Date:         Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:27:09 +0000
Reply-To:     ROBERTANDERSON294@COMCAST.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Anderson <ROBERTANDERSON294@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Torque converter seal leaking?
In-Reply-To:  <950372996.570877.1379972537506.JavaMail.root@sz0201a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

----- Original Message -----
From: ROBERTANDERSON294@comcast.net
To: john@lauterbachandassociates.net
Sent: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:42:17 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: Torque converter seal leaking?

John,
Thanks for sharing your experience with your vanagon's AT.
I think I'll proceed with a service kit from Van Cafe. Starting with draining the fluid and replacing the screen, etc. and see if that works and also look into the o-ring you've mentioned.
Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: John Lauterbach
To: ROBERTANDERSON294@COMCAST.NET
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:33:47 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: Torque converter seal leaking?








Had the same thing happen on my '84 about a decade ago.  The O-ring behind the governor plate went after one of the other O-rings went.  These were symptoms of a bigger problem.  I forget the name of the device, but right above the pan, there is something with a lot of narrow passageways in it.   This had to be cleaned and the transmission readjusted.  Not a big deal for a competent auto transmission shop.  I got another 8 years out of the transmission before it died from old age.



John



On Mon, 2013-09-23 at 12:47 +0000, Bob Anderson wrote:


Hello,
It appears that my '86 GL is leaking ATF from the torque converter seal even though I recently replaced this seal when I had the engine out this past winter.
Saturday I was driving in some hilly areas here, in central Massachusetts, when we came up one long steep climb I noticed lots of smoke coming out the back as well as the side vents. I pulled right over and shutoff the engine and in the engine bay found what appeared to be oil all over the place and the smoke coming from the oil on the exhaust pipes. I checked the oil dip stick and all appeared well. It appears the oil was coming out through the openings at the torque converter. We let the engine cool down and wiped off all the oil spots and then drove to the nearest gas station and topped up the ATF fluid. Checked the oil and water levels and all appeared well, so I drove the 100+ miles back home without incident, gratefully!
When we got home, I checked the engine bay and fluid levels and all looked good.
Next morning I noticed a small puddle of ATF, on the cardboard I placed, on the ground under the engine, so I'm guessing it's the seal or could it be the torque converter itself?
Also, will I need to pull the engine again to replace the seal or can the transmission be pulled alone?
Thanks,
Bob Anderson
'86 GL
Wilmington, MA









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