any "snake oil" solutions that might
help?

The car had head-gasket repaired with many other things (timing beltm,
water pump etc) done on the way very recently. I am very surpriced the
mechanci who did that did not notice the leaks. If they did would that
save on the replacement cost (i.e. less labor)?

Thanks!
 
_AWDfan_ said:
2000 Outback was diagnosed with some engine oil leak/seapage around
transmission in rear.
The mechanic says some seals over there have to be replaced. Along with
another leak form the oil pan gasket the repair estimate runs about
$1000. Seems very high to me...
Do you think it is justified? Any "snake oil" solutions that might
help?

The car had head-gasket repaired with many other things (timing beltm,
water pump etc) done on the way very recently. I am very surpriced the
mechanci who did that did not notice the leaks. If they did would that
save on the replacement cost (i.e. less labor)?

Thanks!
The best "snake oil" I've found for auto trannies is Lucas automatic
transmission additive. I don't recall what the bottle looks like, but the
additive looks like a very thick Dexron. Considering the awful reputation
Lucas has otherwise ("Why do the Brits drink their brew warm?" "Because they
have Lucas refrigerators.") I was surprised it works so well. It didn't stop
the leak in my old Volvo - it had been leaking for many years by then - but
it slowed it down about 90%. I add fluid once a year instead of every few
weeks. The 2-3 shifting even smoothed out a bit, which is remarkable after
over 200K miles and 20 years.

(Before adding anything, give the others a chance to weigh in so if there is
a dark side you will know about it before committing.)

Mike
 
Hi AWDfan

2000 Outback was diagnosed with some engine oil leak/seapage around
transmission in rear.

It's not uncommon to find leaks at the rear tranny seal. Unless it's
real bad (leaving puddles of ATF), just top off fluid as required.
$1000 seems excessive; bring it by and I'll do the seal for you for
$100 + parts; 5 or 6 quarts of ATF, plus about $20 for the seal.
Really, tho, it doesn't take too much to do this, in fact a totally
reasonable DIY project; drain the fluid, unbolt the drive shaft from
the rear diff, unbolt the center carrier if so equipped, and slide the
front of it out of the tranny. Use a large channel-loc pliers to pull
the shield off of the tailpiece, pry out the old seal, and use an
appropriately sized socket to drive in a new one. Reassemble, and
refill. An hour max.
Leaks at the oil pan, and/or the engine crank seals (betcha the oil
pan gasket _isn't_ where the oil is coming from, tho) are stinky, and
more troublesome to fix. While these can probably be addressed with
the motor in the car, I've found that it's easier, and neater to lift
the motor out of the car for this service. (For the front seal, I
would generally plan on doing the timing belt, water pump, oil pump,
etc, while I'm into it.) I could see where service at that level could
run up a $1000 bill, but that still seems on the high side; I'd have
estimated $700-$800 . . . probably most of an 8 hour day plus parts.
The car had head-gasket repaired with many other things (timing beltm,
water pump etc) done on the way very recently. I am very surpriced the
mechanci who did that did not notice the leaks. If they did would that
save on the replacement cost (i.e. less labor)?

Hmmmm. Same mechanic? A savvy wrench would have done as I suggested
above, and replaced the front seal and oil pump O-rings while into the
timing belt. Should have recommended that, anyway. Cost to do
everything vs cost to do just the timing belt would be higher, but
most or the extra cost is parts. Majority of the labor is in
disassembling the front of the motor to gain access to the timing
belt, etc.
Rear seal replacement requires that the engine and tranny be
separated, and the oil pan is troublesome with the engine in the car.
This is why I lift the motor out for these chores; it's just not that
much trouble, and it greatly facilitates doing a clean job on the
seals and such. Good opportunity for steam-cleaning and detailed
inspection of engine/engine compartment/steering components (and
clutch assy. if so equipped), as well.

Hope this answers some of your questions. Times and cost estimates
derived from what it takes me to do the work, working on my own
vehicles in my garage. I _do_ have a car hoist, shop crane, tranny
jack, etc, and that helps a lot. FWIW, I was just kidding re the $100
seal job; only very rarely will I work on someone elses' car. Frankly,
I'd rather go fishin' . . .

ByeBye! S.


Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101
 

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