37 tranny gasket issues?

[harvey b]

Hi All, on my 37 60 series caddy i have a very annoying leak from my tranny,i dont think the gasket was replaced when the previous owner had the engine rebuilt,i have never had the tranny out to check for the gasket?,if i heard correctly there is a gasket in between the tranny and the bellhousing,it is to allow the oil to flow back into the case,my question is how critical is this?,i have seen the sets on Ebay and they have 3 peices,also how hard is the case to take apart to put one in the tailshaft area,i hope it will just come apart,and is there a seal on the shaft where it goes into the clutch?. any help is appreciated. thanks Harvey b

Harvey Bowness

[harry s]

Harvey, The gasket between the trans and bellhousing is critical for leak control. There is no seal at the front of the transmission. The tail shaft housing comes off after the universal joint connection has been removed. There is a seal at the back of the tail shaft housing. I can't put my hands on the number for that seal at the moment, but I'm sure someone will have it handy. Harry Scott (4195)

[harvey b]

Thanks Harry,that is what i was hoping for,i had better get a gasket in ASAP,the leak is annoying as it seems to mark its spot everyplace i park .i have been keeping an eye on the fluid level too,been adding 1/2 litre a year for the last 3 years,could have saved enough to pay for gaskets by now .  Thanks Harvey b

Harvey Bowness

[markl]

Harvey,
Don't know if you've been following the thread started by Jeff Maltby concerning rebuilding the transmission.  The fellow that posted the original photos and narrative is using a sealed bearing at the input shaft to address just the problem you are having.   I'm going to use the gasket (there was one there when I took it apart) but will probably switch to this different bearing as well.  Belt and suspenders!

Mark Lowery, CLC#25216

[John Washburn CLC 1067 Sadly deceased.]

Harvey,

Just finished rebuilding the tranny in my 1937 LaSalle. The gasket everyone sells, that I found, is for the 1938 on up and is incorrect. I finally used silicone sealer and no leaks to date.

The top shifter is a pain in the butt to remove and install, but I got to tell you once I replaced all the bearings, bushings, needle bearings and such the transmission is sooooooooo much quieter.

A side note, you might check to make sure the gasket that seals the top shifter to the tranny is not the culprit. That is what started me on the transmission adventure.

The Johnny

[harvey b]

Hi Mark and John,i read the tranny rebuild post,it is a little more then i want to do now ,the front bearing looks like it would come out without to much trouble,any one have the part number for it?,John,where is the top shifter seal,what does it look like and where can i find one,as mine looks to be leaking more at the top of it too?,when my gaskets arrive i will post a picture so i can be sure i have the right one. Thanks Harvey b

Harvey Bowness

[Jay Friedman]

You must have the gasket between the front of the transmission as well as the sealed front bearing, as they each prevent a leak from a different place.  Both can be bought from Northwest Transmissions 800-327-1955.  Other sources are Olson's Gaskets 360-871-1207 for the 3-piece gasket set and Olcar Bearings 910-693-3324 for the front sealed bearing. 

Note that besides the seal at the back of the transmission there is a gasket between the rear (tail) housing and the transmission case that is included in the gasket set.

[John Washburn CLC 1067 Sadly deceased.]

Harvey,

The front bearing Grp # is 20.0270, part # 954 105. My CR bearing catalog says this is a CR 6208-ZNJR.

Hope this helps

The Johnny