Can transmission housing be saved?

[Howard H]

HELP! I screwed up. In trying to remove the main seal from my transmission, I drilled a couple of holes into the front of the seal, put screws into the holes, and pulled on the screw heads to pull out the seal. Well, you guessed it. I blew it with one of the holes, and drilled a 1/16" deep furrow into the sealing surface of my tranny case.

I really don't want to have to get a different trans case. Does anyone know of the best way to fill in the groove in my casting so that the seal will actually seal properly?

Any/all suggestions welcome.

As always, I appreciate your help.

Howard Henneman



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[JP Noonan]

OUCH!!!

I know on many domestic crank shafts they make over sized main seals and a sleeve that goes over the "snout" of the crank. Try a tranny rebuild place like AMMCO, see if there is such a beast for trans.

Other than that, you could try a machine shop to weld in some material then machine the surface, but the trans will most likely have to come apart so they don't fry the internal seals and catch the fluid on fire.

If you don't mind taking the tranny out agin you can try some of the "steel filled epoxy" products out ther. The reason I say the trans will have to come out is this will most likely be a "stop-gap" measure.

A used 914 trans goes for $75-$150 maybe it would be easier to buy one, at least you can drive the car until you fix the old one.

Remember if the front seal dosen't seal right you can kill you clutch disc in short order from the fluid contaminating it.

[Brister]

Not having experienced such a problem, nor even knowing the composition of the case, I have an idea for a possible solution.. since you may have to get another case, anything is worth a try. I'm a believer in the many uses of POR-15 epoxy. When it hardens it can be filed, drilled, tapped, etc. Before hardening it can be smoothed with a wet finger. So it seems to me you could thoroughly clean the tranny surface of dirt and oil with alcohol, then press a bead of POR-15 into the thin groove, smooth while wet, then when dry file flat to match the surrounding surface. Just a shot in the dark, but maybe...

[Howard H]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I think that I'm going to try one of the epoxy products on the market.

Brister, I've heard of POR-15, but don't know who sells it. Any store chains that are in the Chicago area?

Howard