Hello all. I have had a slight transmission leak for the last 2 years. When I first got the car, it was leaking where the driveshaft goes into the back. Come to find out, it was the transmission output seal. I had that seal changed, and still leaking. Took it back to the mechanic and he said that the rear of the tranny was scored up and letting fluid leak out from in between the transmission and the output seal. He changed it again and used gasket sealer around the seal and stopped the leaking, kind of..... It has been leaking over the lip of the output seal and squeezing out around the yoke. I figured this would come to an end, but it hasn't. Went back to said mechanic and he tells me that there is a bearing in the rear of the tranny that the yoke and rotating assembly rests on, and that probably that bearing is going out and letting the driveshaft wobble enough to leak out fluid. Does this sound correct? and can I change that bearing by removing the rear of the tranny and not have to drop the entire tranny? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Okay, just found out it is called the carrier bearing. So, revised question is: has anyone changed a carrier bearing on an automatic? if so, how is it done? thanks.

 

It is not a carrier bearing, that would be for a two piece drive shaft. It is the output shaft bushing, I replaced mine, it is not that hard, you just need the right tools. A bushing cutter and then a seal/bushing driver set in the appropriate size, for the cost of the parts vs tools, it is best to just drain the trans, pull the drive shaft and rear housing and carry the rear housing to a transmission shop, maybe 10 bucks in parts for the housing gasket, the seal and the bushing. probably 100-150 in the proper tools. Once you drain the trans and pull the shaft, there is only four bolts on the housing and two bolts on the mount. Also check your trans mount/crossmember. Mine was leaking so long the fluid ate up the rubber in the mount and made the wear on the bushing even worse. The mount is only available as a crossmember assembly from the dealer, it cost me 30 bucks 2 years ago.

 

okay, now we are talking. I figure I will just pull that rear housing instead of buying all the tools. I have a few questions on that job. I just flushed my torque converter 300 miles ago with amsoil. So, I don't want to loose much/if any fluid. Every time I drop the pan, I end up spilling at least 1-2 quarts, so what if I just loosen the bottom 2 bolts on the rear housing, would that be a better location for a catch pan? also, once I get the housing off, is there any kind of gasket that goes between it and the tranny? In case I need to buy a replacement... Also, will the transmission shop know the application based off vehicle info or is it just a generic bushing? After that, should I change the output seal yet again? BTW, I already changed my tranny mount 500 miles ago for the same reason you did.

 

if you raise the rear of the trans and then pull the housing, you may not lose too much then yeah just put the pan under the rear, but be prepared for a possible waterfall...

With the vehicle info they should know what to get, if not, then run somewhere else, all they really need to know is it is a 99 4R70W passenger car unit. The bushing for the extension housing changed sizes back in 93 on the AOD-E and carried up into the 4R70W. The three pieces you will need are the extension housing gasket, the bushing and the extension housing seal. like I said, pay close attention to the crossmember/mount, more than likely it is the cause of your bushing wear, especially if your mileage is not that high.

 

thanks, great info. I'm sitting at 120,000 miles....