On Thursday, I picked up a seal removal tool and was able to remove the rear seal from the transmission. The seal was much larger than the replacement I purchased at NAPA. While the new seal fit fine, it did not seem to be of very good quality but was made by Federal-Mogul (#1505).
On Friday, I checked at O'Reilly and they sold a much better National/Federal-Mogul seal (#7692S). Their seal was thicker and came with a dust boot which covered the part of the yoke which moves in and out of the transmission. I went ahead and took the other back to NAPA.
Tonight, I installed the new seal and then checked the rear U-joint. The U-joint appears to be in good condition. I noticed zerk fittings under a thick layer of grease for both the front and rear U-joint and took them out, cleaned them up, and filled them both with grease. The rear did not need any but the front took about four pumps of grease.
I then installed the driveshaft and tightented the U bolts. I drained the fluid from the transmission and later measured what was left to find only 15 oz. The drain bolt is one of the magnetic type which had about a marble sized piece of metal and grime covering it. I cleaned this up, installed the drain plug, and filled the transmission with fluid. It took 48 oz of the new NAPA gear oil to fill the transmission.
I'm amazed there was only 15 oz in the transmission. I've put 560 miles on the Mustang including the drive back from San Antonio. Since I could see fluid leaking from the shifter seals, I assumed there was an adequate amount as the shift seals are very high up on the Mustang. If I dropped down to 15 oz after filling it up in only about 10 miles, I would guess I've not had anymore than 15 oz in all along!
I drove the car around the block a few times to warm up the engine and check for leaks. There are no leaks at this point. I parked the Mustang back in the garage with a piece of carboard underneath. I'll check again in the morning and see if anything has leaked out.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Transmission Fluid Leak - Bad Rear Seal
I drove the Mustang to take Aaron to school and to work. The Mustang seemed to drive better with the new transmission fluid. I was only able to reach 60 mph briefly but the vibration seemed to be reduced.
I went out to the Mustang after work and noticed a small amount of fluid under the car. I was a little suprised but moved on since I knew the shifter seals were leaking. It just seemed they were leaking more than I expected.
I drove to Aaron's school (about 2 miles) and when I go out I could smell transmission fluid. When we returned to the car, Aaron mentioned he could smell it to. We drove the 5 miles home and into the garage. When we got out at home the smell of transmission fluid was very strong and I could see were it dripped out all the way up the driveway.
After changing clothes, I checked the car and found transmission fluid all on the exhaust, mufflers, and rear axle. The fluid seems to be leaking from the rear seal of the transmission.
I called around and found NAPA had the seal in stock. I picked up the seal and two quarts of NAPA 70W90 GL-4 gear oil for the transmission. I started work on the problem and removed the driveshaft but can't get the rear seal out of the transmission.
I went out to the Mustang after work and noticed a small amount of fluid under the car. I was a little suprised but moved on since I knew the shifter seals were leaking. It just seemed they were leaking more than I expected.
I drove to Aaron's school (about 2 miles) and when I go out I could smell transmission fluid. When we returned to the car, Aaron mentioned he could smell it to. We drove the 5 miles home and into the garage. When we got out at home the smell of transmission fluid was very strong and I could see were it dripped out all the way up the driveway.
After changing clothes, I checked the car and found transmission fluid all on the exhaust, mufflers, and rear axle. The fluid seems to be leaking from the rear seal of the transmission.
I called around and found NAPA had the seal in stock. I picked up the seal and two quarts of NAPA 70W90 GL-4 gear oil for the transmission. I started work on the problem and removed the driveshaft but can't get the rear seal out of the transmission.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Check/Refill Transmission Fluid
Tonight, I decided I would spend a little time out in the garage.
The underside of the car is covered in dried transmission fluid. I noticed it when I purchased the car but the only small area of wet transmission fluid. This fluid appears to be a slow leak from two of the shifter seals on the driver side. I've looked into repairing these but learned they must be repaired by replacing O rings from the inside of the transmisison. When I replace the floorboards in the Mustang, I'll pull the transmission to take care of these seals.
I decided to go ahead and check the transmission fluid. I pulled the fill plug and stuck my finger in but could not feel any fluid. Since I have an almost full quart of Amsoil 75w90, I decided I would go ahead and fill the transmission.
The job was a little messy but most of the bottle ended up in the transmission. I checked again afterwards but I still don't think the transmission is full. The transmission only holds 1.5 quarts and I put in about half that much. I stopped for the night and plan to buy some more transmission fluid another day.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I've put about 35 miles on the Mustang in the past few days. Since I've not driven the Mustang in 10 months, it is difficult to compare it to how it drove originally. I remember the brakes pulled to the right but little more.
My alignment job works well as it drives in a straight line even under braking. The front suspension feels good and the car does not lean when in a corner. The car is still using the stock rear suspension without subframe connectors so there is a slight half-done feeling.
I've noticed at around 55 or 60 mpg the car begins to vibrate more than I remember. This could be an alignment or tire balance problem. I'm going to need to get it professionally aligned as some point and I'll see if that takes care of the problem.
It was a little cold Monday morning so I did not drive it to work. However, I picked it up at lunch time and drove it the remainder of the day.
