67GTX440
Well-Known Member
With everything else done on my 67 GTX, I started chasing those small drips on the garage floor. Cardboard under the car identified a very small amount of oil, a very small amount of transmission fluid and mostly automatic transmission fluid. After cleaning and foot powder spraying everything, I found the following.
Small oil drip seemed to be coming from oil filter. The bottom radiator hose was tight enough that it was touching the filter and I am sure it was causing some pressure on the filter when the engine was revved. I replaced the hose and noticed the old hose had been trimmed some that was causing lack of clearance. Changed oil and filter and oil drip gone.
Power steering fluid seemed to be leaking from the o-ring to fluid reservoir. I pulled the power steering pump and sent it to Lares for a rebuild through Rock Auto. I think their rebuild was $140, which is a huge increase from last time I had it rebuilt. I think last time it was $60. Cardone rebuilt this five years ago and they seem to be moving to Texas or Mexico and were not an option as Rock Auto not longer uses them. Put it on and transmission fluid leak gone.
The transmission fluid leak was a little trickier. I had replaced the pan gasket and dipstick seal and had no improvement. The torque converter was draining back if the car sat a few days and I had to put it in neutral to pump back up before the car would move. I would have sworn the pan gasket was still leaking as the fluid was dripping off the front edge of the pan. Otherwise it drove okay, though was hard to get to kickdown. I cleaned the bottom of the car up and put fresh cardboard under the car and made an effort to drive the car daily. When the car was driven daily, there was no transmission fluid drip. Startup after torque converter drainback seemed to be the issue. Something was leaking somewhere when the pan was overfilled. I bit the bullet and took the car to an old car specialty shop and told the transmission guy the common wisdom on the forum was that a 727 always dripped. He said BS, that they did not drain back or drip when new and worn seals would causetorque converter drainback and leaks long before the transmission needed a full rebuild. He said most owners repeatedly changed the transmission pan gasket because that looked like the source of the drip when this was not usually the problem if you replaced it already. He said he uses the cheap cork gaskets and no RTV. This guy rebuilds mostly 50's through 70's transmissions of all makes and most transmission shops look like you have two heads when you ask about torque converter drainback on a 727. I asked him if a check valve on the transmission cooler return line would solve the drainback issue and he not only knew what I was talking about, but said it might and he installed them and had that resolve the issue before. Not having any history on the transmission other than it is original, I asked him what it cost for a complete rebuild and he said $1495 plus tax and that included a new torque converter. Him taking it out and putting it back in. I opted for the rebuild as this seemed pretty reasonable as compared to automatic transmission work I had done in the past. I think I paid $700 for a Powerglide rebuild back in 1969, and about $2500 for a Honda Prelude rebuild about 1990. I got the car back in two days and it shifts great, and kicks down into second much better than it ever did before. He said the hard parts and soft parts in the transmission looked okay and the torque converter was obviously shot. Since about $400 in labor is getting the transmission in and out of the car, and having no history of the last rebuild, I was okay with doing the entire rebuild to avoid future issues that might cause it to come out again. The torque converter now holds fluid when sitting for days and no more shifting into neutral and waiting for torque converter to pump full. No drips or leaks at all on the garage floor.
This is the first time the car has not dripped something in the five years I have owned it.
It is like I have a new 67 GTX in the garage. I am a happy camper. My wife no longer has to point out the drips to me each time I move the car, which is also a huge plus. My wife is no fan of this car ever since I rebuilt the dashboard on her antique dining room table she inherited from her grandmother. LOL
Small oil drip seemed to be coming from oil filter. The bottom radiator hose was tight enough that it was touching the filter and I am sure it was causing some pressure on the filter when the engine was revved. I replaced the hose and noticed the old hose had been trimmed some that was causing lack of clearance. Changed oil and filter and oil drip gone.
Power steering fluid seemed to be leaking from the o-ring to fluid reservoir. I pulled the power steering pump and sent it to Lares for a rebuild through Rock Auto. I think their rebuild was $140, which is a huge increase from last time I had it rebuilt. I think last time it was $60. Cardone rebuilt this five years ago and they seem to be moving to Texas or Mexico and were not an option as Rock Auto not longer uses them. Put it on and transmission fluid leak gone.
The transmission fluid leak was a little trickier. I had replaced the pan gasket and dipstick seal and had no improvement. The torque converter was draining back if the car sat a few days and I had to put it in neutral to pump back up before the car would move. I would have sworn the pan gasket was still leaking as the fluid was dripping off the front edge of the pan. Otherwise it drove okay, though was hard to get to kickdown. I cleaned the bottom of the car up and put fresh cardboard under the car and made an effort to drive the car daily. When the car was driven daily, there was no transmission fluid drip. Startup after torque converter drainback seemed to be the issue. Something was leaking somewhere when the pan was overfilled. I bit the bullet and took the car to an old car specialty shop and told the transmission guy the common wisdom on the forum was that a 727 always dripped. He said BS, that they did not drain back or drip when new and worn seals would causetorque converter drainback and leaks long before the transmission needed a full rebuild. He said most owners repeatedly changed the transmission pan gasket because that looked like the source of the drip when this was not usually the problem if you replaced it already. He said he uses the cheap cork gaskets and no RTV. This guy rebuilds mostly 50's through 70's transmissions of all makes and most transmission shops look like you have two heads when you ask about torque converter drainback on a 727. I asked him if a check valve on the transmission cooler return line would solve the drainback issue and he not only knew what I was talking about, but said it might and he installed them and had that resolve the issue before. Not having any history on the transmission other than it is original, I asked him what it cost for a complete rebuild and he said $1495 plus tax and that included a new torque converter. Him taking it out and putting it back in. I opted for the rebuild as this seemed pretty reasonable as compared to automatic transmission work I had done in the past. I think I paid $700 for a Powerglide rebuild back in 1969, and about $2500 for a Honda Prelude rebuild about 1990. I got the car back in two days and it shifts great, and kicks down into second much better than it ever did before. He said the hard parts and soft parts in the transmission looked okay and the torque converter was obviously shot. Since about $400 in labor is getting the transmission in and out of the car, and having no history of the last rebuild, I was okay with doing the entire rebuild to avoid future issues that might cause it to come out again. The torque converter now holds fluid when sitting for days and no more shifting into neutral and waiting for torque converter to pump full. No drips or leaks at all on the garage floor.
This is the first time the car has not dripped something in the five years I have owned it.
It is like I have a new 67 GTX in the garage. I am a happy camper. My wife no longer has to point out the drips to me each time I move the car, which is also a huge plus. My wife is no fan of this car ever since I rebuilt the dashboard on her antique dining room table she inherited from her grandmother. LOL
