Its not rear main seal and doubt its front case.
I will put money on it being oil pan leak at flange to block even though did rtv on oil pan.The pan did slide over a bit before I got my bolts in there maybe enough to scrape off the rtv or something in that one area.
This time will wait for some help or use some studs as guides.
It pretty much takes three hands to hold up the pan ,align it and put in a couple bolts to guarantee it goes on there straight.
Maybe that is what happened.
I am thinking to get some uv dye and put some in there anyway just to double check the leak.

Stop by napa maybe heard they might have the dye kits.

Wow! Napa wanted nearly 200 bucks for dye kit! Can buy one off ebay for 40 bucks US!

I am taking off pan again anyway. Still gut feel is that is what it is.

I want to know if its safe to run the car with drivers axle out in neutral with no tranny fluid?
That can let me look more directly at the spot that is leaking. Will it hurt the tranny to run with no fluid for that long.I need to drain tranny so fluid don't come out when yank the axle.
Good time to put in new axle seal just in case thats leaking too.

I wouldnt run the car with out that axle in it, seems to me thats asking to break something.

If you like you can bring your car by, we'll jack it up , put her high on axle stands , and take a look. I'll be free tommorow evening after 6pm.

Btw did you put the rtv on both the pan and the block?

Oh and i have never drained a transaxle to pull cv joints, just be handy with a clean rag, stuff it in the opening, and then top up the fluid after i'm done. Unless the tranny fluid is old, it's just as easy to not waste it.

Jaremy..
Car is up on air with exhaust ripped off right now so not likely going to move it for a few days.
New apexi gt stuff is being installed.

You can call me if you would like and maybe come by and meet each other ,check out the 97 etc. My number is 789-0994.

I only want to run the car in neutral ..so mabye could stuff a rag in there and run it with no axle but that might be hard on viscous coupling too??

no fluid should come out when you take the axle out.
And it is perfectly safe to run the engine with no fluid in the tranny for a few minutes. There is enough fluid in there. it is 75W90 oil for frack's sake. It is not like all of it drains!
and the tranny is not loaded.

But as I said, when you take the axle out and the car is level is, no fluid should come out.

If it were me, I would be more worried about sliding under a running car with no exhaust! Obviously we have different priorities

Another thing you could do, is to pressurise the crankcase and see if you could hear leak from anywhere. I am not sure how well that would work though.

Fluid starts coming out the tranny the second I move my axle around just by loosening the bracket.I thought it would pour fluid if you took the axle completely out.

I don't want to run car with no downpipe /exhuast but the darn thing is in the way and it would be much easer to feel around in there before engine gets hot and try to find the exact leak point. But being under an open o2 housing is not great for sure.

The problem with searching for highest point is the oil is being thrown everywhere by the axle joint spinning. If the axle wasn't throwing it around would be simpler also to find highest point which should be source.

I was wondering where cam seal would run, where front seal leak would run but from how over the leak is right over joint seems to me it has to be oilpan leaking again.

I wouldn't the tranmission with the fliud out, all the gears are meshed together.

"Fluid starts coming out the tranny the second I move my axle around just by loosening the bracket.I thought it would pour fluid if you took the axle completely out."

Are you talking about the carrier bearing bracket? Not sure if 2g is the same, but we are talking about the drivers cv joint?

Is your tranny overfilled?

I dont think tranny is overfilled but buddy filled it.
I am talking fluid running out the axle seal drivers side whenever mess with drivers side axle bracket.

at least in 1G, the fluid shouldn't be above the axle holes, when the car is level.

Car is floor jacked up pretty far usually when its leaking so that might be why it runs out of there when you pull the axles.

I've had fluid seep out of the side gear with the axle being loose (not cliped in) while the car was level.
The transmission was not overfilled.
This definitely brought the level below full, and I had to add some fluid afterwards.

The fill hole is well above the axle holes.

Ok sorry.... it might have been a different car or I might have been day dreaming..

I still maintain that running the tranny with no load for a few minutes is harmless.

Anyone try that oil dye with just blacklight not the glasses that come with the full kits?

I can get kit off ebay but it will take a week or more. I can buy blacklight surplus for cheap and the dye for like 6 bucks at napa. But not sure if it would show up enough without the special glasses.

On a freshly rebuilt tranny, with no oil in it, you will trash a bearing just running the car in neutral with no oil (think about it).
With the axles removed and that little bit of gear oil in the tranny, you won't have a problem.

Forget the drain plug, just put a pan under the axle, pull it out, with the the amount of gear oil that stays in there you'll be fine.

isn't the blacklight basically UV? and therefore you should have protective glasses to be looking at it?

I must have missed something, did you say with the carrier bearing unbolted from the block, but with the cv joint still clicked into the tranny, you get tranny fluid coming from out of the tranny?

Man i would love to see the car, but would much rather not meet her while on a lift. That's just teasing.

I may not have a leaking seal on driveaxle it mostly only leaks when loosen up the bracket and move it around. I ordered new mits seals anyway and may throw one in there. Have transfer case off only have to take out axle.
I have oil pan off again. I think the oil did get thru the rtv. That ultragrey got verythin on there not sure where to cut the ultra grey tube for proper amount dont' think it was marked.Think they said 4mm thick or something.I am likely going with mits rtv or hondabond ort toyota rtv.Just don't trust the ultra gray and I did wait 24 hours for it to set up completely.
I think the oil just got thru in a thin spot will take a better look at pan shortly .

