DupermanDave Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I just got done repairing the oil leak at the separator plate. I filled the engine with coolant and oil and turned it on and it started gushing liquid from below. I thought it was oil at first, but it turned out to be transmission fluid. When I run the engine, there's 2 streams coming from the engine/transmission joined area. I am able to engage drive and drive it forward and reverse actually engages and reverses the car. But it still leaks. The only thing we messed with on the transmission was the torque converter. We were able to seat that and the bell housing meets the engine seamlessly, so there's no reason to thing it hasn't been seated properly. What else could be causing the leak? Does the engine need to come out again? (I hope not. I'm exhausted from yanking the engine yesterday and finalizing the installation today.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 You must have cut the input seal on the transmission when you were messing with the TC. You get to pull it all apart again now to replace the seal. :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 as long as you're positive it's coming from there, then yeah it sounds like you unfortunately will need to replace the torque converter seal. i can't think of anything else between the engine and trans that will leak, it's only that one seal. the torque converter didn't sit out for awhile and get any rust on the shaft did it? not that it matters, either way the seals needs replaced, just want to make sure something didn't damage it that will do it again. be very careful and make sure the TC is seated properly, sounds like you got it once so far. if you do'nt you'll ruin your trans. just don't use the bolts to pull things together, make sure the TC is fully seated and doesn't touch when you install the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Any chance it's the rear main seal? Have you checked the trans pan oil gasket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Any chance it's the rear main seal? Have you checked the trans pan oil gasket? or the trans fluid cooling lines?? you need to identify the fluid, trans or engine oil?? check the trans fluid level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 11, 2010 Author Share Posted July 11, 2010 (edited) We never used the bolts to pull the thing to gether. We did a combination of lifting the transmission, lifting the engine, and tilting the engine on the harness. We also installed the torque converter on the transmission first and then lowered the engine and bolted the torque converter to the engine. There's an access hole at the top of the engine that allows you to get to the holes of the torque converter. It's definitely transmission fluid. What's the name of this seal? I see 2 parts listed on auto parts websites: input shaft seal and a torque converter seal. Which do I need? Are there any tips and techniques I can use so I don't shred the seal again? I'm more peeved at having to drain the coolant and oil again. That's a messy job and I hate doing that. Fluids are a nightmare. Edited July 11, 2010 by DupermanDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 What's the name of this seal? I see 2 parts listed on auto parts websites: input shaft seal and a torque converter seal. Which do I need? there is a split ring seal , cleat or almost clear, i think, that rides on the large torque converter shaft. because it is not an actual ring, it has a split in it, it could have fallen off, or just be old. I'm more peeved at having to drain the coolant and oil again. That's a messy job and I hate doing that. Fluids are a nightmare. coolant yes, you have to drain that. you might consider catching it and then filtering it and re-using. hate to waste all of it. you probably will not catch all of it but some is better than none. i don't think you have to drain any engine oil or trans fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 11, 2010 Author Share Posted July 11, 2010 there is a split ring seal , cleat or almost clear, i think, that rides on the large torque converter shaft. because it is not an actual ring, it has a split in it, it could have fallen off, or just be old. . Well there's our problem! When we took the torque converter off, all we had was a metal shaft. No seal or anything. I don't believe it fell off, because we didn't find anything that could have been a seal on the ground. It could have broken up inside, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 There's your problem! Replace it and let us know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 11, 2010 Author Share Posted July 11, 2010 We got the engine lifted out again and I snagged some pics of the torque converter and the transmission. Could someone point out where the seal should have been? There is a rubber seal on the transmission that's pretty obvious, but it doesn't look like it's leaking. I got a picture of the torque converter with the shaft with those two notched. Is the seal supposed to be around that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 That black one. That's the seal in question. That's the only seal, and the only way for transmission fluid to get out through that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 11, 2010 Author Share Posted July 11, 2010 (edited) That black one. That's the seal in question. That's the only seal, and the only way for transmission fluid to get out through that area. Okay, thanks. Will replace that ASAP. Does anyone know the name/part number for this seal? As for that shaft with the splines coming from the transmission, that smaller center shaft has some play in it and my dad was wiggling it and it slid out a little. Is that normal? Or did we just break