Hey guys, I had my car on the lift yesterday and notice this WTF. My transmission is fine, i mean i havent noticed anything wierd going on it shifts normally and i havent had any gear slipping issue either (knock on wood). This particular transmission has got around 80 thousand miles on it and through out those miles it has been consistant. As i mentioned earlier i havent noticed anything different lately. The leak seem to be from the area where the left driveshaft goes into the transmission. It seems to me that the leak started recently because i was at the acura dealership a couple of weeks ago to get my factory exhaust cat checked because it was rattling and at that time the dealer did not mention any leaks what so ever. Any how what do you guys think? Transmissiong going? Bad driveshaft seal?

 

By the looks of the pics it looks like its the axel seal.

 

How bad is that? Any particular reason why it went bad on me?

 

some times seals go bad. Its not really hard to replace. Just need to remove the axel to get to it (which would be the hardest part). I would get it replaced. Dont want too much fluid leaking and blowing out.

 

Thanks Kris, ya thats what it was The car is in the shop for a new seal and also a new random technologies Cat and comptech headers, which have been sitting in my garage for almosts 6 months waiting to be installed so this was the perfect opertunity for them to be slapped on with the cat coz the factory cats rattle was driving me up the wall. I cant wait to see how my greddys would sound once both of these things go on.

 

Cool. Let us know how it all goes!

 

Well i got the car back today. The seal had gone bad and the closest Acura dealership from my place is 60 miles so i got the part number off acura and matched it with the part number for an 02 Honda Accord 3.0 V6, luckily both motors take the same seal (due to the fact that honda had the same part number listed for the seal). So i ran to my local honda dealership and picked up the seal for $8.00 and got that installed to fix the leak.

I had the comptech headers sitting in my garage for a year and hadnt had a chance to get them installed, lack of time and being busy with other obligations etc was the cause for that. And since my factory cat had gone, bad i was getting that replaced with one from random tech, I said why not get the heads installed as well. BOY did getting the heads and the high flow cat installed makes a difference My greddys are louder than ever before with a nice crisp sound and the car revs up so quick that i think i need to put a leash on it, all in all as the Mcdonald people say "Um loving it" I will post a video soon.

 

Ive replaced my axel seal twice already and both times it'll be good for a couple of weeks and start leaking all over again. Any clue as in what could be causing this? Maybe I have to replace the entire axel? My car has 104k btw

 

the seal where the axle enters the transmission?
Is there a cut or damaged edge
whats the old seal look like when removed?- must show wear or damage on it

 

Yes its exactly where the axle enters the transmission. My problems began after hitting a really bad pothole. Didnt realized it was leaking until I went to drain and fill tranny fluid. I checked the dip stick and the level was really low.

A friend of mine who is more mechanically inclined than I am showed me the seal and the leak. He replaced the seal, car drove great and all was well. Until about 2weeks later I hit another pothole A day later the car started driving like crap all over again (sluggish acceleration, rough gear changes etc).

Took it to a shop this time and once again my axel seal was leaking. They replaced it, again. Car drove great for another 2weeks and then started acting up again recently ( and this time I DID NOT hit any potholes). I see spots of fluid where I park. Im starting to get really frustrated because Im pretty sure my tranny fluid is leaking again and I dont know why its happening.

edit: To answer your question my mechanic and I did not notice any further damage to the axel besides the bad seal.

 

I know how those darn ptoholes can be. I mean we have em here too but nothing what yall have.
I'd suspect the seals may be going bad because of another problem. I'd inspect all components. Or the seal just wasn't seating properly.

 

Yeah New York roads suck! Im gonna call my friend again and put it back on the lift to take another look.

 

If the axle seal keep leaking after you got it replace a few times it means that either the axle itself is damage where the seal rides, or it's stiffed one side, or most likely the differential bearings failed and generating metal and cut through the seal. Have your mechanic put the car on the lift. Wiggle the axle up and down for any excessive play. If it does then the diff bearing had failed. Keep replacing the axle seal won't help. (Also note that the 2 axle seals are not the same size like most other transmissions, some people don't know that)

 

I'll give that shot, thanks! I know it has to be something other than the seal. Hopefully I can get it out the way this week

 

Im having a little trouble finding the part on the acura oem website. Does it go by a different name? Should in case I need to replace the axle or bearings

 

They could call it CV joint. The diff bearings could only be change during an overhaul. Yeah i know that's bad right. Let's hope it's something small, easy fix. Good luck.

 

Dammit! I hope its just a simple replacement. We're going to take a look tomorrow morning. Thanks again for the info!

 

So we put the car up and all we see is a slight tear in the axel boot. Probably leaking a little grease but I dont think this would affect the tranny at all would it? The seal seems to be fine but Im going to replace the axle anyway.

 

It should be good with a new axle then.

 

Yea Im willing to bet the "symptoms" im feeling this time around the transmission starting to fail. This would be my 4th one (if it goes) since Ive had this car and these are all after 06. I'll just maintain and keep it moving.

 

you mean your last transmission was replaced after 2006?

 

Yes. I bought the car in 2006. Im on my 3rd transmission since then

 

3 transmissions replaced after 2006 ?! wow

 

My seal (99 TL 3.2) has leaked ( very very slow leak) & been replaced twice by Acura dealer, car only has 112,250 miles. So I said, F-it. I drive & keep a check on the seal. They never could or would explain after 2 seals it still leaked. It started leaking aound 5,000 mile mark.

 

Mine started leaking on a long road trip. I still can see the look on my wifes face when I opened the hood and the smoke from the trans fluid hitting the muffler, well you get the idea. So I go thru all the yoga moves, new drivers side axel, inline trans cooler,new inner seal, and Z1 fluid. Went pretty well for about 1000 miles then started leaking again! This time I changed the fluid and pulled out the dipstick to relieve pressure. My next move is to completely separate the trans and cooler from the radiator. I have a remote thermometer hooked to the front of the inline trans cooler and it goes from 80 to 130 in warm weather and from 40 to 110 in cold weather at idle. Once the car is moving or the fan kits on, it cools down.
Any reason why the radiator needs to be inline?

 

Mine started leaking on a long road trip. I still can see the look on my wifes face when I opened the hood and the smoke from the trans fluid hitting the muffler, well you get the idea. So I go thru all the yoga moves, new drivers side axel, inline trans cooler,new inner seal, and Z1 fluid. Went pretty well for about 1000 miles then started leaking again! This time I changed the fluid and pulled out the dipstick to relieve pressure. My next move is to completely separate the trans and cooler from the radiator. I have a remote thermometer hooked to the front of the inline trans cooler and it goes from 80 to 130 in warm weather and from 40 to 110 in cold weather at idle. Once the car is moving or the fan kicks on, it cools down.
Any reason why the radiator needs to be inline?

 

when my started to leak they had to replace transmission because it was leaking at the case, and labor was $2000 just to fix the leak.... so I negotiated to replace entire transmission for 1200