GPW Transfer Case leaking?

[thidisbogus]

I just received the jeep today and I noticed it is leaking oil after driving it. This may be perfectly normal for a nearly 70 year old vehicle for all I know. I would appreciate you looking at the pictures and letting me know if you see anything wrong.

Link to photos: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgal ... p?cat=2478

[F. R. Fox]

It looks like you have a drip on your bell housing wich is one of two things. If its black, you have a rear main seal leak. If its yellow its trani gear oil, wich means its either over filled, the input shaft bearing retainer has a bad gasket or sealed bearing, or you have gear oil migrating from the transfer case into the trani causing it to overflow. Happens with a faulty sealed bearing between the t-case and transmission. Gear oil will make its way out all over the trani and drip from the transfer case.

Or, you may just need a new gasket set to stop the leaky trani. Trani should not leak at all, nor should you see black oil from the bell housing.

[Bob Shaw]

I don't see a leak in the pictures,,,maybe you have a little seepage?

Could be a loose oil pan,,,loose oil filler neck,,,any number of things,or it's just marking it's territory.

So far I have not seen one that is driven that is drip free.

Monitor your oil levels to determine what and how much it is actually loosing and from where.Then decide if and what corrective action needs to be taken.

[jshepard77]

I thought that if a jeep wasn't leaking oil then it was out.

I have the same leaks in about the same qty's, as best I can tell from your pics. I had the engine and transmission out about a year or so ago and replaced seals, gaskets, etc and I still have leaks. It's better but the jeep still marks it's territory. Next time I have the engine out I'll look at addressing it more, but for now I'm just going to live with it. My only fear is getting oil on my clutch.

For what it's worth my grandfather (who bought the jeep originally after he was let out of the service in WWII) said that as long as he could ever remember, the jeep leaked oil like that....since mile 1. I'm sure there are fixes...but I've about driven myself nuts trying to fix it.

Just my .02

[podski]

If your leak leaves a few drips rather than a puddle, I wouldn't worry about it. When I first got mine, it left a really good puddle. In this day and age of vehicles that never leave even one minute drop of oil, it was quite alarming. I investigated and It looked like I had quite a few things contributing to the puddle, so I checked the level and refilled often on both transmission and transfer case until I could tear into it. On the one leg of the TMC'09 convoy, I travelled about 150 miles and had to put in about 1/4 pint afterward to top it off.

I eventually pulled the transmission and transfer case and found I was missing the gasket on the front of the transmission case and the cork bearing seal on the front transmission shaft was cracked. I also found a hole in the thimble sized oil retainer cup that covers the shifter rail near the top front of the transmission. I replaced that, put in a new bearing seal and I put new gaskets on the transmission front and top (cover plate). I used silicone sealer on all bolts (since the threaded holes go completely through the case). The yokes on the tranfer case, both front and back, were worn so I replaced both of them and their respective seals. When you replace yokes, be sure to use sealer on the splines and the nuts/bolts since that is a source for oil to escape too. Here's a link to my post on this subject http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=143261.

Now after this, my jeep leaves only a drop or two - definitely not enough for a puddle. I don't know of many who can claim their jeep doesn't leave at least a drop of oil , hence the common phrase "marking its territory"

BTW - gear oil smells way different than engine oil so you should be able to easily tell if your leak is from the engine or the transmission/transfer case. Just open up a container of gear oil and a container of engine oil and take a whiff of each, you'll see what I mean. Get some of the leaking oil on your finger and sniff - voila! You should have your answer (unless both are leaking )

[thidisbogus]

Thanks so much guys for replying. It is not a puddle, but probably about 4 or 5 drops after driving it. I will check the smells and color. I may also take a photo of the marked territory and upload it to see if there is any color to it too.

Thank you!

[Bob Shaw]

4 or 5 drops????!!! Man, you have bigger fish to fry with this jeep than 4 or 5 drops of oil.

[podski]

4 or 5 drops isn't a leak. That's just normal Jeep sweat!!

Seriously, that is NOT a problem. Just check your engine oil often (very simple 10 second job) and transmission and transfer case oil levels (about a 15 minute effort once practiced a few times) periodically. This is always good practice and if your levels are low, then you have a problem to investigate.

Good news is that your jeep seems to be in good shape mechanically. For many new jeep owners that is not the case. Mechanical problems are generally expensive ones. All your issues appear to be aesthetic issues to get it to be more correct. You can deal with those over time and still use your jeep.

[leepotter]

I see a potential problem down the road. With that metal line bouncing around in that hole eventually its gonna wear thru. Looks like you might have something wrapped around it though.

[thidisbogus]

You guys are the best. Thanks so much for taking the time to look over my photos and give me advice.