seal between tranny and driveshaft leaking

[LANDY]

i was going 120mph with o/d off with 4.10 gears,vibration started at 110mph, i took it to 6k rpm and let off, smelled pretty bad, saw smoke coming out the back, pulled over then saw a leak on that rear seal. drove it home did not notice problem, checked fluid and not even an 1/8" missing.

is it normal to vibrate at that speed? if so how can a fix that?

can the smell be tranny clutches overheating? do i need a tranny cooler?

Which one?
:confused:

thanks
LANDY

[Glenn]

I would guess you got some trans fluid on your exhaust pipes and it burnt giving the white smoke and strong smell. I would not go 120 mph WO your OD on for any length of time except on the strip - too much rpm on the drive shaft - not built for it particularly if it is out of balance even a little. It will oval out your trans seal and leak at these speeds. But once you slowed down the seal went back to it's round shape and sealed again. I doubt that it will do that again without permanently leaking. Remove your drive shaft and have it balanced - not very expensive and well worth the effort.

Glenn :burnout:

[Black_Noise]

I would replace your tailshaft seal now. Its already been stretched or ruined by those speeds without a balanced driveshaft.

Thats what the leak was, and I bet its like glenn said, trans fluid on hot exhaust making the smoke.

[B.C. Bake]

[+1 :)



quote=Black_Noise;784849]I would replace your tailshaft seal now. Its already been stretched or ruined by those speeds without a balanced driveshaft.

Thats what the leak was, and I bet its like glenn said, trans fluid on hot exhaust making the smoke.[/quote]

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

You may need not just a seal, but a bushing now. Check for any play rocking the yoke up and down. If you have a stock driveshaft with 4.10s, you should NOT be going 120 mph with it. The shaft is going to bow and ruin the tail bushing. You need a better d/s if you are going to be driving that fast.

[babbage]

I think that's above critical speed for an aluminum DS! You are lucky it didn't turn into a pretzel!

Alcoa MMC or Dennysdriveshaft.com, EvilBrother: you should send yours there.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Send my what there? The MMC driveshaft I bought online ended up having a huge gouge scribed into it that is a stress riser almost guaranteed to break in half. I got my money back and I still have the shaft as a keepsake, but I won't risk running it. I am still on the lookout for a reasonably priced junkyard MMC shaft but the yards don't want to bother checking color codes for me.

[in2deep]

Have you gone under the car to make sure the seal is in fact still in the tailshaft?

[CBT]

Send my what there? The MMC driveshaft I bought online ended up having a huge gouge scribed into it that is a stress riser almost guaranteed to break in half. I got my money back and I still have the shaft as a keepsake, but I won't risk running it. I am still on the lookout for a reasonably priced junkyard MMC shaft but the yards don't want to bother checking color codes for me.

Weld that sumbitch, grind it flush and have it balanced, presto.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Weld a metal matrix shaft? Using what filler material for the weld? Is the shaft heat treated and will the weld ruin the heat treat around the weld?

[CBT]

Weld a metal matrix shaft? Using what filler material for the weld? Is the shaft heat treated and will the weld ruin the heat treat around the weld?

If it's 6000 series (T-6 I believe), run 4043 filler, less chance of cracking, especially since it will be flexing. Aluminum can be repaired, the key is to make sure it's clean. Then clean it again.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

But it isn't just plain 6000 series aluminum, it's metal matrix,

[CBT]

But it isn't just plain 6000 series aluminum, it's metal matrix,

What is it, infused with something? I don't know of any metal that blends well, if at all, with aluminum. You can join aluminum to ferrous metals by a process called (I am not making this up) explosion welding. Not as cool as it sounds, but I don't think the drive shaft is made out of it.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I started reading some journal papers on MMC and it got way over my head really quickly. Something about metal matrix is the joining of two materials, at least one of which is a metal, MMC's are made by putting a reinforcing material into a matrix (the aluminum in the case of the driveshaft).

It looks like you can put carbon fibers, ceramic, and all kinds of crap into the parent matrix, to make it stiffer.

So I would be worried about what a big fat weld would do right in the middle of the super engineered material. The MMC shaft is welded only at the ends of the tubing.

Methinks me gonna throw this driveshaft out and just find a good one. I don't want some shop just welding it like it's aluminum and finding out I ruined the desirable properties of the shaft.

[LANDY]

Have you gone under the car to make sure the seal is in fact still in the tailshaft?


yes, seal still in there and i really appreciate all of you.
i will have it checked out so as the bushing


so whats the way to go with driveshafts.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I am trying to find an OEM MMC shaft. They are all over the place I'm sure but the junkyards aren't good at keeping track of them vs. the regular aluminum ones. You want a P71 shaft with pink/green/blue stripes around the tube (pink/blue/orange is the regular aluminum shaft that you already have and don't want). The OEM MMC shaft was a $1300 part from Ford when you could still get them new. You can get them for under $100 from a junkyard IF you can positively ID one. That is going to be the tough part.

[babbage]

yes, seal still in there and i really appreciate all of you.
i will have it checked out so as the bushing


so whats the way to go with driveshafts.

Find an MMC driveshaft out of a 99 or 2000 police car at bone yard.

Purchase a Metal Martix shaft.
http://www.reinhartperformance.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=12345&Product_Code=MM-MMDS&Category_Code=9

[babbage]

Send my what there?


Duh? Send it to http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/
Think I've told you that twice now. They can repair your shaft and balance it at 15,000 rpm. Probably cost you $250

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I threw the MMC shaft out yesterday. After reading how metal matrix parts are made, I am not convinced that a weld in the middle of the tube would be an acceptable repair. It would interupt the composite matrix right in the middle of the tube. It's gone to the junk pile in the sky now.

[Joe Walsh]

I threw the MMC shaft out yesterday. After reading how metal matrix parts are made, I am not convinced that a weld in the middle of the tube would be an acceptable repair. It would interupt the composite matrix right in the middle of the tube. It's gone to the junk pile in the sky now.

I agree....welding an aluminum drive shaft is probably 'OK'...but welding a Metal Matrix shaft with 'straight' weld bead....
especially right in the middle of the shaft.
Uhhhhh....I'd let someone else be the guinea pig.
A two piece drive shaft on a 2005+ Mustang is fine, a two piece drive shaft on a Marauder is....:eek:.......:shake:

[CBT]

I could weld the crack of dawn shut and gar-un-tee it not to bust, rust, or collect dust. Suckas!

[Haggis]

I could weld the crack of dawn shut and gar-un-tee it not to bust, rust, or collect dust. Suckas!

Believe him he did this to his butt and to this day everytime he opens his mouth S*** comes out.

[CBT]

Believe him he did this to his butt and to this day everytime he opens his mouth S*** comes out.

LOL! You wish you knew what my butt crack looked like, stalker!

[Haggis]

LOL! You wish you knew what my butt crack looked like, stalker!

Hey, you told me you had a tan in Kentucky, but Justbob told me the truth; that you were full of s***.

[babbage]

I agree....welding an aluminum drive shaft is probably 'OK'...but welding a Metal Matrix shaft with 'straight' weld bead....
especially right in the middle of the shaft.
Uhhhhh....I'd let someone else be the guinea pig.
A two piece drive shaft on a 2005+ Mustang is fine, a two piece drive shaft on a Marauder is....:eek:.......:shake:

If anyone could fix it it properly it would have been dennys.

What brand of CF shaft are you running Joe? Sounds very ($) nice. Evil: just skip the MMC and go for the win with carbon.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

what do the CFs go for, like a grand? I have bought whole driveable cars for less than that