1989 RWD 22r pick-up, 4-speed manual.

Before swapping in fresh, expensive Amsoil 75W-90, I want to identify the source of this slow leak. The tranny is wet all over, but I think the oil is coming from this line/fitting. What is this? Speedometer cable?





I'm obviously not a transmission guy; the tranny appears to be two separate pieces separated by gaskets. One half butted up against the engine (the half with visible drain/fill bolts), the other half below the gear-shift. Is the rear portion the transfer case? I thought transfer cases were used only in 4WD applications. If these are two separate, sealed units, how do I change the oil in the back part?

Lastly, is the shifter turret sealed off from the rest of the transmission? The turret reservoir in my old Mazda Miata would dry up and require an oil refill every few years.

 

That would be the speedo cable.The front part of the trans is the bell housing which is sealed off from the rear that houses the tranny oil.Not a transfer case.Make sure the oil is not leaking out from the top and running down the side of the speedo cable.I fill the trans from the top by removing the shifter.

 

The O-ring doesn't technically seal the cable; it stretches around a separate housing to which the speedo gear is connected. I attempted to replace the O-ring, but the housing would not fit back into the transmission. The original looked undamaged, so I reused it and reinstalled everything with a lot of heavy grease. Looking back, I don't think it was ever leaking at the speedo cable, anyway.

The inner-most shifter boot (part no. 33555-35040) was shredded and the bolts holding down the shifter retainer plate were loose enough to turn with my fingers. The gasket (part no. 33584-60010) was completely saturated with oil. Oil was free to escape in both places and drip down from the top of the transmission, including on and around the speedo cable housing.



To get a socket on the two rear retainer plate bolts (to apply actual torque), I had to drill through the floorboard. Stupid design, in my opinion, but the base of the shifter boot still covers/seals the new, larger opening.

The upper and lower OEM shifter bushings looked new, so I reused them as well.