Oil spitting out shift lever tower.

[my4dv8]

Ok , 32 case in a 32 with 39 gears ,std torque tube deal. All working great. Then it starts puking oil out the shifter tower top. Makes a heck of a mess. I have changed nothing in the drive train . So fitted new 7207 gasket shift housing cap. New 7248 oil seal shift lever. Zero difference, ,almost like it’s pressurising. Oil level is spot on in transmission . 7 miles and it’s an oil slick again. What gives???

[Terry,OH]

If the shifter was leaking the oil would be inside the car! What a mess. What is your spot on oil level? Do you have the metal washer 7249 The spring and upper cup washer along with the leather seal and lower washer make the cap very hard to install. It usually takes a lot of downward force to start the cap thread and the cap will thread down all the way to the cap gasket 7221

[alchemy]

That's the vent spot for the rear and transmission, isn't it?

[my4dv8]

It never used to leak ,i have changed nothing. Apologies when the leak started I fitted a new 7207 and 7248 ,did not help. The oil level is just below the bung. Double checked on Mac Vanpelts parts and appear to be installed correctly. We don’t have the correct rubber boot over the whole shift tower. Just a flat tight fitting rubber gasket around the floor, so yes it is getting messy ,though we have no carpet.

[Mart]

Ok.

So what changed between when it never used to leak to when it started leaking?

Something must have changed.

Is it that you only drove in cold weather and now it's hot? I don't know how long you have had it on the road.

Do you think adding the gaskets and seals have made it worse by resisting the pressure buildup so it all ejects at once? I wonder if a more "leaky" assembly would be better by allowing it to vent progressively.

Some oil in that area is more or less a given. An occasional wipe with a rag should suffice.

Do you have a good seals at the rear hubs and ends of the axle tubes? How about at the front of the torque tube?

Are you running sealed bearings in the gearbox?

Is this a very low car? Could you be getting oil migration from the axle?

Lots of questions but what you have described is a bit baffling so lots of info is required.

Mart.

[DavidG]

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As an aside, there wasn't any 'correct' rubber boot over the whole shift tower originally.

[my4dv8]

Yes Mart it is baffling. It began to leak with the old 35/36 rear axel in place just before I changed the rear axle to a columbia. Continued to leak at the transmission after we replaced the rear . Previous front and rear TT seals along with the cork seal were replaced.
No sealed bearings in the transmission , 32 case with 39 gears.
I cant vouch for the axle seals but the hub seals are new.
Its in a 32 pickup ,750 x16 rears 550x16 front . Oil does not migrate down the TT to the transmission. Stock front and rear springs and axles.
Had it 4 years , over that period we have rebuilt everything . To be fair we have not driven a huge distance . The rebuilding plus we have other early fords to drive.
Its a B4 with OHV conversion.

[my4dv8]

A lot of the escaping oil runs down the side of the transmission. This is after only 10 miles.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by my4dv8

A lot of the escaping oil runs down the side of the transmission.

[Lawrie]

May not be related , BUT on our 33 there would be some times a fine vibration come in the drive line Followed by a hot gear oil smell inside the car, turned out to be the pinion shaft spinning inside the front pinion bearing and burning the oil , this must have come up the torque tube, past the seal and out the gear lever, took a while to find it
Lawrie

[Brian]

Bryan, strange problem isn't it? when I worked in the printing industry, we bought a brand new Mann Roland press from Germany. The gearbox cover plates [these things are big, like half the length of your car]were sealed to the gearbox housings with only a smear of hi-tack grease. No gaskets etc. They never leaked a drop! You can buy a cartridge of this stuff from your local B&T....ask for a tube of FUCHS Poliplex 2. I'd say that if you applied a smear of that stuff around the hemispherical bit on the gearstick that seats in the gearbox top, it'll eliminate any leakage as well as lubricating that area. Try it....good enough for quality German Engineering...

[Bored&Stroked]

I wonder if the gear lube you're using is somehow "frothing" and causing this? If it was me, I'd probably drain the box and switch to a different brand of gear lube and make sure it is the right viscosity (maybe even heavier) than what you have in it. I've not researched gear-lube options - I would do that first.

[JM 35 Sedan]

I was also thinking it could be something going on with gear lube, that's causing pressure to build up in the system. Exactly what lube are you using in the rear and transmission?
When I installed a Winters QC in one of my cars, it required the addition of a vent on the rear axle. This is set up as a closed drive, torque tube system, coupled to a '39 3spd transmission. I'm wondering if something like that vent might solve your problem??

[Terry,OH]

You can add a breather to the transmission case. Ford did.

[deuce_roadster]

So this got worse when you installed the Columbia? (that has more oil when properly filled) If this was mine I would put the vehicle on jack stands that were much higher in the front making sure the TT was angled up and clean everything so NO oil is present, and run it 10 miles on the odometer and see if oil still comes up. You say you are using a 32 case with 39 gears. Using a 38 or 39 top? What did you do about the difference in the part of the stick that you cannot see? The early stick won't work with the later synchro if you are using the 32 top so did you use a 39 stick or weld the bottom of a 39 stick to a 32 stick after cutting the bottom off? What did you do about the forks? What type and grade of trans oil are you using? If too thin maybe the gears are throwing the oil up there at a great rate. I am very curious as to what the answer is when you find it.
Good Luck

[DavidG]

It appears that the shift lever housing is post-'35 with the more upright tower. If for some reason it is a '32 shift lever housing, perhaps it is the early version that lacks the cast-in baffles on the underside. A photo of the opposite side would determine that if you're not certain.

[Bored&Stroked]

It is definitely not a 32-shifter housing - as it is not angled toward the rear. I can see no issue with having a 39 (later) style shift top as that is what you need for the correct shift forks and everything else that aligns/goes with the 39 gears.

The 39 shifter is a LOT longer (below the top-ball) than a 32 shifter - so there is no way to use a 32 shifter unless you grafted a 32 top to a 39 bottom (which I've done).

I don't think this has anything to do with the shifter, the shifter top, etc.. It is something else (in my opinion) - and I'm thinking it is related to the gear-lube in the case (too much, the wrong type, something that froths, etc).

[cas3]

I agree ^^^. It has to be a problem with the wrong gear lube as the incorrect shift handle parts dont work, and the correct assembly of the tower parts should not spew out any excessive oil vapors unless the fluid is wrong. no extra vent should be needed. Some residue from vapor fumes is normal in all the old tranny's no matter what make, but it should not be running like a leak

[PeteVS]

Oil level too high?

[Mac VP]

Any update on the problem? This thread has generated plenty of discussion in our shop. The question about the type of gear oil (and perhaps any magic transmission oil additives) has not been answered by the OP……