A/T gasket between transmission and engine? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Quattrovalvole · 08-16-2010, 01:27 PM

Hi fellows

I have a 97 Camry 1MZ with an A/T A541E and I have an oil leaking that seems to come from the joint of the engine with the A/T

Do you know is there any gasket that needs to be replaced or I have just to tight up the bolts?

Or I have a serious problem coming ?

I ´ve been looking trough the manuals but I see no gasket.

I have to replace my filter and fluid but I see non sense on doing this if I have to go for a bigger repair.

Thanks in advance for any help .

QV

**TOYOPARTSMAN** · 08-16-2010, 01:32 PM

There is no gasket, if anything it would be FIPG(form in place gasket) but what does go between the engine and the transmission would be the Rear Main Seal and/or the front transmission seal. So the question is this, Is it oil or transmission fluid?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quattrovalvole

Hi fellows

I have a 97 Camry 1MZ with an A/T A541E and I have an oil leaking that seems to come from the joint of the engine with the A/T

Do you know is there any gasket that needs to be replaced or I have just to tight up the bolts?

Or I have a serious problem coming ?

I ´ve been looking trough the manuals but I see no gasket.

I have to replace my filter and fluid but I see non sense on doing this if I have to go for a bigger repair.

Thanks in advance for any help .

QV

carsrus · 08-16-2010, 01:33 PM

Rear main seal. Its a bear of a job.

Run Castrol 10w40 highmileage conventional oil. If your in costa rica the 10w40 will be no problem for that climate.

If its just a small drip or sweat it should slow it down.

Are you sure its not a valve cover gasket or something up top dripping down? Toyota's have pretty good rear main seals.

**TOYOPARTSMAN** · 08-16-2010, 01:38 PM

Yes, it is a bear of a job, and even though Toyota's rear main seals are okay, they do fail from time to time. I do stock them, and we do replace them.

Chris Crash · 08-16-2010, 01:45 PM

If it's leaking you should replace it so you don't hurt your transmission. I don't know what motor oil does to an AT but to a manual it burns the clutch up.

I don't think a rear main seal is the WORST job. Though it still sucks. But you should be able to do it in about 4-6 hours unless you run into problems.

Quattrovalvole · 08-16-2010, 01:45 PM

Thanks for the answers.

I is think the A/T since its level of fluid was low and I filled up sometime a go and I compared the oil from the level stick to the one dropping off the leak and they looked identical to me .......

I see no leaking coming from the valve covers or any other place of the engine.

What do you think?

Quattrovalvole · 08-16-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsrus

Rear main seal. Its a bear of a job.

Run Castrol 10w40 highmileage conventional oil. If your in costa rica the 10w40 will be no problem for that climate.

If its just a small drip or sweat it should slow it down.

Are you sure its not a valve cover gasket or something up top dripping down? Toyota's have pretty good rear main seals.

I am running 20W 50 as a matter of fact. Is thicker right?

Quattrovalvole · 08-16-2010, 01:54 PM

Gentlemen, let me see if am I getting this right.

If is the rear main seal, my engine oil could be mixing with the transmision fluid????

**TOYOPARTSMAN** · 08-16-2010, 02:00 PM

I don't think it will mix, but if its trans fluid that you are seeing, I'd check the front trans seal area, or the trans pan to see if it leaking there. I would clean it off good and then check it.

Chris Crash · 08-16-2010, 02:18 PM

Yeah. If you're leaking from BETWEEN the engine and transmission and it's motor oil, rear main seal. If it's transmission fluid, it's input shaft seal. Either way requires transmission removal.

73sport · 08-16-2010, 02:49 PM

Sounds like you need to get it up where you can take a good clear look at the source.

The A/T has an inspection cover. If its coming from inside the inspection cover that narrows it to about three areas; transmission front input seal, the front pump assembly where the front pump seals to the trans case (bolts can seep too) and the torque converter itself (this is very rare, but sometime the spot welds fracture and make pinhole leaks).

What you need to keep in mind is that subtle air currents can direct fluid to new locations and misguide you best effort. A pan leak, could drip at the bell housing inspection cover.

Best bet is to clean it all and inspect it tracking the fluid right back to its source.

FWIW: the power steering system uses the same ATF.

Quattrovalvole · 08-16-2010, 05:47 PM

The real pain in the neck here is that I have to remove the A/T see what is wrong and ask for the parts to the U.S.......a week and a half , 2 weeks easy easy without car ..........oh well....

73sport · 08-16-2010, 06:00 PM

You need to find the source than you can decide as it may not be the front seal or even inside the trans. Could be something from elsewhere!?

Are you leaving puddles or is it coating the underside of the car making smoke as you drive?

You ever see cars, trucks, vans with oil spots all over the trunk, bumper, rear area where the dust clings? Those are machines that leak and loose fluid while driving. Not all leaks happen while driving and some are just small seepage that happen while running and parked.

In short it doesn't matter how much it leaks unless this is true:
Can it do damage to itself before the next maintenance interval? If its your daughters car and it gets attention once a year and it CAN run out fluid in that time than IT MUST be addressed!

If you feel compelled to top off every oil change, well some might do that (I can't, but thats me), but you need to make a choice based on risk, money, and life expectancy. . .