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My TJ Transmission is Haunted....Help!!

1K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  demarpaint 
#1 ·
Good evening. I grew up working on vehicles, but a career in the Army took me a different path. Now 62, I recently bought a 1997 TJ (2.5, Auto) to have a 4WD for light four-wheeling in a nearby hunting area. The guy I bought it from had not had it long before a medical problem forced him to sell some "toys" he really couldn't use any more. However, he the second owner, and was pretty much clueless on even basic maintenance. So, I reacquainted myself with the belly of a 4WD again, starting with plugs and wires, the fluids...oil and filter, coolant flush and change, front and rear differential fluids, transfer case fluid, etc. Then the not so fun one...the transmission filter and fluid, the first part of which was the x#(%&% skid plate. When I did it, there had been no evidence of any transmission fluid leakage at the pan. Put a Purlator filter in it, and installed the cork gasket that came with the filter. Unfortunately, as I carefully put the pan back on, torqued the bolts to 13ft lbs using the cross-pan diagonal pattern of tightening them, and was ready to refill the tranny, I saw that I had left the magnetic donut out. So, back off came the pan trying very hard not to damage the gasket. In went the donut, and I reinstalled the pan the same way and again retorqued the pan bolts to spec. Then the fun part of reinstalling the skid plate by myself using a floor jack and a lot of effort. Then a couple of days later I noticed a few drops of AT fluid on the driveway. I got under it and it appeared that it was either leaking at the bolts or from the gasket on the rear of the pan. I took a ratchet and 1/2 inch socket and checked the bolts and was surprised that several of them were loose. Strange, and not something I had experienced on any other transmission filter swap out over the years. So, I tightened them again. Same pattern. They seem to back out due to vibration or something. Finally I decided I must have damaged the gasket when I had to take the pan back off to install the magnetic donut. So, I did the job again. Stopped at a different auto parts store and this filter came with a rubber gasket. So, dropped the skid plate (hating it by now), loosened the pan bolts, drained the fluid once I broke the seal, and once again replaced the filter, cleaned out the pan, cleaned off the donut (it didn't have any fine metal on it yet), placed the gasket and bolts, and then reinstalled the pan....again, and again torqued it to 13 ft lbs. All was good. I refilled the tranny (again) with Castrol synthetic ATF +4 and then reinstalled the skid plate. Took it for a short drive to warm it up, checked the fluid level with it in neutral, and everything seemed fine. No leaks at all. I took it turkey hunting the next day with no problems. Came back and parked it in the driveway. When I got up to go to work the next morning, noticed a small amount of fluid on the driveway. I left for work really puzzled. Came home that afternoon, crawled under it, and once again it seems to be leaking around the bolts or from the gasket and running down onto several of the bolts. I got the ratchet again and found that several of the bolts had again loosened up. I am stumped. I checked each of the bolts and none of the thread was stripped, now did any of them spin loosely in the transmission body when I reinstalled them. They tightened up fine and I took all of them to the specified torque setting, so I know they all were tight. I have done this in the past with IH Scouts, Buick cars, Chevy trucks, and recently a Ford F-150, and never have had this problem on any of them. Am I missing something, and what do I try next, besides once again dropping skid plate and pan and putting a new gasket on the pan? Thanks. Glenn, San Antonio
 
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#3 ·
Thanks, Trullib. I am pretty much stumped, and wanted to get some thoughts from the experienced Jeep crowd before I went back for round three. Especially curious if this backing out of the pan bolts due to, I guess, vibration is common, since I haven't seen it with other vehicles...ever. But not getting much back from the members, so putting a new gasket on with some blue Loc-Tite, and double checking the torque wrench may be what I am left with. I think if I fail again and get a third strike, I am finding someone who does this for a living. Thanks for your note and the advice.
 
#5 ·
Also make sure the bolt holes in the pan are flat and not mushroomed in so that they cut the gasket. I usually use a ballpein hammer and the edge of my vice and flatten the flange holes before remounting. A little blue locktite on the threads would be a good idea.
 
#6 ·
hello there. im having the same issue on my 2000 tj. tranny was rebuilt about 30k ago. no leaks. then i changed out the filter and oil and since have not been able to eliminate a small leak that appears to come from between the pan and the trans. i have tried using dealer gasket at 32.00 plus a new pan (o.e) and bolts, sometimes i use silicone and sometimes i dont with the same results. all the while torqued to 14. lbs? im going to try it again this weekend and use grey rtv silicone. if you read on the box of the tranny filter kit i says not to use silicone on their rubber gasket. i am beginning to question that and see no way around it with jeep tranny pans. im going to make sure the pan is perfectly flat and the bolt holes are not con caved up. if so i will use the ball pen method. but i truly feel the grey rtv will make the difference. oh and also extremely clean. other than that if it still leaks im going to live with it. its only drops a little but its annoying to me. the only other two possibilities could be dipstick tube o-ring or seal inside the trans in the adapter. but after steam cleaning the whole underside and i see no leaks from those two in my case anyway.
 
#8 ·
Loctite will stop the bolts from getting loose, just be sure they're clean and oil free. A little dab of RTV sealant should work as well, and would be better at leak prevention coming from the bolts themselves.
 
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