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A/T differential oil seal replacement.

Tiny
JBACCORD2004
  • MEMBER
  • HONDA ACCORD
2004 Honda Accord 2.4L EX
A/T
68,230 MI
Transmission flush @ 60,000 (Honda Dealership)



I have been noticing some fluids leaking onto my driveway. It's starting to become more noticeable.

Today I put the vehicle on jack stands and inspected the under carriage for the leak. What I found was fluid coming from around my drive axle where it goes into the side of the transmission housing. The fluid is brown/pinkish ( tranny fluid).

So my questions are:

How big of a job is it to replace the oil seal? Is it expensive if I let a shop do it or is it doable for the shade tree mechanic? What causes the seal to go bad?

Thanks
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Monday, June 25th, 2007 AT 8:34 PM

11 Replies

Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,753 POSTS
I don't want to point fingers but the mileage your vehicle is at should not be experiencing a leak at the seals on the tranny. The seals are easy to replace but it means pulling off both axles. Tranny flush followed by tranny seals leaking. HMMMM. Mechanic could do it in a max of 2 hours.
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 AT 9:53 AM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
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Thanks for the input.

Yeah kinda strange how it all started after the Honda dealership did a tranny flush on it. I can't figure any other reason as to why the seal started leaking. Could it have been due to the flush dislodging some debris and getting lodged in between the oil seal?

IS there a special tool I will need to pull out the old seal and replace the new one?
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 AT 7:37 PM
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
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No, not really. Patience is the best tool to use in working on cars.
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Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 AT 8:12 AM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
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I read somewhere that in the 6th gen trannies, axle seal leakage was due to the differential bearing failing. Only fix was rebuild or replacement. In your opnion, do you think this could be the case in my situation?
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 AT 1:31 PM
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
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I would say you should start with a seal. When the seal is being installed, you need to check for play in the shaft. Too much movement and you have found the reason for the failure of the seal. Hard to just point at the bearing and blame it. Some seals just don't hold up or they were a little defective when installed OR they were damaged upon installation.
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 AT 3:29 PM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
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Sounds good. I would have liked to have tackled it myself, but due to not having a garage to work out of I am forced to have the dealership do it. They are doing it for $140 out the door. I'll let you know what the outcome is. Thanks for the help.
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Thursday, July 19th, 2007 AT 6:58 AM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
  • MEMBER
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Negative results. Vehicle has been in the shop all day. After picking up the vehicle after completion, I gave it a quick inspection. Everything looked good, DRY and secure. After driving it home I parked it and again conducted a quick inspection. What I discovered this time was the same exact ATF leak as I had before.

So, is it safe to say then that I have too much play in the axle and have internal damage in the transmission to some degree (differential bearing)? What are my options?
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Thursday, July 19th, 2007 AT 4:47 PM
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
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When they took it apart, did they inspect what they were doing or did they just throw in parts?
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Thursday, July 19th, 2007 AT 4:52 PM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
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Not sure. After finding the root of the problem myself and later having the dealership confirm it as well, I would assume they did.

Are you hinting towards accessive play in the axle itself?
I asked the service lady if everything looked good and if there were any other problems. She replied with "everything looks good".

I keep finding posts on the net regarding 6th gen Accords having tran failures starting out with a simple axle leak that is linked directly to a failing differential bearing.
This 04 is a 7th gen, but could this be my problem?

I have discussed this with my wife (her car) and one of our options considered is to sell the vehicle before problems escalate.

I appreciate all the feedback you have given me.
Thanks
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Thursday, July 19th, 2007 AT 7:24 PM
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
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Overlooking two items of a defective seal or improper installation, the only other option is a failing bearing allowing the play in the axle to allow the leakage. You have an option to have the bearing replaced, install a rebuilt transmission or rid yourself of the vehicle. The choice is yours and the expense decisions are yours as well. Good luck!
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Monday, July 23rd, 2007 AT 11:41 AM
Tiny
JBACCORD2004
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Mr. Hunt, you are on point. I have had three different garages look at it including the dealer of course, and all came to the same conclusion that the diff bearing is on it's way out.

It's a shame for such early failure. I'm disappointed in Honda. The good part is that Honda recognizes it's transmission problems and has offered us a 50/50 split under the warranty rate. So our damage is $842 for a reman. Trans. With a new 3yr/36k warranty. Not too shabby since other quotes I have recieved to were up to 3000.

Thanks for all the advice. I hope people who have similar problems with their Honda/Transmissions can look at this post and gather the info they need to point them in the right direction.

Take care

J
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Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 AT 6:44 AM

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