Leaky 915!!

[jwernquist]

Hey i have a beautifly shifting 915 out of my 73 that leaks slightly out of the front of the trans on the shift rod/whatever they call it.

IS there an easy or miserably expensive fix?

The trans is out of the car now while working on the engine transplant.

ANy help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Rot 911]

Cheap fix. You just need the 915 shift rod seal. Pelican sells it. Fairly easy to remove the old seal with the tranny out of the car.

[jwernquist]

Very cool just found the part. 2.50$ . So you probably have to remove that housing section of the trans to get it on their huh?

How big is that process guys and is there anything i need to be cautious of?

[ischmitz]

If you have the proper hook style tool you might be able to fish it out of there without taking the cover off. It looks like one of the old dental tools.

If you take the cover off make sure you order a new paper gasket.

Ingo

[vash]

there is another thread that was just started several days ago. Shift rod seal ?'s

i think all the basis are covered. since you car is shifting nicely. try to avoid removing the entire shift link coupler. i bet you can get plenty of room by just uscrewing the shift set screw and pulling the shift shaft outta the coupler, leaving the splined side intacted. read the tech article that pelican offers to. funny, try to order more parts than just the seal. i did just that and my shipping ended up 4x the cost of the part. i laughed out loud.

[Jim Sims]

Given the fact that the transmission is out of the car I'd order a new paper gasket along with the seal (and get some gasket dressing) pull off the front cover and carefully knock or press the seal out from the inside (using a length of PVC pipe) rather than deal with the hook tool and the chance of scarring the inside of the cover where the shift rod seal seats and seals. Be careful when you pull off the end cover, note where everything goes and ensure you put it back the same way. Jim

[jwernquist]

If i take the front housing off the trans would i place the trans upright? and pull the housing off or would this cause things to all fall apart. I did this many years back on a 901 a long time ago. ANd had good luck from what i remembered. Never on a 915 what can fall out?

[wevoid]

You can work with the transmission upright.

If you do - before you do ANYTHING.....
Remove the reverse light switch and extract the actuator pin from under the switch (with a magnet). It is caprtured in the housing and would fall into the transmission if not removed before you lift the front cover.

Be careful not to drop any parts into the transmission, the laws of gravity are very very strict! The only parts that can come free - apart from the reverse pin - are the pieces you unbolt or their hardware

I prefer to work on the 915's standing vertical, but I am probably in the minority. I have a fixture to do it this way, most people use and engine stand or do in to the bench.

Regards

Hayden

[john walker's workshop]

just pop it out with a screwdriver and tap in a new one. unless to really want to pull the end cover. it's not easier from the inside.

[Jim Sims]

I reviewed my notes and I stand corrected about using the driver from the inside but I did note in my case that attempts to pry out the seal with a hook tool and screwdrivers merely resulted in breaking any tools small enough to fit in the area. The 30 year old seal was very stuck- perhaps a combination of both the seal and front cover being at maximum material tolerance condition. Instead, I had to use a small chisel to drive and deform the seal radially inward to break it free of the front cover and of course the shift rod had to be out of the center of the seal to accomplish this, hence the the need to have the front cover removed. Jim

[rcwaldo]

One thing to do is debur and polish that selector shaft. This particular seal has a hard life due to it rotates and plunges, which is tough on lip seals..

Easy job since the gearbox is out...

[marcesq]

make sure you grease the lips of seal lightly or you will be pulling the tranny again . . . . . soon. The alternative is a heavy coat of swepco inside and out.

[jwernquist]

Thanks guys i appreciate all the advice !
I will let you all know how it goes!