I've started a list of little projects I can do on the Mustang when time allows. I don't plan on starting another big project until this winter or maybe later. I really want to just drive the Mustang and not worry about working on it. The little projects currently on my list include:
- Tighten Alternator Belt (Squeaks when cold)
- Tighten Lower Crossmember
- Fix Small Brake Leak (very small leak at combination valve)
- Paint Shock Tower Caps (paint chipped when installing)
- Rebuild Rear Brakes (driver cylinder leaks)
- Passenger Fender Bolt (lower bolt will not tighten)
- Check/Add Transmission Fluid
- Replace Spark Plug Wires
My alignment job works well as it drives in a straight line even under braking. The front suspension feels good and the car does not lean when in a corner. The car is still using the stock rear suspension without subframe connectors so there is a slight half-done feeling.
I've noticed at around 55 or 60 mpg the car begins to vibrate more than I remember. This could be an alignment or tire balance problem. I'm going to need to get it professionally aligned as some point and I'll see if that takes care of the problem.
It was a little cold Monday morning so I did not drive it to work. However, I picked it up at lunch time and drove it the remainder of the day.
I've started a list of little projects I can do on the Mustang when time allows. I don't plan on starting another big project until this winter or maybe later. I really want to just drive the Mustang and not worry about working on it. The little projects currently on my list include:
- Tighten Alternator Belt (Squeaks when cold)
- Tighten Lower Crossmember
- Fix Small Brake Leak (very small leak at combination valve)
- Paint Shock Tower Caps (paint chipped when installing)
- Rebuild Rear Brakes (driver cylinder leaks)
- Passenger Fender Bolt (lower bolt will not tighten)
- Check/Add Transmission Fluid
- Replace Spark Plug Wires
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Driving Again!
I installed the front bumper and valence this past Thursday evening. I then worked on the alignment a little and finished it up last night. All this work is being done so I can get the car inspected this weekend.
This morning, I checked all the supsension/steering components to ensure they were torqued appropriately. I then decided to take the car around the block. The car drove well and when the brakes were applied, it remained straight. I'll need an alignment as the caster is not enough and likely need the tires balanced as they did not seem very smooth.
After driving a little around the neighborhood streets, I decided to bed the new brakes. I took the Mustang out on a nearby highway with a speed limit of 70. Since it was only 9 o'clock the road was not very busy. I speed up to about 60 around 12 to 15 a times and hit the brakes with about 75% - 80% force. Once I was slowed to 10 mph, I went back to 60 and did it again. After this was done, I drove home trying not to touch the brakes much so they could cool down.
When I made it home, the back right rear brake was smoking a little. It has a leaky brake cylinder. It only leaks a little but over the last 10 months has likely leaked onto the drum area. Otherwise, everything seemed to work out great.
I went to the Rilynn's birthday (3yrs) and then took the Mustang for an inspection. The only problem found was the license plate light was out. They charged me $3.50 for the bulb and $14.50 for the inspection. I'm now legal!
I filled up with gas as the gas gauge indicated I only had an 1/8 of a tank. I put just under 11 gallons in but the gas gauge still shows it is only a little over half way full. I expected this to be fixed by the new CVR, ground, sending unit, and wiring but I guess not. It must be that either the sending unit needs to be bent more or a problem with the gas gauge. It can wait for now.
I've so glad to be driving again. The project started on May 21st of last year with me removing the driver fender to replace suspension components. At times, I wondered if I would ever finished and wondered why I would dedicate such time to this. Now that I am done, it seems like I should not be and all the work makes sense again.
This morning, I checked all the supsension/steering components to ensure they were torqued appropriately. I then decided to take the car around the block. The car drove well and when the brakes were applied, it remained straight. I'll need an alignment as the caster is not enough and likely need the tires balanced as they did not seem very smooth.
After driving a little around the neighborhood streets, I decided to bed the new brakes. I took the Mustang out on a nearby highway with a speed limit of 70. Since it was only 9 o'clock the road was not very busy. I speed up to about 60 around 12 to 15 a times and hit the brakes with about 75% - 80% force. Once I was slowed to 10 mph, I went back to 60 and did it again. After this was done, I drove home trying not to touch the brakes much so they could cool down.
When I made it home, the back right rear brake was smoking a little. It has a leaky brake cylinder. It only leaks a little but over the last 10 months has likely leaked onto the drum area. Otherwise, everything seemed to work out great.
I went to the Rilynn's birthday (3yrs) and then took the Mustang for an inspection. The only problem found was the license plate light was out. They charged me $3.50 for the bulb and $14.50 for the inspection. I'm now legal!
I filled up with gas as the gas gauge indicated I only had an 1/8 of a tank. I put just under 11 gallons in but the gas gauge still shows it is only a little over half way full. I expected this to be fixed by the new CVR, ground, sending unit, and wiring but I guess not. It must be that either the sending unit needs to be bent more or a problem with the gas gauge. It can wait for now.
I've so glad to be driving again. The project started on May 21st of last year with me removing the driver fender to replace suspension components. At times, I wondered if I would ever finished and wondered why I would dedicate such time to this. Now that I am done, it seems like I should not be and all the work makes sense again.
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