Berkut99

Hey guys.

I recently (finally) got my transmission fluid replaced -- probably about a month or two ago, and have since then put less than 4000 miles on the car since replacement. Against my mechanic's advisement and under my own reasoning and some advice on this forum, I decided to replace that transmission fluid with Pennzoil GM Synchromesh. I had a couple of these bottles lying around for a few years unopened, figured I'd use them. This is the non-friction modified stuff -- though I had at first bought them under the pretense of a smoother shift, I had in the years since learned otherwise, so I used it without regard to performance, but just to get it out of the garage and maybe save a few bucks on fluid replacement.

Now I was at first under the impression that the Synchromesh wouldn't really do any harm to the transmission even though it wouldn't give any improvements, but I've recently come across an issue; my transmission is now leaking profusely. I'm getting a few drops every couple hours at the contact between the transmission and the engine, and what looks like an even larger leak at the contact between the shift rod and the transmission.

I find it somewhat amazing that I would produce two of these leaks at the same time almost right after I replaced the fluid, so it leads to a question or two: is fluid viscosity to blame or at least partly to blame? That is, is the fluid too "runny" and is more able to leak through what is admittedly old gasket seals? I plan on doing a replacement with Honda MTF as soon as I can, but is that itself also advisable with a older model Honda? Or should I stick with the manual recommended 10W-30 motor oil? Is there any real way to tell whether or not I have some gasket issues without pulling the transmission from the car or replacing the linkage contact before I swap the fluid?

A bit of a long post; I apologize, but I find it odd that I developed these problems right after I swapped the fluid. I appreciate any advice that you all might have.

sumdewd

Sudden leaks? Or was it empty to begin with...? Is this a manual transmission by the way? I wouldn't think that a simple fluid change could cause that suddenly...

As for the few drops between the engine and tranny... My car was pissing straight oil out of the rear main seal bracket plate thingy. All I did was stick a 10mm wrench up in there and tighten the bolts and no more leak. Take the flywheel inspection plate off and see what's really leaking behind there.

Berkut99

Oooo...sorry. Totally forgot to mention that yes, it is a manual transmission.

Sudden isn't the right word, probably. It's that it's a brand new problem. I wouldn't think so either, and I was concerned at the fact that it would have started almost immediately after I had changed the transmission fluid. Put simply, this problem didn't exist beforehand. Then again, it could be poor coincidence.

Tighten the bolts and no leak, huh? My god, could it actually be that easy...? I'll get the plate off and have a closer look as well. Thanks for the help.

sumdewd

Don't get your hopes up. My car was literally pissing engine oil straight out of the rear main seal bracket, and the only bolt that was loose was the only one I could tighten, which fixed my problem. It fixed my problem, but mine was engine oil. You're sure it's transmission fluid, right? My problem was strictly engine oil.

Does your transmission leak at the axle seals as well? It may very well be time to overhaul a few things down there. My old one leaked out of the mainshaft area, axle seals, AND the shift rod. I was lazy and said screw it and bought a Synchrotech transmission. Not a single problem since.

Berkut99

No, the axle seals are looking clean. Though I have been doubtful that it was transmission fluid, there doesn't seem to be anywhere else it is coming from. It looks dirty, but its admittedly hard to tell for sure if it truly is transmission fluid; it doesn't look or smell quite like motor oil, but then again, I could just be imagining a difference, given the leaks location.