texdave Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 I've noticed a small transmission oil leak coming from the transmission area of my 83 Riviera. I took it to my local shop and they think it's due to the shift shaft seal. Since they believe it requires dropping the transmission to change the seal, they're quoting a hefty price to fix it. On my other GM car's transmissions (700R4 and 4L60E) the shift shaft seal can be replaced without dropping the transmission (or pan) by way of a special GM seal remover tool. I'm not familiar with the FWD transmission though so not sure if something similar would work. Does anyone know if changing that seal is something that can be done w/o dropping the transmission? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 6 hours ago, texdave said: I've noticed a small transmission oil leak... How many miles on the car? Well, if it were my car, I'd monitor the leak (put a pan under the car to keep the floor dry) and wait for a more compelling reason to drop the transmission. Hopefully it can be addressed without removing the transaxle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 GM used to have a small bottle of additive termed "Automatic Transmission Conditioner". It was a small bottle with some detergents in it and also a "seal conditioner" (expanded by about 1% or so). Adding a bottle of that might not hurt and probably might be better than some of the aftermarket stuff. I used it in my THM350 and it caused no issues, back in the 1990s. Even seemed to speed shift changes a bit, like going from the Dexron II to Dexron IIE, it seemed. Past that, an atf change to Valvoline MaxLife atf, which has some of the seal sweller in it, as I understand it. FWD puts a different twist on things, as to serviceability. Somewhat compounded by current labor rates. Having the correct fixtures, tools, and jacking mechanisms is import and not inexpensive for the shop. As to DIY atf changes, using an electric extractor pump (as some places sell to do yard equipment oil changes with) might be a good option. Pumps the fluid out through the dipstick tube into a container for recycling or other uses. It can be metered this way, so you know how much comes out and how much to put back in. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 texdave, Just add a pint of DEX111 bake fluid. Will do the same thing by swelling the seals & is less costly than the sealer. Tom T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texdave Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Thanks all. I dusted off the old 1983 Buick Chassis Service Manual and found the -- unfortunate for me -- answer there. I'm attaching the page for anyone else with Buick transmissions of this era that want to know what is and isn't serviceable. It's a sunny weekend day cruiser for me so I'll put in some additive to help try recover the seal. It's not much of a leak so not worried about it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 20 hours ago, telriv said: Just add a pint of DEX111 bake fluid. If it's really a small leak, I'd either go with the GM conditioner that NTX mentioned, or start with 1/2 pint of brake fluid and drive it a an hour or so. You can always add a little more brake fluid if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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