69' Charger Transmission Question:

[Captain D]

Hi all,

Perhaps a dumb question here - On my 69' Charger, I noticed that there is a slight leak of the transmission fluid when I placed a large piece of cardboard underneath of it a few days ago. It appears that its not a lot, but my basic question is...is there something that I should be stressed about?

The reason why I say this is because, when we recently had the motor rebuilt, the mechanic noted that the seals were not leaking and seemed to be perfectly fine. Also, he replaced the transmission pan gasket, added new fluid, and even replaced the o-ring. So, at this point, is there anything else worth checking?

As for the car itself, the motor has been rebuilt and everything is brand new (just waiting to break this baby in more or less). Also, I'm embarrassed to say, the car hasn't been run a lot in the year and a half that the motor has been rebuilt - it basically just gets moved around the garage as the body and paint-work has been going on. As we're coming down to the final stretch of this project, I just noticed the slight leak - I checked up underneath and it looks like its the transmission gasket...but seeing how its brand new (a year and a half new), is the problem simply due to the car just sitting often and not being run long enough to keep the fluid from saturating itself?

Thank you for any input,
All the best,
Aaron

[ChargerST]

Clean the transmission to see where it leaks. The oil pan could be warped if the screws were overtightened. Another possibility is the shifter shaft seal. I have to replace that seal on mine. I thought my tranny pan was leaking but in reality it was the shaft seal.

[super_dave]

If the tranny is not installed, check where the tranny cooler lines etc... will attach, they could be seping slowly until they are hooked up.  Noticed same on mine as it is not yet installed.

[John_Kunkel]

I checked up underneath and it looks like its the transmission gasket

Any leak that originates above the gasket has a tendency to run down to the protruding gasket before dripping off.

[Captain D]

Hi all,

Thank you for the replies and input. I went back under to wipe around the pan, place some new cardboard up underneath, and check to see where the drip is coming from exactly. Basically, its not a lot by any stretch. But, it looks like on one particular corner of the transmission pan (the passenger side), I'm getting like a few drops per day from it.

Although I wouldn't want to remove the pan and get another new gasket again, would it be worth a shot if I cleaned around it good and applied perhaps an extra bead of a lil' extra Permatex to try to seal it up? I also felt all along the pan/gasket area and it feels rather soggy. It's holding (for now) everywhere else along the gasket line except in that one spot in particular, but I'm hoping that I don't get another leaky spot elsewhere along the gasket line.

So, in short for this newbie: 1.) Do you feel that some extra Permatex on the exterior would be a practical solution, and 2.) Is it natural for this area to feel too soggy/spongy-like?

Thank you again for the guidance,
Aaron

[62 Max]

Permatex won't solve your problem,buy one of the new gaskets with the metal reinforcement and do it right,if not you'll be doing it again.

[nvrbdn]

Permatex won't solve your problem,buy one of the new gaskets with the metal reinforcement and do it right,if not you'll be doing it again.

plus with the pan off, check to see the lip is flat in nature and not nippled around the bolt holes due to overtightening of the bolts. dont have a pic of what i mean, but if there was any bolts tightened too much, you will see what i mean

[Captain D]

Thank you again for the replies gents,

I did get a chance to call round' to a few local auto stores, such as Advanced Auto, Auto Zone, and Napa before they closed this afternoon. But, when I had asked about the gasket with this metal reinforcement, they had no idea what I was talking about. They only had the basic gaskets for $7.50. I even looked through some of the catalogs that I have here w/ no luck other than the standards. I'll continue to do some more searching, but if anyone could please kindly provide me with a link to a possible online stores that'll be great.

I asked the mechanic who had done the work about the gasket and he said that the first new one that he had used, leaked and was not a good fitting. He couldn't remember the one that's on there now, but he thought that it was a Fram. So, if anyone has any leads with these metal reinforced gaskets, as well as any prices of what they may be, I would definitely appreciate any input.

Thanks again for your time,
Aaron

[ACUDANUT]

 I think RD said you could get a rubber type gasket too...Cork sucks.

[John_Kunkel]

The current factory pan gasket is the best one, available only at dealers.

[Captain D]

Thanks again - Yeah, I may just have to cough it up and call a dealer and see what happens. Hope that they can get em' and aren't too pricey,  .

All the best,
Aaron