Leaky Manual Transmission

Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
I am getting gear lube under my 49 Hudson Commodore. I have a 3spd w/OD. I see that the OD is a separate unit from the transmission. Are there any other seals or places to leak other than the input shaft seal and the rear shaft seal? I need to degrease the transmission so I can see where the gear lube is leaking from but the drain plug has gear lube dripping from it. I may pull the plug and then use teflon tape to seal it. Is this a good idea? I also realize that just because the plug has gear lube on it does not necessaryily mean that the leak is from the plug. It could be elsewhere and just following the path to the lowest point.



Also, I am reading in the Hudson Manual that you have to pull the transmission out through the interior of the car and that you pull out the front seat and the carpeting plus a access panel in the floor to get to the transmission. Can't you drop the transmission down like you can on a normal car, or is there some reason it can not be removed that way?



Any suggestions or recommendations?



BST RGGDS

GARY ( happychris )

Comments

  • PAULARGETYPE
    PAULARGETYPE Senior Contributor
    gary



    how much grease have you leaked out ?yes there are 2 places to check the trany one on the trans and one on the side of overdrive i would say try and seal the trans any way you can with tape as you said would be the first thing







    as for the trans removal the book is right it has to come out the top the cross member is not removeable
  • happychris wrote:
    I am getting gear lube under my 49 Hudson Commodore. I have a 3spd w/OD. I see that the OD is a separate unit from the transmission. Are there any other seals or places to leak other than the input shaft seal and the rear shaft seal? I need to degrease the transmission so I can see where the gear lube is leaking from but the drain plug has gear lube dripping from it. I may pull the plug and then use teflon tape to seal it. Is this a good idea? I also realize that just because the plug has gear lube on it does not necessaryily mean that the leak is from the plug. It could be elsewhere and just following the path to the lowest point.



    Also, I am reading in the Hudson Manual that you have to pull the transmission out through the interior of the car and that you pull out the front seat and the carpeting plus a access panel in the floor to get to the transmission. Can't you drop the transmission down like you can on a normal car, or is there some reason it can not be removed that way?



    Any suggestions or recommendations?



    BST RGGDS

    GARY ( happychris )



    Gary: Make sure the bolts in the trans are tight between the case and over drive case as well as the top cover. The trans has an input and output seal and seals on the shift lever inputs at the transmission and the case has several paper seals that go between the metal pieces.



    Cleaning the transmission throughly with a rag and your favorite grease cutter will allow you to find the source of the leak. I would make sure you drop the cover on the bell housing and clean it too ... input seal or clutch fluid leaking from the bottom vent on this piece will flow back across trans and undeside of the car.



    Good Luck
  • russmaas
    russmaas Senior Contributor
    Tranny can be taken from below. Just undo the 4 bolts that hold it to the bellhousing. There by leaving the clutch and pressure plate intact. When installing get some long studs and screw them into the bottom two holes of the bellhousing, then place the tranny on the studs and using them as a guide to slide the tranny back into place. Move the end shaft to align the clutch holes
  • I will give that a try! It seems it would be MUCH LESS work to pull the transmission out from the bottom instead of taking the front seat out and pulling the carpet up.



    Before I pull the transmission, I will degrease it throughly and check the tightness of the bolts and also check the OD. Will check the fluid levels in both the transmission and OD - perhaps that will give me a clue as to which is leaking.



    As far as amount, there is a decent size puddle under the car after parking it. It is hard to measure volume, but I would guess less than 1/2 cap full.





    THANKS FOR THE ADVICE!



    BST RGDS

    GARY ( happychris )
  • russmaas
    russmaas Senior Contributor
    make sure to put a jack and wood under the engine pan if you remove tranny also will have to take the bolt out of the tranny mount
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Russ's instructions appear to apply to the "2-lever" tranny used in '52 and later ... which is what you don't have. You have to take yours out in one assembly ... tranny and bell housing. That said, it can come out the bottom. You still have to remove the floorboard panel so you can get at the bell housing-to-block bolts, but taking it out the bottom is a lot easier on the back than pulling it out the top. Just remove those parts of the parking brake mechanism that are in the way. I much prefer to do it this way ... when you put it back in, you can put it on a jack and lift it in place. Position the jack "fore and aft" so you can roll it forward once you get the tranny raised and properly lined up. Use alignment studs as Russ says, but in your case you'll use them in the top two holes in the block, to guide the bell housing back into position.
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