If you want to visit after supper Jaremy call me at 789-0994. With luck the car will be back together tommorrow with no oil leak and with the new apexi gt installed also.
Its simple to put the car back together anyway. I can do all this stuff in minutes not hours..
even the stupid transfer case is not a big deal for me anymore!

Seal don't look ripped. Anyway if you are not busy call me be nice to meet another Regina dsm guy.

I don't think the problem is with the sealant. Installation error, likely. Put a fairly heavy bead on the pan, put it up there, bolt it on.

FYI stainless galls easier than your typical grade 8 bolt.

I have always used the red high temp rtv for all kinds of bandaid fixes/gasket installs.
Only complaint i have ever had is when the dam things burst from me forcing some out when re using them. Messy

Ok did the pan again tonite. I got mits sealant from buddy ,pricey but what the heck.
I had not much fun taking off the ultra gray it was stuck to the pan good but not to the block at all.

It seems to have a small break right near my leak so figure that was the problem.
I will finish it up tommorrow morning not leaving it 24 hours the mits stuff doens't say that. Pretty much can put it on right away and add oil I think but tommorrow morning is fine.

I just need to bolt on the transfer case and downpipe. Torqued pan and put axle bracket back on. I don't think my axle seal is leaking ,of course it seeps out slightly when you pull it out a bit by taking out bracket bolts. I bought a new one for right and left to have for spares anyway .And its not hard to do the axle seal.

Drop transfer I can do that in like 5 minutes now and drop downpipe also 5 minutes as nothing is rusty anymore with new exhaust.

I hope the mits sealant works.

Oh I figured out a trick/tip . I went in to partsource and bought some metric little studs
6m something or other and they are same thread as the oil pan. I inserted three of them in strategic locations and that let me put the pan on straight with no chance of smearing the rtv around like happened the first time trying to do something that required three hands with just two.
The studs are the answer!
I did clean block and pan with brake cleaner.
So crossing my fingers this time that have it sealed up good.

I still think rtv method is sloppy and a gasket is much cleaner and faster but since the topline didn't work at all for me then rtv is worth another shot.

Update. Started car this morning and it appears good.At idle last time the oil was already leaking on the axle joint.
I dont see any on axle joint this time.Let it idle for at least 15 minutes. Also sealed up my oil return better. I put thin coat of mits rtv on both sides of the oil return gasket and used permatex sealer on the bolt threads. I have the little crush washers on there too.

Only leak now appears to be from the oil pan plug.Think cause slowboy painted it with shiny slippery paint. I may try a bit of rtv on oil pan bolt washer thing or would I be ok to use teflon paste on the oil pan bolt threads? If not maybe just need to sand off the paint at the hole a bit or try another type of drain plug.

But at least my big leaking seems to be gone.
I think my axle seal is ok but have spare ones anyway now. And its easy to change out if it does start leaking.

Also finished up install of the new apexi gt catback and downpipe today and it sounds and looks really good even just idling!

Hoping this is last time I have to lie under my oil pan for quite awhile.

It has to be the Mitsu RTV. They have been making the best RTVs for a longtime.

The chrysler stuff (made by GE) is good $hit too.

All I care is my oil pan at the block to pan flange think stopped leaking. But that darn oil pan plug is leaving a spot now! I think I said its impossible to have a leak free dsm!!

OMG Oil pan PLug leak is going to need at least an additional 2 more pages of this thread in order to solve the problem...

=)

Well then Nigel tell me how to stop the oil plug leak.I don't want to tighten it up anymore and strip it out. I just want to park my car with new engine and not leave a spot..even a small spot is that too much to ask?

Its a brand new pan ,brand new drain plug.

Why not RTV it in there? Just make sure to use the Mitsu stuff, Ultra Grey is crap.

Yeah think use rtv on the washer and permatex sealer on the threads .Mits rtv does seem good and wasn't that impressed with the permatex applying it wasn't very easy compared to the way the mits rtv went on there.

Took car fore extended spin last night and very nice to have no oil lakes. Happy camper right now.

Welding the plug in place would also fix the leak, but it would require removing the pan and cleaning it first, as well as putting it on a few more times to get a leak free pan-block connection

Good one Nick..

I think I have earned my dsm stripes now as actually now know intimately what a transfer case is and can change one out in 5 minutes.
Also got to know the underside of my dsm in detail.
Got various fluids in my hair,clothes,etc.Its been great fun! NOT!

But all worth it when the car runs good.Thats the deal with these cars.They are great when they are running good.But already put more work into my dsms than all the v8 f bodies I have ever had and had lots of those.

what about using a copper/alum. crush washer on there like the factory does?


Oh, I so see that coming

The slowboy pan had a oil pan plug and it has some washer on it. My theory is still the paint is making it not seal well.

I will figure it out guys. Thanks for the help and suggestions though..most of them anyway..LOL

I have the same issue. Had a leak from the pan on the drivers side, thing i found was the pan bolts that were in there were to short, there wasnt enough thread cathing the block. Now i have another leak but from the back of the pan, i think it may be the same problem, i have a aftermarket oil pan gasket. Anybody tryed a gasket and had it work successfully? i might try putting longer bolts in the rest of the pan first and see if that solves my issue.