TLR, just a question at the bottom.
After replacing my exhaust manifold, exhaust manifold gasket, firering, valve cover gasket, intake gasket, and throttlebody gasket I was certain that my days of finding puddles of fluids under the car were over.... alas, they were not. Copious fluids began to present themselves overnight.
After much head scratching and multiple crawlings under the car, I figured out it was the transmission dipstick tube seal. I had pulled the dipstick tube free to get better access to the exhaust manifold and I was never quite certain that I got it to reseat. Well, it reseated, torn to shreds, but reseated. I could barely get my fingertips to feel it and from what I could feel I was panicked that the dipstick tube had actually also rusted through at the tranny.
Upon removal of the dipstick tube I found it was intact - rusted a little, but intact. The seal, however, was completely shredded. Sourcing one proved to be an exercise in frustration and futility. It's a $2 part.... that no one carries. RockAuto could've got me one... next week. My local parts store that's usually 6 times more expensive than dealer pricing got me one the next day and for only 3 times everyone else's price. Oddly, they only charged $10 a quart for DexVI. I think these bottles were filled from the very first batch of DexVI ever made.
The installation of this absolutely ridiculous little part was about as clear to me as the fluid I got out of my last differential fluid change.... in other words it wasn't clear to me at all how to install this stupid thing.
Examining this stupid seal revealed that it has parallel rings cast into it on the portion that goes down into the transmission. The top was funnel shaped. It was a firm, but not alarmingly tight, fit to the tube end. BUT! I also noticed a kind of "recessed" ring on the inside of the seal itself right below the tapered "funnel" shaped upper portion. It seemed to me that this "recess" is where the ridge around the outside of the dipstick tube should be when the seal is properly installed. SO I did just that. Installed the seal on the tube making sure the ridge indexed into the recess inside the seal. I then tried to install the tube. With much valiant effort supplied by my 9 year old daughter I got it to go in - me under the car, her standing on a cement block pushing the tube. Giving it a good eyeing however, revealed that the seal pushed up the tube providing no sealing what so ever at the tranny. Remove, rinse, repeat... er... So I tried again. It occurred to me that placing the seal onto the tapered portion of the tube so that the ridge sat at the very top of the funnel might cause the seal to push further up so that the ridge is indexed into the recess as the seal drops down in.... nope. Seal pushes right up. Final attempt: installed the seal into the transmission and fished the tube into the top of it and pushed it in. And pushed some more. And pushed some more. No matter what I could not get that ridge down past the funnel shaped top. Coincidentally, at this point the mounting hole lined up to it's original location perfectly. I relented and decided "screw it" it's close enough. At least it should be sealed enough to drive until I hear from someone who actually knows whether this is wrong or not.
I managed to get a picture of the seal/tube as it sits, mounting nut installed above the exhaust manifold. It's hard to make out, but the seal is fully seated into the transmission and the ridge on the tube is sitting at the top of the seal. You can barely make out the ridge in the picture. Should that be out and visible or down and inside the recess in the seal?
Oh, and DexVI will melt spray paint that hasn't fully cured.... just a FYI.
The detergents in DexVI also melt grease and turns it into a goo that appears to be a cross between ink and slime. The whole passenger underside of the car was covered in this damn goo.
After replacing my exhaust manifold, exhaust manifold gasket, firering, valve cover gasket, intake gasket, and throttlebody gasket I was certain that my days of finding puddles of fluids under the car were over.... alas, they were not. Copious fluids began to present themselves overnight.
After much head scratching and multiple crawlings under the car, I figured out it was the transmission dipstick tube seal. I had pulled the dipstick tube free to get better access to the exhaust manifold and I was never quite certain that I got it to reseat. Well, it reseated, torn to shreds, but reseated. I could barely get my fingertips to feel it and from what I could feel I was panicked that the dipstick tube had actually also rusted through at the tranny.
Upon removal of the dipstick tube I found it was intact - rusted a little, but intact. The seal, however, was completely shredded. Sourcing one proved to be an exercise in frustration and futility. It's a $2 part.... that no one carries. RockAuto could've got me one... next week. My local parts store that's usually 6 times more expensive than dealer pricing got me one the next day and for only 3 times everyone else's price. Oddly, they only charged $10 a quart for DexVI. I think these bottles were filled from the very first batch of DexVI ever made.
The installation of this absolutely ridiculous little part was about as clear to me as the fluid I got out of my last differential fluid change.... in other words it wasn't clear to me at all how to install this stupid thing.
Examining this stupid seal revealed that it has parallel rings cast into it on the portion that goes down into the transmission. The top was funnel shaped. It was a firm, but not alarmingly tight, fit to the tube end. BUT! I also noticed a kind of "recessed" ring on the inside of the seal itself right below the tapered "funnel" shaped upper portion. It seemed to me that this "recess" is where the ridge around the outside of the dipstick tube should be when the seal is properly installed. SO I did just that. Installed the seal on the tube making sure the ridge indexed into the recess inside the seal. I then tried to install the tube. With much valiant effort supplied by my 9 year old daughter I got it to go in - me under the car, her standing on a cement block pushing the tube. Giving it a good eyeing however, revealed that the seal pushed up the tube providing no sealing what so ever at the tranny. Remove, rinse, repeat... er... So I tried again. It occurred to me that placing the seal onto the tapered portion of the tube so that the ridge sat at the very top of the funnel might cause the seal to push further up so that the ridge is indexed into the recess as the seal drops down in.... nope. Seal pushes right up. Final attempt: installed the seal into the transmission and fished the tube into the top of it and pushed it in. And pushed some more. And pushed some more. No matter what I could not get that ridge down past the funnel shaped top. Coincidentally, at this point the mounting hole lined up to it's original location perfectly. I relented and decided "screw it" it's close enough. At least it should be sealed enough to drive until I hear from someone who actually knows whether this is wrong or not.
I managed to get a picture of the seal/tube as it sits, mounting nut installed above the exhaust manifold. It's hard to make out, but the seal is fully seated into the transmission and the ridge on the tube is sitting at the top of the seal. You can barely make out the ridge in the picture. Should that be out and visible or down and inside the recess in the seal?
Oh, and DexVI will melt spray paint that hasn't fully cured.... just a FYI.
The detergents in DexVI also melt grease and turns it into a goo that appears to be a cross between ink and slime. The whole passenger underside of the car was covered in this damn goo.