Hitting the Wall

Having the first work done on the II by a professional shop. When putting the engine and tranny in I bumped the #$%&ing dipstick tube against the #%!*%^&*ing firewall and knocked it loose at the side of the tranny. It's been leaking steadily for months, about half a quart every two weeks whether it's running or not. Nothing major -- I just keep topping the tranny fluid off every week -- but it sure looks uncool having all that smoke coming out from under the car. (It drips right onto one of the pipes.)

We don't have a lift so I can't get the tranny to drop far enough to get a good crack at it. (And there's an exhaust pipe in the way, as well.) So I had to take it to a shop. I bet they're hating me right now.

I was so proud of having done all the work (except the machining on the block and heads) myself. And then foiled by one little thing.

Anyway, just wanted to share.

I'm waiting to hear back from the shop on the price of the repair. They've had it for three hours, so I hope I'm not wrong on my diagnosis. Looking at it, it appears I could fix it in thirty seconds if I could just get at it.

I hope it's not cracked. I know the tube is bent a bit, and it sure looks like it's leaking from there.

It definitely leaks when it's not running. It appears to leak considerably more when it's in Park and running.

EDIT: I got this tranny from a 3rd party with a fresh rebuild & shift kit; he said it was for a II, but he may have been crazy. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if the tube and dipstick are mismatched. Everything else on the damned car is.

Thanks, Sal.

Just went down to the tranny shop. The guy says it's not the dipstick tube; it's leaking from the cooler lines on the passenger side. He wants 3 hours of shop time plus parts, about $300. Maybe more, because, "I've never done this before. Might take longer. It's gonna be a booger."

Heck, I put those lines on; I'll fix it myself at that price. It's nasty work but it's not $300 worth of nasty.

The way I figure it: drop the driveshaft, remove the Xmember, drop the tranny, and snug down the lines (hopefully not having to re-tap the threads). Swear a lot, put it back together, apply Band-aids to hands and forearms, and then drink beer and spin brodies in the driveway until it gets dark.

Did I miss anything?