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W56 bell housing full of oil

4K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  tj40ounce 
#1 ·
if my w56 bell housing is full of black oil, but my rear main seal is fine, where is the oil coming in? it looks like i have a leak up on the back side of the valve cover, but i would expect that to be all over the outside of the bell housing and tranny. i would not expect it to be inside. i do have it on the outside, too. i guess the previous owner could have changed the rear main seal and just never cleaned the bell housing, but i am not sure. i just do not want to put the tranny back in and then have to pull it again. i am doing the rear main seal, the retainer gasket, the tranny input seal and the retainer gasket for it all while i am in there, but hate to think i missed something. i just cannot figure out the bell housing gets full of black nasty oil with a rear main that looks fine.
 
#5 ·
i am pretty sure those are leaking and plan to replace them, but i just don't see them getting oil inside the bell housing.
 
#7 ·
but that would just look like nice clean gear oil and would stink like it, too. it does not smell.
 
#4 ·
Yeah it would be just unheard of a front input or bearing retainer cover plate leaking.

4th gear cranky to shift into?

Grab the input shaft and jerk it in and out...If it has more then a couple thousands slop the front bearing is toast and its letting the shaft wobble as well as not holding 4th gear cluster tight giving the shift problem.

You can see the bearing with the cover off.
 
#6 ·
i think the front w56 input seal is leaking a little bit, but it would not be the black oil residue like i see in the bellhousing. i have no problems with 4th gear. you are talking about moving the input shaft in and out with the retaining cover still installed, right? of course it moves in and out a lot with the cover off. i took the cover off, and the bearing seems fine.
 
#8 ·
my w56 had the same oily black nasty layer on the inside of the bellhousing. Thought the clutch was gone before that, but the clutch looked like it had more than enough life left. I think the leak was coming from the tranny, not the rear main. Ended up making that tranny a spare....
 
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