[Damoncyoung89]

Hey fellow Saabers. I recently took my Saab in to have my differential bushing replaced. And now it leaks and its not from the axle seal. I believe he over filled it. My mechanic and I disagree on what the oil capacity for my transmission is. Could some one please confirm that 1.8 liters is the correct amount for a drain and fill.

 

[qwikredline]

1.8 correct.

 

[Damoncyoung89]

Thank you qwikredline for your quick response. Now i just need to find this leak on my own.... Its sad when a former saab technician becomes unreliable... SAVE THE SAAB!! #saab4life

 

[Boxer-Moto]

Perhaps to be fair to the tech...WIS calls for 1.5-1.8 liters...but...

There is a fill level plug. Fill it up to there and be done with it. If you think it's overfilled, pull the fill level plug and let the excess drain out.

 

[qwikredline]

Perhaps to be fair to the tech...WIS calls for 1.5-1.8 liters...but...

There is a fill level plug. Fill it up to there and be done with it. If you think it's overfilled, pull the fill level plug and let the excess drain out.

it can be overfull it wont leak out unless there is a problem. I pack in 2 litres no problem. The vent is a tiny bronze porous plug about 3/16 in diameter up at the top of the case. Bet you cant find it. I suspect if its leaking around the diff seal, that the seal was hurt on install. Most seal installing tools are flat plate and the seal is convex so a flat plate seal installer wrecks the seal; I made an install tool for my kit, but a large socket works well... sometimes the case half bolts over time can be loose. torque spec irrc is 35 ft lbs or so.. be sure its not trans fluid and instead brake fluid leaking out of the clutch lines.....

 

[Boxer-Moto]

I'm not talking about the vent...I'm talking about the fill level plug. It is literally there to be able to see whether there is enough fluid, or not. If there is too much, it will leak out of the fill level plug until the excess is gone and the level corrected.

Plug 1 is the fill plug. Plug 3 is the drain plug. Plug 2 is the one I'm talking about.

 

[qwikredline]

No kidding. That's not the point,. That transmission can be massively overfull by at least 500 ml it wont leak unless it is damaged or overheated on the race track, and even then the vent does its job. Of course the top plug #2 is the "fill until it leaks out" level. #1 is not easily accessible, covered by a battery box or fuse box, and used for a reverse switch in many applications That's not the point for the OP. He has a problem. Its not being overfull

 

[BobSaabit]

Damoncyoung89: Get some Gunk or oven cleaner and spray the tranny and the whole area... axles, subframe, engine, etc. Any place that isn't dry and clean now. A good trick is to spray it on, drive to the self serve car wash, and use their high pressure rinse to clean it off (stay away from electrical components, just rinse the running gear).

Once it dries, start watching for leaks. If it's not obvious - like right at an axle seal - put a piece or two of white poster board under there and see where the spots show up. You can also get leaks at the selector seal (where the shift shaft goes in). Other than that, it will likely be at an axle or a case leak somewhere (case leaks are unusual with the manual in my limited experience, qwik will know better).

 

[Boxer-Moto]

Adding to what Bob suggests... get some aerosol powdered foot spray. After the area is clean, spray it with the foot spray. It makes leaks much easier to find and then rinses right off.

 

[qwikredline]

Brake Kleen in a aerosol. No water required, dries fast and removes grime and oil quickly; cheap,

 

[BobSaabit]

Adding to what Bob suggests... get some aerosol powdered foot spray. After the area is clean, spray it with the foot spray. It makes leaks much easier to find and then rinses right off.

Boxer: Tell me more... what an example of a foot spray you could use? You mean like a powder so that the oil leaves tracks? Sounds like a good idea.

Brake Kleen in a aerosol. No water required, dries fast and removes grime and oil quickly; cheap,

That's a good point too... I just hate running through as many cans as it seems to take with heavy grime. Maybe degrease and wash... then brake clean when dry to get it super clean and down to metal.

 

[qwikredline]

 

[Boxer-Moto]

Boxer: Tell me more... what an example of a foot spray you could use? You mean like a powder so that the oil leaves tracks? Sounds like a good idea.

Yup. Spray and powder being the keywords...none of the 'invisible' or no-residue products.

 

[BobSaabit]

Yup. Spray and powder being the keywords...none of the 'invisible' or no-residue products.

Good trick... thanks. I'll add it in with the poster board mantra.

 

[Damoncyoung89]

Found the leak guys. driver side inner seal gave out due to over filling. Fixed!!!

 

[BobSaabit]

How much was it overfilled?

 

[Damoncyoung89]

How much was it overfilled?

1qt

 

[BobSaabit]

Whoa, that's a lot. I can see how it might be an issue.

 

[whiterabbitt]

I strongly advise against using brake cleaner or carb cleaner for engine/trans cleaning. Both cause rubber to swell and can decay the already old liquid gasket that the case is sealed with. Potentially damaging seals or creating leaks on the seams.

Foaming degreaser is the safest bet.

 

[qwikredline]

I strongly advise against using brake cleaner or carb cleaner for engine/trans cleaning. Both cause rubber to swell and can decay the already old liquid gasket that the case is sealed with. Potentially damaging seals or creating leaks on the seams.

Foaming degreaser is the safest bet.

Lol. Not a bad suggestion but I generally only clean the seal area before installing a new seal. For engine cleaning I use “ purple power “ diluted and rise with warm water. Then dry with compressed air. Be careful, Purple power stains paint. My Saab is always clean; I wipe it down with damp cloth and treat vinyl with mother’s protectant. Really dirty engines i like “Gunk” brand degreaser