why is my shifting linkage all.... uh.. oily?

[rjgilligan]

Hey, maybe it's supposed to be that way ... but it looks wrong. Truck is a 79 4 spd. I took off the inner boot to tighten up the linkage (Sloppy play up and down as well as side to side / rattles while driving) and it's really oily down in there.   Oil kind of running down the side out of the hole, and oil all on the inside of the boot. What busted? 

 

Oh just thought of something. My rear main seal leaks and needs to be replaced... maybe oil is running down the transmission and into there? Could it be coming from some other place?

[datzenmike]

If the seal is leaking did you top it up and maybe over fill it?

There is a plastic breather, is it plugged?

Look at the back of the valve cover. Is the gasket leaking?

[rjgilligan]

If the seal is leaking did you top it up and maybe over fill it?

There is a plastic breather, is it plugged?

Look at the back of the valve cover. Is the gasket leaking?

 

Hey Mike,

I don't think I ever overfilled the oil. The rear main seal has been slowly leaking oil since I got the truck. It started getting worse after I drove the truck across the country. :thumbup: But anyway, I have the truck up on jack stands now and the new seal sitting in my garage, waiting to go in. I'm also doing a bunch of other things to it while it's up, but that's for a different thread.

 

What plastic breather are you referring to? One on the valve cover?

 

The valve cover isn't leaking (although it was at one point in the past, maybe this is old oil from that??), looks good up there now.

 

I guess I worry if this could be trans oil coming up from the case or is that out of the question? Something else like that? Trans oil level is fine... I'm going to pull the transmission out tomorrow anyway..