Cracked trans case - Honda Odyssey

[blazerbrad]

Wife was out last night with her friends and called me saying there was a puddle of red fluid under her '07 Honday Odyssey. Had her drive it the 15 minutes home and when she got home casually mentioned running over something on the freeway but didn't seem like a big deal. After looking at it she hit something pretty substantial to the point it put a hairline crack in the trans case and dented the box tubing of the crossmember, including destroying the plastic bottom cover.

There is a hairline crack about 1/2" long that is leaking fluid on the cast aluminum case. My first thought was to try to seal up this crack. What is everybody's recommendations for this?

Planning on draining the fluid to stop the leak, clean up the area and probably run a die grinder or dremel over the crack and rough up the surrounding area, then some sort of epoxy or sealant. JB Weld, silicone based sealer, epoxy, or ?????

[humpy]

How bout puttin a new case in ? Is that an option ? If this thing starts leakin because a repair like that failed and it's Rollin down the highway.. Bearing could get hot and seize cause lack of fluid and cause your wife to have a wreck at high speed... I wouldn't do it I would put a new case in it... But that's just me

[blazerbrad]

If you going to put a new case in it might as well just get a complete used trans and bolt it in. Probably be cheaper in the long run versus paying $300-$400 for the case and the cost to basically have a shop do a complete rebuild on the trans.

Last night I put a piece of cardboard under it and this morning I would estimate there were a couple of ounces of fluid dripped on it. A little trans fluid makes a good size puddle...recently spilled about a 1/2 quart on the garage floor and it made a puddle about 4' around.

[Flxratd]

I have seen a lot of attempted repairs for what you are describing with very little success.. atf is so thin it will find its way out.. I have to agree with fixing it right as to not leave the wife at best on the side of the road..

[humpy]

If it was my daily driver I might would try a repair but the family truckster is a different story .... Fix it right in my opinion

[94Dodge Truggy]

weld it up!

[muddinredneck513]

Tig it?

[blazerbrad]

Originally Posted by Flxratd

I have seen a lot of attempted repairs for what you are describing with very little success.. atf is so thin it will find its way out.. I have to agree with fixing it right as to not leave the wife at best on the side of the road..

What is you recommendation as the right way to fix it?

Is the biggest concern about the repair just that it will start leaking again?

We just received the last statement on the thing that said we had a total of $129 remaining before it was paid off...was excited to be 100% car payment free for the first time in 15 years.

[Flxratd]

Isn't it always when you pay something off is when it hits the fan... Having come from a 19 year background with Honda/Acura I have seen everything from casting flaws to cracks and the "incar" repair was almost always a failure. You can never seem to get the spot clean enough to get a repair (even drained) since the fluid never seems to quit weeping where you are trying to seal. Used Honda transmissions are a bit of a challenge to get ahold of also since they unfortunately had a large failure rate(not so much by 07). If all is well with the internals of the trans I would seriously entertain replacing the case half. It will cost more than j/b weld or such but you will know its done and done right.

Im not saying in the same situation I wouldn't at least want to try a quick fix myself but I think it will come back to haunt...

My 02cents with a bit of past experience to go with it..

[yozuki]

I'm sure this was on a state route. If so report it to the local DOT. It is there responsibility to keep the road ways clean and clear of debris. File a report for documentation turn claim into them for the repair. They are also responsible for pot holes that will take out your front end. They have to be fixed within a set amount of time after being reported.

[donaldcon]

So make our tax dollars pay because his wife hit something in the road that the DOT didnt leave there?

Brad clean it like you mentioned. run a grinding wheel across the crack so that you put a V in there to adhere to. Then use some sort of JB like stuff ( do a review on line for what works best for ATF vs aluminum applications) and go with it. I am sure that if your wife noticed the leak and you know about the repair you will both think to glance under it once in awhile to see if its leaking. If it fails after a short period of time start thinking about replacing it. Or call the insurance company say you hit something in the road, pay the deductible and have them fix it. Thats why you have insurance, and since you still owe on it I assume it has atleast comprehensive.

[yozuki]

I see it every day it's not your tax dollars it's everybody that buys gas within the state of Ohio. It's federal and gas tax not your state tax that takes care of the roadways. And yes . It is there job yo patrol and remove any and all items on our roadways same responsibility as the State patrol if you are out there doing your job it would not be there.

[WrenchMonkey]

Originally Posted by yozuki

...it's not your tax dollars it's everybody that buys gas within the state of Ohio. It's federal and gas tax not your state tax...

Did that make sense in your head before you typed it?

[humpy]

Originally Posted by WrenchMonkey

Did that make sense in your head before you typed it?

Lmao at least somebody said it

[93 Krawler]

Isn't that Yobama's motto. Just make the other guy pay for it...

[JeffK5]

Edit...no need to stir the pot..

[blazerbrad]

Took it to a guy's place last night and got it on a lift to better look at it. We lightly peened around the crack with a center punch which took care of 95% of the leak (drove it 30 minutes home so it was hot, parked it, and 12 hours later the spot of ATF on the ground was about the size of 2 quarters...so about 6 drops). Sanded it down with rough emery cloth and put some light cross hatching around it with a dremel, then will JB Weld it.

[yozuki]

Originally Posted by WrenchMonkey

Did that make sense in your head before you typed it?

Sure the **** does.. So you have a responsibility as a driver to insure yourself and vehicle. If it would happen to be damaged by a person with out insurance yours would pick up the cost right. No difference to me the state has to be insured as well. But they are self insured by everyone's tax, gas tax, federal tax sales tax, **** name it they will not forget to get what they think they deserve. To put in their greedy damn pockets. I'm sure by your statement your one of the people that help the dumb ass get voted in here in OHIO a working man state. Some people ****ing kill me. Because I made a suggestion to someone who seemed to be asking a question. That's why I think most people are ****ing ****s...

[WrenchMonkey]

Originally Posted by yozuki

Sure the **** does... ****ing ****s...

Easy there scooter. I wasn't even talking about the propriety of the idea.

I was pointing out your bizarre assertion that "gas taxes" and "federal taxes" are somehow not "our taxes." This money doesn't fall from the great provider in the sky. It comes from tax PAYERS. Your buddy may throw it around like he creates it, but he doesn't.

If you do want to discuss the merits of your claim, I'll point out that unless the phantom object actually fell off of an ODOT truck, they really weren't negligent. It wasn't their fault. Expecting them to pay for something they didn't cause isn't right.

Moving beyond the morality of it, though, is even simpler: They're gonna tell you to pound sand. No police report, no accident documentation, no proof of what happened at all. And even if you could prove what you hit, they won't pay out unless you can also prove that they were aware of it and ignored it.

Guy at work lost $1200 in rims and tires in a pothole out front that we complained about for weeks. But without a certified letter to back up those complaints, he had no "proof," and was SOL.

They won't pay even when they are wrong, they're certainly not going to - and shouldn't - if they aren't even at fault.

Robert

[yozuki]

I watch them pay out daily. As that is where I am employed . And pot holes that they know of and don't fix and has damaged one's vehicle they are responsible for the damage there is a set amount of time to be repaired. That how I know what they will and will not pay for.. Scooter..

[green taco]

Back to the cracked pan, make sure u use jb quick dry, I had an oil pan my old lady cetered a rock on, after welding it up, there was still a small leak, I put the quick dry on it , bout 3 coats, and it never leaked again, it's been goin for 5 years that way.

[WrenchMonkey]

Originally Posted by green taco

Back to the cracked pan...

Indeed, sorry for the hijack.

[blazerbrad]

Kind of feel bad (well, almost) for starting a debate, especially after the wife told me the full story. Initially the story she gave had me assume it was a random object misplaced in the middle of the road. Turns out it was a concrete lane divider/island. Sounds like there were 3 lanes and she found herself in a turn only lane. It was dark and divider was not marked.....and you know the rest of the story. Talked to a buddy who drives by the place everyday and he commented it was hard to see at night and there are all types of scars on it from cars running over it.

[donaldcon]

You didnt start the debate brad, you know argument follows me everywhere i go. Im to opinionated.

[blazerbrad]

Quick update. No leaks that I can see, at least not leaving any spots in the garage. Got the new splash shield in this week and will get under it sometime to look closer.