Was having a small leak near the passenger side front wheel. It couldn't be motor oil. It wasn't anti-freeze. And it wasn't condensation from the A/C.

So when after changing the transmission fluid the dealer told me I had a leaky axle seal, it made sense to replace it and save all that precious new transmission fluid.

Problem is, the leak worsened after it was "fixed". Big time. To the point I had to bring the car back a week later. (Car was driven approximately 200 miles in between.)

Now I'm told there's a lot of "movement" in the axle, which might be why the seal isn't sealing. Worse, I may need a (gulp) new transmission.

To those of you that are familiar with Honda transmissions, does this sound logical? Why is it leaking worse after the repair than it was before the repair?

And if the transmission has gone bad, would it still be shifting properly? Wouldn't it be hard to get out of park, etc?

I'm not a mechanic. Not even a do-it-yourselfer. None of this quite makes sense. To the best of your knowledge, is this legit? Or am I being played by the dealer?

1999 Accord LX coupe. 172,000 miles.

 

Issues like this are very difficult to diagnose over the internet, were I in your shoes, I would seek a second opinion.

The above said, just because the internals of the transmission are good to go, that doesn't in any way mean the case itself hasn't failed, or that one bushing/bearing downstream of the integrated differential isn't in failure mode.

I suppose another remote possibility is that one of your axle shafts is in failure mode, and that is putting undo stress on the new seal.

 

Thanks for your response, shipo.

It ended up being worn bearings in the differential, which necessitated a transmission overhaul since this is a front-wheel drive unit.

Nearly 2.4K, but worth it given my reluctance to buy a used car.

 

If they are doing a full re-build be sure they are updating the valve body inside the trans. There was a bit of a design flaw in the OE trans that casued them to fail way before they should - some failed in as little as 60k miles......most made it to 120~130 and then failed. The lucky few have made it further.

Here is a read on the issue: Transmission Report: Overheating Honda Converters, Vacuum Testing and More - Sonnax

 

Thanks for the response and article link poorman212.

Unfortunately, the rebuild is already a done deal.

I called the guy who did the work, and he said the valve body was cleaned out, inspected and found to be fine. He was aware of this units shortcomings, but said aside from the differential bearings, mine appeared to be fine.

If I'm one of the lucky few, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket, huh?