Mayday!

mallen

mallen

Leaving Skid Marks
Location
SA
First Name
Matt
Drive
2000 Legnum VR4 Type S
OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh NNNNNNNNNOoooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I just moved my car and I noticed a small dot about the size of a coffee cup on my drive way, upon further inspection it was a red oil... I think it may be trans oil but I'm not sure... Help!

Are there other red oils? (I'm so not a mechanic)

Also it dropped more when I moved it... I'll check it tomorrow to see how much it has dropped overnight...

Worried... :(

Suggestions?
 
Power Steering fluid is generally the same as ATF, usually the same colour (Mitsi specific one could be different...never owned a mitsi auto). Check your power steering lines as well, check around all connections of those hoses. Also check the fluid level for your power steering and ATF.
 
Mitch Peter-D had a similar problem recently. Take a read through that for some ideas of what it could be. Check all your fluid levels and if its not immediately obvious, try to clean the engine down with degreaser (and a high-pressure hose if you've got one) and then trace the leak from where its dropping.
 
In the morning I checked and it didn't drop a great deal more over night, so I drove it and it didn't drop straight away either... I'll check it again after work and see, but I'm better off getting a mechanic to look cos I'm relatively useless when it comes to cars...
 
torque converter seal.

are know for giving out. if its an auto trans??
 
Yeah it's a auto...

Where is the torque seal thingamajig? I'll check it tonight...
 
This is a rather poorly drawn picture of where the leak is hitting the ground... By looking up I can't really see due to the big plate underneath. But to a better trained eye (than mine) this may make sense... Or at least factor out some things...

Oh and I just checked it then and since 8am this morning it's leaked a spot the size of approx 4cmx4cm...

Any thoughts...?

Leak.jpg
 
almost certainly torque converter seal. Jack the car up and have a look. The gearbox is on that side of the car, and it uses Red oil. The Power Steering system is all on the drivers side of the car.
 
Yeah I'll have a look tonight... How much is the seal anyways and where do I get them from and is it a pain to replace?

Oh how much can it lose before it gets dangerous?
 
the seal is worth a few dollars, however you need to spend about 10 hours removing the gearbox to access the seal!!!!

You can continue to top up the transmission fluid for a while, but it isn't a good idea incase it fails big time all of a sudden.
 
Matt, while I usually recommend people have a go at this stuff themselves, if you REALLY aren't comfortable taking to your car with a spanner then you might just be better off taking it to a mechanic. Changing hoses is one thing, but pulling substantial components apart can be... daunting. And if you don't have anyone there to look over your shoulder and help you out and you get it wrong... well, that doesn't really bare thinking about! Not when a mechanic should be able to do it for a few hundred $$.
 
bradc said:
the seal is worth a few dollars, however you need to spend about 10 hours removing the gearbox to access the seal!!!!

You can continue to top up the transmission fluid for a while, but it isn't a good idea incase it fails big time all of a sudden.
Click to expand...

Yeah i have a few friends that are mechanics... how long realistically should it take to do?
 
I just called Mitsubishi (not that I'd ever let them do it), they said that they would charge $99 per hour labor plus the cost of the seal and they estimate 6-7 hours spent doing it.

So if a person went through them they'd be looking at a fark load!

Bugger that!
 
gregp said:
That drawing looks a lot like a Stagea. :)
Click to expand...
Hahaha OMG that was rich!

Matt, unfortunately six to eight hours is just what it takes to pull a gearbox off and replace it. I'm sure you'll be able to find a mechanic that charges somewhere between $50 to $80 /hour, but no guarantee how long it will actually take THEM. If they're VERY experienced with Mitsi vehicles, then maybe within an hour of the Mitsi workshop... Hell, I knew a guy who could do magna clutches in a quarter the time it took the mitsi guys, 'cause he worked out a way shortcut the whole process, so your mileage can vary.

If you want to give it a go yourself, you'll need all the right tools and environment, including the ability to lift the car up high enough to get a trolley under there to catch the gearbox as you disconnect it ('cause it'll be fricken heavy) and I strongly suggest having an accurate workshop manual... or a mate that's a qualified mechanic to give you a hand! And factor in at least twice that time if you've never done anything like this before... Might well take you two or three days.
 
yep, when myself, Carsten and Kenneth took the engine and gearbox out of Kenneths car it took just on a day!
 
Jeez! Hope nothing major goes wrong with my car for a very long time!!

Could a transmission specialist do this job? Surely they would know what they are doing and chage less than the mitsu mob.
 
Let your fingers do the walking - no point guessing as every workshop will tell you something different.
 
I hope so, even at $50 per hour that's still gonna cost me $400, I've only had the car for a week as well...

Man I haven't even been thrashing it...
 
I'd take some solace in the fact that it's unlikely it will need doing again for the forseeable future.

Mine has yet to go and I've already spent a little bit on my car's maintenance in the past month or so:

* oil / filter change
* transmission fluid flush / replace
* right hand lower control arm
* steering rack service
* replace brake pads
* replace front discs

So it's not something I am looking forward to either but at least you'll have some peace of mind once it is done.
 
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