Fluid coming from the overdrive servo cover

[Nuggethead 420]

I had a drip at first but not it is coming out pretty good if I keep the fluid level up it should not do any damage, is this a correct assumption?
of the two servo covers intermadiate and overdrive on the passenger side of the transmission A4ld 91, which is closest to the bell housing?

 

[Glacier991]

that is the OD. The cover has an O ring seal in it.... it is near the cat, and heat is it's enemy. I'd consider replacing that O ring if I were you.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

I have the o-ring that came with the seal kit for the trans. The trsnny shop said that it was the srevo that was leaking and the o-ring is bad as well but the main problem is the servo bloing fluid by it that is causing the leak. I am dropping the exhaust I tried to get the clip out for about 5 hours this weekend. No luck, but I found if you take out the oxy. sen. there is enough clearance to get it out. But with the exhaust in the way you can not get ahold of the clip .
Any ideas?? I wish I had the easy button for this one.

 

[Glacier991]

I know that could be a *****. The only way I can think of if right angle snap ring pliers and then a screwdriver in the slot for it to get under the snap ring.... even that is gonna be tricky....Now your problem..it COULD be a leaky servo, that CAN happen, but my guess is just the cover seal. there IS pressure directly under that cover with proper operation. So I'd skeptical that a servo cover leaks also means, of necessity, a bad servo piston.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

I went and bought the servo $13.50 and had a friend heat up the exhaust bolts from the manifold to the y pipe. So I can drop the exhuast down then I can see and get straight in to remove the cover.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

The Saga Continues.....

I went to remove the exhaust last night. Cannot get the Y-pipe seperated from the Cat. Have to grind the heads off and pop the studs thru because the nuts even with the help of the torch will not let go. With the Cat in the way all I can do is watch it drip. I have gone thru 3 Qts off Trans fluid in 3 days. Not a good situation. I need more hour in the day and a full garage full of every possible tool you could think of because every time I turn around the unthinkable happens.
Die grinder tonight and see what happens.

 

[Brain]

what I did was grind off the two spring-loded bolts behind the cats (corrosion frozen) and then removed the y-pipe at the exhaust headers, so that the y-pipe and cats came off in one piece. I think I might disagree w/ Glacier on this one, as I think that there shouldn't be a whole lot of fluid getting by the servo seals. What does get by should drain back into the pan, which raises a question - did the pan gasket have a slot for the drain? It should, and it should allow the fluid that gets by the servo seals (there is always some pressure on both seals of the servo) to drain back to the pan. If that passage is blocked, it has to come out somewhere....

 

[Nuggethead 420]

Had the pan off about 2 months ago and cleaned all the fluid cycle passages out. I cant imagine it is all plugged up. I obviously cannot see while driving but the bottom of the ex is very well coated in fluid so there has to be quite a leak. At idle it is a continous drip about a cup every 10 min. I assume driving there is more. I had the Y pipe and the back of the resinator dissconnected and without removing the cross member that holds the radius arms there is not way to get it out forward or back.

If I dissconnect fron the Y to the cat then I can slide that section Cat and resinator back enough to get a straight shot on the servo cover. I hope that with all the attempts I have tried with the 90 degree snap ring pliers that I can still get ahold of it.

 

[Brain]

Yeah, you can remove it by removing the transmission cross member and jacking it up so that the y-pipe can go over the RA cross member. I'm not saying it's easy, just that it can be done. I figured that was easier than trying to get to the top (of three) bolts between the y-pipe and pre-cat. I couldn't figure out how to get to that top bolt.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

Die grinder gives you enough shaft lenth and is narrow enough to reach it and a long punch to push the stud out the front. I an going to do them one at a time and replace them with grade 5 with no-seize. them I can leave the Y pipe which is not in my way in place. This has become quite the project for a 10 min servo replacement. But now I have an exhaust that will come apart when I need it to. I should just put quick dissconnects on eveything I can have the whole thing apart like nasscar.

