Dipstick for T5? Stop leak?

[SadbutTrue]

My T5 has been a leaker since i got it (seems I'm cursed to own nothing but leaky transmissions, my old C4 leaked like a sieve too).

Filling it is a pain... I have to get a long hose, jack the car up, and remove the port on the passenger side to fill it.

Is there a way to install some sort of dipstick to make checking and filling fluid easier? Is there another solution that might work (a way to make it easy to fill from the shifter maybe)?

Also... are stop leaks at all effective and/or advisable? What should I use if so... Ford ATF stopleak? Shoudl I just go with conventional ATF (ive been using mobil 1 synth, most people say synthetic leaks easier)?

Thanks

 

[v8only]

no dipsticks...you already know the procedure, pull the top plug, fill till it comes out.

FYI, an easier way to do it is to pull that plug, then pull the shifter.

you can add fluid right through the shifter hole in the trans up top. put the fluid in the shifter hole until it leaks out the fill plug, and you're good.


there are no gaskets in a t5..only silicone..stopleak won't do anything.

where is it leaking?? If it's out the front, you can get a new front seal very cheap, replace that and re silicone.

 

[golf4283]

if you're losing it that fast it really isn't good. My suggestion though would to take the plug to the local home depot etc and find some pipe fittings. Just make an extension up to where it's easier to fill.

The only problem with this though is that you may overfill it.

To fill mine I just used a syphon and set the jar next to it. It isn't easy but it didn't take long. Also maybe think about rebuilding the tranny and replacing the seals etc. That might be easier in the long run.

 

[v8only]

urg.

why build something that will cause you to overfill it when you can simply pull the shifter off and add it through that hole??

furthermore, I wouldn't suggest a rebuild that would cost hundreds of dollers, when it's just a couple of seals that are the issue. The only place you'd leak would be from the front seal, the rear seal, where the tail shaft bolts to the housing, which is just silicone, or the lid, which is not likely.

any way he looks at it, if he put the t5 on his bench, it would be a fix for the cost of a tube of silicone or $5 front or rear seal.

free t5 manual on the tremec site

 

[SadbutTrue]

if i wanted to, in an effort to slow the leaking, go with a conventional fluid instead of the fancy synthetic i have now... is it okay to mix the two?

 

[v8only]

I can't answer that....

I can say that t5's love normal atf.

 

[zm830101]

changing from synthetic to conventional won't do you any bit of good. go to a local parts store and ask for one of the hand operated pumps that attaches to the top of gallon and quart sized bottles. it will make your life A LOT easier when you fill it.

aside from that, biting the bullet and r&r-ing the seals is the only realistic solution to your problem.

 

[SadbutTrue]

last question... sometimes my T5, when I try to put it in reverse, will sound like its grinding/fighting to get into gear. It works fine once its there, and half the time it doesn't make any noise and just goes into reverse... but when it does 'resist' it makes a pretty nasty sound. What could cause that? Once I'm in reverse it has no issues, and never has an issue engaging into the forward gears...

 

[v8only]

no syncro's in t5's for reverse until the mid 90's. that's normal.

try going 4th then reverse..that'll keep it from grinding