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Yesterday, I replaced (uneventfully) both driveaxles on my newly-acquired (for $100 with absolutely no rust) 1991 Festy. I put about 2.6 quarts of ATF in to get the proper level.
Much to my surprise, when I returned from my short test drive (after dark), I found a large puddle of red ATF in the driveway (and nowhere else). It's like it all leaked out in the first 2 feet of travel.
Interestingly, when I drained the transaxle in preparation for replacing the driveaxles, I got only a small amount of (brown) fluid out. I'm now suspecting that the driveaxle seals were already blown when I got the car. Alternatively, maybe the fluid was very low, the seals had dried out as a result (the car hadn't been driven for several years when I bought it), and I damaged them inserting the new driveaxles. The odometer reads just over 100K but the speedo cable is snapped, so actual mileage is unknown. It looks like a 100K car (spotless interior, etc.).
The Haines manual says that replacing the seals is a simple task. I don't have a lift, and am not comfortable going that far under the car on stands, particularly on my sloping driveway.
Does anybody know:
(1) Are the proper seals available? Part number(s)? All we have really here in Anchorage is Napa and Schucks.
(2) If I take it to a lift-equipped shop (close by, so I don't burn up the transaxle), what should I expect to pay in labor to replace the seals on both sides? Everything came apart very easily when I did the driveaxle replacement. Should I even risk driving the car with what may be no transaxle fluid.
When I get some daylight after work today, I'm going to have a look-see to try to confirm that it leaked out the driveaxle seals and not somewhere else (like a crack in the transaxle case or seal between the two halves of the case).
Thanks.
Much to my surprise, when I returned from my short test drive (after dark), I found a large puddle of red ATF in the driveway (and nowhere else). It's like it all leaked out in the first 2 feet of travel.
Interestingly, when I drained the transaxle in preparation for replacing the driveaxles, I got only a small amount of (brown) fluid out. I'm now suspecting that the driveaxle seals were already blown when I got the car. Alternatively, maybe the fluid was very low, the seals had dried out as a result (the car hadn't been driven for several years when I bought it), and I damaged them inserting the new driveaxles. The odometer reads just over 100K but the speedo cable is snapped, so actual mileage is unknown. It looks like a 100K car (spotless interior, etc.).
The Haines manual says that replacing the seals is a simple task. I don't have a lift, and am not comfortable going that far under the car on stands, particularly on my sloping driveway.
Does anybody know:
(1) Are the proper seals available? Part number(s)? All we have really here in Anchorage is Napa and Schucks.
(2) If I take it to a lift-equipped shop (close by, so I don't burn up the transaxle), what should I expect to pay in labor to replace the seals on both sides? Everything came apart very easily when I did the driveaxle replacement. Should I even risk driving the car with what may be no transaxle fluid.
When I get some daylight after work today, I'm going to have a look-see to try to confirm that it leaked out the driveaxle seals and not somewhere else (like a crack in the transaxle case or seal between the two halves of the case).
Thanks.
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