who pays on transmission

I had my transmission rebuilt on my 2001 tacoma. It had 250,000 miles and the planatary gear went out in it. I park my truck on the street when it's at home and a couple of days ago I noticed oil spots where the truck has been parked. After looking under the truck I noticed the trans was leaking and took it back to the transmission shop. They told me the seal where the leakage hooked to the transmission was leaking and they tighten it up. After questioning how this happened and was really thinking they had forgotten to do it the first time the shop owner told me if it kept doing it they would have to order the part from toyota and charge me to install it. I told them I could see where I should pay for the part but no way should I pay for the install. We both agreed to wait and see what happen's to the leak. What do you guys think? Are they correct in charging me or is this a whole other thing that needs fixed. Thanks Rick

 

How long ago was it rebuilt? Why would you not pay for the install? If a part fails, it fails and still has to be replaced. You just accuse the shop wrong doing.

 

I have no idea what this means. I'm sure there are just some words left out?

Can you restate this so we can understand 'what' seal and exactly where this is?

 

well if they rebuilt the tranny then all seals would or should have been replaced so this would be a seal leaking that they replaced "or should have" so it should be a warranty item at no charge for fluid, seal or labor.

BUT ... it all depends on the warranty you got, if it was only 30 or 90 day or something for labor and it has been longer then that time, then you will have to pay labor and the parts should have had at least a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty which is usually a standard minimum coverage on rebuilds.

 

Sorry guys but I had typed this out once before and submitted it and the computer kicked me off. I hurried and retyped the post. First off the work was done two weeks ago and I got a 15,000 mile warranty. On the seal leaking it's where the linkage from the truck hooks into the transmission. I hope this clarifies my original post.

 

if you are talking about where the drive shaft goes into the tranny then that is the rear seal and it should have and most likely was replaced with the rebuild and unless they messed it up it shouldn't be leaking.

the part I "assume" he is talking about is the drive shaft yoke that slides into the tranny that the seal seals against. these can sometimes get worn down at the sealing location forming a groove that reduces the seals grip and can cause leaks but I have only ever seen this on extremely high mileage vehicles so its a rare thing. it may also be a rust issue from a low mileage truck that doesn't get used much or plays in mud a lot.

tell him you want the seal replaced again and tranny refilled at no cost before he starts ordering parts for it. if he is willing ask him to show you the problem and it should be a noticeable groove in the yoke shaft that can be seen as well as felt. if it still looks and feels smooth then it doesn't need replacing at all and I think you need to suspect something isn't on the up and up with this guy.

the good news is this is a simple and easy fix you can do yourself buy removing the drive shaft, pop out the old seal and tap the new seal in place and replace the drive shaft. should only take a couple hours to do it in your driveway and the seal only costs like $5

hope this helps

 

Guys I really don't know what seal. He said where the linkage from gear selector(shifter) goes into the transmission. I would assume that is on top of transmission. Hope this helps on which seal.

 

ok if its the gear selector that has the issue this means taking the tranny apart again but in all honesty any decent tranny guy wouldn't put a part like that back in if it had issues because you do have to tear it all down again to replace it. the fact he went right into "we need to replace that part" tells me he had reason to suspect it was going to be a problem otherwise he would say he had to see "why" it was leaking.

at this point I cant trust that guy anymore to do the job right and I know it hurts but its worth it to let someone else take the tranny apart and check the work and put all new seals everywhere.

my guess is he did a half assed job only doing the bare minimum and never replaced that seal and now its leaking. even a bad mechanic wouldn't risk having to fix it again by putting a new seal on a bad part so that's why I think its more likely he never replaced it in the first place.

but all this is a lot of guessing so bring it to cottman transmission and have them diagnose the problem and give you a price to fix it. then you can decide what to do next and I think its the only way to know for sure.

 

I'm glad I went to a reputable transmission shop when I had mine rebuilt.

FYI (and others who read this), I recommend an ATRA shop. The warranty I received was 2-years, unlimited mileage. Then after the 2-years, if something happens, the guy I had rebuild it will only charge me parts, not labor on another rebuild or fix.

 

Page 33 of this pdf shows how to replace the lever shaft seal
http://kai.supramania.com/Supra/A340 Series Repair Manual (RM216).pdf

The shop that rebuilt your transmission should cover this as mentioned above .

.

 

well page 33 only shows how to remove the shift linkage from the shifter shaft but it does show you what it is and where it is.

there is a trick that can be used to pull the seal and replace it from the outside using fish hooks or special hook type tools to fish behind the seal lip and pull it out but I don't think its something for a novice to try since you can cause rubber or metal spring "debris" to fall into the drain pan and possibly cause issues.

the "proper" way is to tear the tranny down again to remove the shaft itself from the inside to allow the seal to be properly removed and replaced.

how to remove this rod is shown on page 49 of that pdf

 

Talked to the shop today and they ordered the part. The guy told me he would have to pull the console out and it's a gasket that goes on top of transmission. Sorry I really don't know what it's called and he didn't tell. Nothing was said about tearing the transmission down. LIke I said I don't have a problem with paying for parts but this transmission wasn't leaking when I took it to them but now it is. Hope this helps. Rick

 

but was it discussed who is obligated and if you have to pay anything?

you might get a $1,000 bill and once you authorize the work, that's it if you didn't work this out ahead of time.

you don't pay and they can keep your truck and after 30-90 days (depending on the laws in your state) they can sell your truck for the repair costs