70 Charger - Mechanic says "Transmission Selector Shaft" is leaking and wants 8 hours labor to replace

[matchek]

Hi having mechanic work on 70 Charger to work on other things and all done except before I pick up, he says transmission fluid is leaking out of the Transmission Selector Shaft Gasket. I have not seen the leak and don't recall it leaking at least anything noticeable when I drove it. He said the gasket itself is cheap, but wants 8 hours labor to replace it.
I was wondering anyone's thoughts on this and is that reasonable? Also if I was to have it done, should I have anything else done? Taking the transmission down is a big deal.

My previous mechanic replaced the nuetral safety switch and topped off the transmission fluid. Could that have caused a problem? The present mechanic drained the the transmission and filled up the fluid because he replaced the transmission pan - could that have cause it? I know it could have just been a worn gasket. Thought I would ask as I never heard of this problem.

Is it possible to put some of the tranmission fluid leak sealer in there and let it run and see if that helps? The car is presently at the shop and was considering going ther tomorrow to evaluate. Seek your opinions as not only is this expensive, I am weary of having the transmission taken off when everything is working okay just the leak.

 

[Nxcoupe]

Wear is what causes it, not technicians servicing it. And it's a selector shaft seal.

 

[493 Mike]

It could be the leak. The selector shaft "seal" can and do leak, usually due to old age. With the correct tools it shouldn't take more than 1 hour.
Mike

 

[davek]

Ive seen people use stop leak with success , can you do it yourself ?

 

[dadsbee]

Would have been REAL easy to do while he had the pan off!!! I can do it in the car... pan on.. in less than two hours... in a Dart, with headers in the way!

 

[matchek]

Interesting is he replaced the pan a couple of weeks ago and charged 2 hours of labor.

He wants 8 hours to change what he calls the selector shaft seal.

 

[threewood]

No headers, about an hour. With headers 1.5 hours. Not difficult.

 

[matchek]

I wonder if now he is including time to repair some other thing. I though he said something else was leaking under the car where the driver side feet would be. Perhaps engine oil there.

But the selector shaft transmission leak should just be around an hour?

 

[matchek]

I have headers. And the car is already at the shop and would prefer not to do it myself. This looks like draining the transmission fluid, etc. But I need to call again and find out why he thinks it would take that long.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

And when he's done replacing the shaft seal & it still leaks? Find a shop that knows torqueflites... Do the dip stick O ring, the rear band anchor pin seal & the shift shaft seal that way the trans will probably stay dry for awhile...

 

[pnora]

Are these the same guys that could not get the car to run right? Did you ever get it to run right?

 

[matchek]

Are these the same guys that could not get the car to run right? Did you ever get it to run right?

This is not the same guys and my understanding is it is running right now but I am saving that update for later and will post the update on that thread, not this one. Thanks for remembering though.

The previous shop does not work on classic cars but did it for me because they know me and will work on light-type classic work for me on the side. It is presently at a shop that works on classic cars including Mopars for 30 years +. BUT they may not specialize in transmissions so I am not saying they are efficient on everything

 

[Tony Tee]

I had my 727 leaking and was told it needed a total rebuild! Drove the car home and looked for the leak myself. And it was only a loose cooler line. Fixed it for zero $. Trust no one! Crawl under the car yourself to verify where it's leaking. And then find a another shop.

 

[matchek]

This is what he said what was leaking - he texted me this picture. It is not my transmission but a picture he took from online. His pen is pointing to it. From you guys are saying this can be change in 1.5 hours. Perhaps he is talking about replacing this and something else because he wants 8 hours to replace.

But I have to talk to him again to find it if it is something else too.

 

[R413]

Find out what the 8 hours includes. If it’s just that seal then you can cross this guy off the list of shops to use.

 

[4406bbl]

Buy this tool K-D 2392, or similar and it is a 2 hour max job. Make sure he changes the little seal between the levers, and the one in the case.

 

[matchek]

And when he's done replacing the shaft seal & it still leaks? Find a shop that knows torqueflites... Do the dip stick O ring, the rear band anchor pin seal & the shift shaft seal that way the trans will probably stay dry for awhile...

Thank you. Sounds like he wants to remove the trans, better to replace what I can while off if do.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

We all know what seal he wants to change... We also know how often that seal gets changed & the leaking continues... Which is why I suggested hitting all three common leaks at the same time... There's no need to R&R the trans for those three seals..

 

[matchek]

Buy this tool K-D 2392, or similar and it is a 2 hour max job. Make sure he changes the little seal between the levers, and the one in the case.

View attachment 1452972

Thank you. I saw someone using that tool on Youtube changing one out. Would you happen to know what that is called?

 

[dadsbee]

Thank you. Sounds like he wants to remove the trans, better to replace what I can while off if do.

Time to go elsewhere if he thinks he needs to remove a transmission to fix any leaks.