something with that too? -edit- I was fiddling around with the current seal in place and it's definitely bad. I prodded around with a screwdriver and the bottom bit of rubber is split and the spring is coming out. Edited July 11, 2010 by DupermanDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 the shaft on the torque converter, the large tube, is supposed to be longer. there is another piece to it that is supposed to be connected with a spring clip. ( the large shaft assembly actually turns the oil pump. the long thin shaft is the input for the trans. ) the only time i took one apart, the TC came out with both a longer oil pump shaft and the thinner input shaft still attached. so no, you did not break anything by wiggling the thinner shaft. but you may need to remove the second piece of the oil pump shaft and re-attach it to the TC with the spring clip. there was a recent thread about how to remove it by grossgary, i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 (edited) the shaft on the torque converter, the large tube, is supposed to be longer. there is another piece to it that is supposed to be connected with a spring clip. ( the large shaft assembly actually turns the oil pump. the long thin shaft is the input for the trans. ) the only time i took one apart, the TC came out with both a longer oil pump shaft and the thinner input shaft still attached. so no, you did not break anything by wiggling the thinner shaft. but you may need to remove the second piece of the oil pump shaft and re-attach it to the TC with the spring clip. there was a recent thread about how to remove it by grossgary, i think. Would it still need to be removed if I am able to get the new seal in place and the torque converter seated properly? I just don't want to remove anything else and break something else in the process if it's not absolutely necessary. -edit- I found that link: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=112094&highlight=converter+spring+clip My dad said he got the center shaft seated and it no longer wobbles or slides out. I think it's good. Is it still absolutely necessaru to remove it to get the torque converter in? Edited July 12, 2010 by DupermanDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 i have exhausted my knowledge in this area, but i think you should put it together the right way, what ever that it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 There is a circlip that goes inside of there somewhere. It holds the torque converter to the oil pump drive shaft. The pump shaft is a cylindrical shaft that the input shaft runs through the middle of. You need to make sure that clip hasn't fallen off. It might help to pull that shaft out of the trans and attach it to the torque converter before you install it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 I've replaced the seal. It slid in quite nicely. I was dreading having to pound it in all afternoon. Now I'm trying to seat the torque converter again. Last time I did it it was a freak accident. I was just wiggling and rotating and slicing my fingers. This time I'm more careful because of the seal but I cannot get it seated. It's a W.I.P, though, so I'll eventually get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 There is a circlip that goes inside of there somewhere. It holds the torque converter to the oil pump drive shaft. The pump shaft is a cylindrical shaft that the input shaft runs through the middle of. You need to make sure that clip hasn't fallen off. It might help to pull that shaft out of the trans and attach it to the torque converter before you install it. I found the clip. I tried pulling that smaller shaft out and installing it into the transmission, but it was still not going to budge in and seat a second time. I looked into the shaft and wiped the transmission fluid out and saw a bit of a "spring" that might be blocking it from seating the second time. I almost got the spring clip out, but I'm too scared to remove it. I may make the situation worse. What do I need to do with this clip? Should I just try and get it seated and out of the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 If the clip is loose you'll have to take it out. Leave it attached to the pump drive shaft if it's still attached. I've never done one but I hear you have to put a little push into it to get the last part seated and get that clip to pop into it's place in the torque converter. It might help if you pull the whole thing out. Some searching on the board here might dig up a writeup on how to get it seated properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DupermanDave Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 If the clip is loose you'll have to take it out. Leave it attached to the pump drive shaft if it's still attached. I've never done one but I hear you have to put a little push into it to get the last part seated and get that clip to pop into it's place in the torque converter. It might help if you pull the whole thing out. Some searching on the board here might dig up a writeup on how to get it seated properly. I took a chance and just pulled the clip out with paperclip that was unbent to make a hook. I pulled out the inner shaft and saw how it all was supposed to go together. I got the torque converter seated and the engine is now mated to the transmission. Let's hope this time it doesn't spring a leak again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bperc Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Sorry to resurrect this thread, but can anyone resend the pictures? I am having the exact problem. I’d like to know what it looks like before I completely tear into it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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