I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey, almost 125K miles, with a transmission leak from the case seal at the joint where the two transmission halves are joined. I got the van about 5 years ago with 54K miles, so have put over 70K on it since then. No transmission problems to this point other than the leak; it runs and shifts smoothly as it has since the day we got it. The fluid was replaced right after we bought the van with Valvoline MaxLife ATF and it has been replaced roughly every 20K miles since with MaxLife. It's been leaking for at least 2 months now and the level still hasn't gotten below the lower dot on the dipstick. The rest of the van is fine; the engine runs great and I've had little trouble with it except for some rather annoying electrical issues (starter, power mirror switch, power door lock, electric window regulator, and blower motor resistor).
My local mechanic said I needed to take it to a transmission shop to get the case seal replaced to stop the leak. I called one very reputable (as in A+ BBB rated) tranny shop in our area and was given a rough price of about $1000 to replace the seal, due to all the labor it takes to remove the transmission, disassemble it, replace the seal and reinstall it. At only 125K miles on it, it's probably worth doing. I see the options here as the following:
1.) Continue driving the van as is and add tranny fluid every now and then as needed.
2.) Continue driving the van and, since I suspect this problem will only get worse otherwise, add some MaxLife tranny stop leak. But I'm concerned that might mess up the functioning of the tranny, and given the bad history of these trannies in earlier model vans, I would rather not risk that. What do y'all think about that?
3.) Go ahead and get the tranny seal replaced for $1K and replace the MaxLife tranny fluid with new MaxLife.
4.) Go ahead and get the tranny seal replaced for $1K and replace the MaxLife tranny fluid with Amsoil ATF (which I have about 9 quarts of after putting 3 quarts in my Saturn).
5.) Get the transmission rebuilt while the seal is being replaced (didn't get a quote for this, but probably around $3K total). Also not a very attractive option, since the tranny is working fine right now.
6.) Sell the van as is and buy a different one (which I'd rather not do right now as that will cost more $$$ than the other options).
I may also try to snug up the case bolts holding the two halves of the tranny together; maybe they've loosened a bit over the years. Anyone know to what torque they should be tightened?
Based on your experience, what do y'all think? Maybe there is another decent option I haven't considered. Thanks, and y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving!
My local mechanic said I needed to take it to a transmission shop to get the case seal replaced to stop the leak. I called one very reputable (as in A+ BBB rated) tranny shop in our area and was given a rough price of about $1000 to replace the seal, due to all the labor it takes to remove the transmission, disassemble it, replace the seal and reinstall it. At only 125K miles on it, it's probably worth doing. I see the options here as the following:
1.) Continue driving the van as is and add tranny fluid every now and then as needed.
2.) Continue driving the van and, since I suspect this problem will only get worse otherwise, add some MaxLife tranny stop leak. But I'm concerned that might mess up the functioning of the tranny, and given the bad history of these trannies in earlier model vans, I would rather not risk that. What do y'all think about that?
3.) Go ahead and get the tranny seal replaced for $1K and replace the MaxLife tranny fluid with new MaxLife.
4.) Go ahead and get the tranny seal replaced for $1K and replace the MaxLife tranny fluid with Amsoil ATF (which I have about 9 quarts of after putting 3 quarts in my Saturn).
5.) Get the transmission rebuilt while the seal is being replaced (didn't get a quote for this, but probably around $3K total). Also not a very attractive option, since the tranny is working fine right now.
6.) Sell the van as is and buy a different one (which I'd rather not do right now as that will cost more $$$ than the other options).
I may also try to snug up the case bolts holding the two halves of the tranny together; maybe they've loosened a bit over the years. Anyone know to what torque they should be tightened?
Based on your experience, what do y'all think? Maybe there is another decent option I haven't considered. Thanks, and y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving!