clutch slipping?

[68autobug]

Hiya Scott,

Welcome!

About the issue at hand...........am I understanding this correctly?..................You definitely have ATF in your reservoir tank but when you "pull the plug" nothing comes out?  Is that what's happening?

YIKES...

LEE

[scottsain]

Hiya Scott,

Welcome!

About the issue at hand...........am I understanding this correctly?..................You definitely have ATF in your reservoir tank but when you "pull the plug" nothing comes out?  Is that what's happening?

yes it is.  so late late last night i went down to the garage to try and figure it out.  i pulled the lines and found no fluid still.  so i pulled the tank reservoir line again to check it.  nothing coming out.  plenty of fluid in the tank.  i grabbed a small screwdriver to see if something had clogged the line.  i put it into the small black rubber fitting on the end of the hose and it stopped.  then the light came on.  i grabbed a pair of needle nose and pulled out the rubber vacuum cap that my mechanic had put into the end of the line to keep it from leaking while the engine was out.  fluid flowed out.  i reattached the line and fired up the engine and waiting until i could see fluid coming back from the return line.  i jumped in and it worked flawlessly. 

however, after driving i pulled back in the garage.  the engine oil light had come on before i got home.  i coasted into the garage and refilled the engine.  i started it up and almost immediately it blew all of the oil out of the flywheel side.  something that had to be pressurized.  not sure if the oil cooler seals would do that or if my mechanic may have left the cooler loose.  i will pull it out next week to identify. 

[Bookwus]

Hiya Scott,

.........after driving i pulled back in the garage.  the engine oil light had come on before i got home.  i coasted into the garage and refilled the engine.  i started it up and almost immediately it blew all of the oil out of the flywheel side.  something that had to be pressurized.  not sure if the oil cooler seals would do that or if my mechanic may have left the cooler loose.  i will pull it out next week to identify. 

A few more details on the oil leak please.  Can you tell us from where the oil appears to be coming?  Is the oil on the ground, in the engine compartment?  Note:  there is no flywheel on an AS car.  But I'm assuming that you are saying the oil is coming from the bellhousing/engine connection area.  As I mentioned before, more details will help.  Pictures are even better.

I think that the only thing that would get oil out of the crankcase that fast would be a popped oil gallery plug.  You could probably drive around for a bit with a blown out mainseal and still have some oil.  Bad oil cooler seals could empty the sump but you would likely notice the oil in and around the engine compartment, bottom tin, etc. rather than forward by the bellhousing.

Uh-oh...........just thought of another possibility.  If your mechanic installed the cam plug without reversing it (as you need to do with an AutoStick specific engine) then your flexplate may have ground a hole through the cam plug.  Since the mechanic left the plug in the ATF reservoir, the cam plug may be a real possibility.

[scottsain]

we did not split the case which i am assuming you would have to do to replace the cam plug.  but that doesn't mean that the the PO couldn't have done it.

it is leaking from the bell housing side for sure.  i did feel around behind the fan shroud and yes it is a little oily there.  we will pull the engine next week to investigate.