pzookey Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Ok I am looking for help with this. 97 Legacy Outback with an Automatic trans just started blowing its fluid out of the vent tube. Was running great with this used transmission for about a month and a half. Any ideas on why it might do this? Time for another used trans? It is still under a 6 month warranty but this is the second trans I have put in. The first one had a cracked differential housing. This one seemed good up until this evening. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Check the Radiator fluid to make sure the tranny cooler hasnt sprung a leak. Check the fluid level, hell i would change it to make sure its the right level. Check to make sure you have the proper dip stick. It happens sometimes on used transmissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 Coolant is clear of fluid. Fluid level was good prior to problem starting. Proper dip stick (had 3 identical ones to choose from.) Trans is now low on fluid since the pumping out started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Use that warrenty. If it wasnt any of those it can be over heating. Does your ATF light work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 ATF light works fine. Was going off with the original transmission which did have issues. The trans even after cooling was trying to pump fluid out of the vent even though it had gotten very low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Refill the tranny slowly and carefully on level ground. If its still spitting back fluid take it back to the tranny guy. Its a sealed hyd system pretty much. Fluid expands if it gets hot and only has 1 place to go. Is it aerated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Oh a blocked cooler can cause this too, blocked cooling lines, blocked vent line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 It will be Monday before I can look further. It was a used transmission but it did come with a 6 month parts warranty. Cooler was clear and car has been running fine for a month and a half with no issues. I still have to get it back home. I can hope somehow a line got plugged and that is all it is. If not it is time to raise some hell with the yard I got it from as it would be the second bad trans I got from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Found out the fluid is pumping out of the front diff vent. Front differential is full of trans fluid and the trans is about empty. Looks like a seal between the two sections let go. How hard is it to replace a seal in this location? Would I be better off using my warranty to get another used trans? I end up replacing all the external seals when I swap out the used trans and that is about 45 bucks a shot. If the seal between the diff and trans is easy enough to change I may go that route. Any help is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I wouldn't mess with it. Just take it back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Have to get it home first and pull it. the yard is going to love this. They misplaced the first bad one I returned and were calling me to see who received it at the yard 3 weeks after it was returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Just got of the phone with the yard I got the trans from. Waiting to hear back from their warranty guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 They are going to honor their warranty. It may take a couple days to get it but they will stand behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Now a new wrinkle. The yard is refunding the money for the transmission as they do not have one in any of their yards. Time to start looking for another. This is a pain in the butt. Edited November 30, 2015 by pzookey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Did you try Car-part.com? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 I think that is where I found the last one. Just lucked out that it was local. Unlucky in that I ended up with one bad one off the bat and the second went less than 2 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Having a difficult time locating one. Not getting replies from some of the yards on Car-parts. I am thinking about tearing into the trans and replacing what is necessary up to a complete rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Will they refund you and let you keep the transmission? Maybe work it out so all you pay is the core cost if they don't wanna give it up for free. I don't think it requires a full rebuild, but to get to the double seal between the transmission and diff is pretty involved. Diff case has to come off, and the pinion shaft has to come out. I don't know exactly what's involved to get to that point. If you don't have a factory service manual for the car, search around here and get one online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Yes they are letting me keep this transmission as I had returned the original as a core. I will be looking for a service manual if I do go this route. Can't be much harder than changing the differential and planetaries in a Caddy 4T60E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 FYI: i have a rebuilt one in Va, 24014. i know it is a long way away, so probably not practical. i do not know the miles on it after it was rebuilt. but it has plate / tag indicating the date it was rebuilt. it has been sitting in a wrecked, T-boned, 98 outback for several years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 I am not sure the 98 will work in a 97. does it have an external filter? If it does it will not work. there was a change in transmissions around 98 and they are not plug and play with the earlier ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) 4t60 doesn't have a hypoid gearset. The biggest worry with these is making sure the pinion backlash doesn't change, but that's all set with shims behind the front pinion bearing, so as long as you don't lose the shims it should be OK. I might be steering you in the wrong direction though. There should be seals on the tube that runs through the diff case that connects the torque converter to the trans pump. If the torque converter was ever removed those seals could have been damaged. That's probably more likely than bad pinion seals. I don't think those seals require a major tear down to replace either. Edited December 2, 2015 by Fairtax4me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 That could be a possibility as the yard required replacement of the converter and external seals to honor the warranty. Odd that it would run 2 months with no issues and then suddenly a major failure but that can happen. I will take a look at that first after I get the trans out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 tried LKQ ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) LKQ doesn't have one near and the only 3 they have nationwide are for 97 2.2 legacys. I need one for the outback. two of them are fwd. Edited December 2, 2015 by pzookey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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