 

[Eneurb]

I'm sure it's alot easier to do on a hoist, but what I do to replace the servo covers is remove the servo heat shield, rotate the snap ring untill one end is in the opening, and pry off the cat. conv. to take the pressure off the snap ring and use a right angle pick to remove the ring.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

I cannot get the ring to turn no room for leverage. pushed the heat sheild back a ways and have access but the 90 degree snap ring pliers cannot get a hold of the ring because it has notches not holes for the pliers so when you sqeeze they slip out.
I have to drill out the cat bolts to the Y pipe to get the cat and resinator out of the way.
Grinding or drilling our the heads on the cat side and punching them thru. then I can get a straight shot at the servo cover. This getting the exhaust off for a 10 min servo change is very hard and almost not worth it......but I have more time than money at this point in my life, I will rest when I'm dead.

 

[Eneurb]

Don't bother to drill them... grind them or cut them off with a torch. You'll spend all day trying to drill them.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

I cannot get a grinder other than a die grinder in to get the top one. Any ideas for that one? What about a carbide drill would that cut thru?? Are they hardened?

 

[Glacier991]

I'm not doubting you may need to cut em to get access... but...I noticed you mentioned about the snap rings ... you can never get the rings out with just pliers (I can't anyway) you need a screwdriver in the slot too to get under it once it's slightly compressed.... otherwise they just slip off the plier point and you start over (and over and over). So if you ONLY used snap ring pliers, you may want to try again.

 

[Nuggethead 420]

Got it done!!! Oh yeh baby!!! Took off the exhaust and the Y pipe off had one flange bolt from cay to Y pipe come off after the toarch one snapped off and had to hacksaw one but they were off. Got the cat and resinator off tried the snap ring pliers....Glacier you will be pleased to here that I broke 6 sets of 90 degree tips and still could not get the ring out. Ended up using a 3/8 wide wood chisle to get under the ring to pop it out of the groove. then the cover would not come off doe to a burr. got that off finally!!
The o-ring was TOAST and the servo was really BAD as well. replaced them cleaned out the bore, there was alot of nasty **** in there black caked in stuff. put it back together and the exhaust and BAMM!! I am back in business.

Most people would have got rid of a truck with 197,000 miles but NOT me, its a matter of pride and I like my truck too much....(plus I have more time than money).

Thanks to all for your suggestions and help as well as support but this case and thread is officially over.
God bless us every one!!

Respectfully,
Nuggethead

 

[William Guenther]

Die grinder gives you enough shaft lenth and is narrow enough to reach it and a long punch to push the stud out the front. I an going to do them one at a time and replace them with grade 5 with no-seize. them I can leave the Y pipe which is not in my way in place. This has become quite the project for a 10 min servo replacement. But now I have an exhaust that will come apart when I need it to. I should just put quick dissconnects on eveything I can have the whole thing apart like nasscar.

 

[William Guenther]

I have been through this before with my daughters 2007 Explorer. Now with my Sons 2000 Ranger. I did hours of googling and reading numerous forums. It seemed to me like an awful lot of work to get the servos out, and it is. I seen numerous threads of Gus running into additional problems by going the long way. I myself even spent money on a special pair of needle nose pliers made in such a way to get up in that tight area to remove the cover retaining clip. They did not work... wasted money, time and aggravation. Then I found a tip from a guy who did just as I did, hours of reading and attempts of suggestions. Here is what worked for me. The outer rim of the aluminum trans housing that the servo cap retaining ring sits in. I carefully drilled a small 1/8” hole in to the outer diameter of the retaining clip. I stuck a nail set punch up into the hole and pushed on the clip. I was then able to to get a flat head screwdriver behind the clip and remove it. Servo cap then came off, servo came out and repair made. It literally took about 20-30 minutes. I never touched the exhaust, I did bend the aluminum sheild on the cat a little bit out of the way to give me a little more room, but that was all. No removing the cross member or exhaust as I have read and heard guys struggle with. Just be careful when you drill your hole, make it clean and precise. That retaining clip will come right out so you can remove the servos. I did both while I was in there.