water getting in transmission and transfer case

Did a forum search and wasn't able to find what I was looking for.

When I got my new-to-me 55 cj5 one of the first things I did was drained the transmission and transfer case. I found evidence of water in both cases (Fluid cloudy) so I left them to drip dry for a week. Then I put the plugs back in so I could clean it off.

Last weekend I power washed the crud of ages off of the top of the transmission. I did this with a low pressure power washer and lots of degreaser. Tonight as I was getting ready to put in new fluids, I decided to pull the drain plugs again just as a precaution. Boy am I glad I did. About a cup of water came out of the transmission and roughly a quart of water came out of the transfer case.

My jeep is more or less a barn find. It runs and everything works fine including the overdrive. I have next to no history on it though. The transmission and transfercase did have 2-3 inches of crap on it.

Without pulling the drive train to look for holes Im not seeing any and really don't know what direction to go. Any suggestions?

 

Condition of shifter boots and maybe where speedo hooks up. Those two are where water would get in mine.

 

That' unfortunately funny. My CJ5 is a 71, and I had a problem with my gear box. Unable to repair myself, I went to a specialised shop.
They opened the box and they found a mix of oil+water. They are really specialised in old Jeep's, maybe the best one in France, and I am 40 km from them.

I asked if it could be because of high pressure cleaning, they said no. Probably something else. The specialists at the shop were surprised, and a big bearing was out of use, nearly so I just had the chance to drive to the shop.

Other reasons are cold anf hot weather making condensation, ? but I remember long ago, when high pressure water cleaning started, that it was not good to use on motorcyles because water entered in the bearings.

So I have no clue, I just had some money to pay for the repair. Now it is OK.

 

Their should be a vent on your trany and tcase, it is supposed to be a one way valve but most I have seen do not work anymore. Most take off the vent and put
fitting on it and run a hose up to a higher level so when the enter water crossings water can not enter, your front and rear end shoud have them as well. This may not be your problem as just power washing allowed water in, but is worth looking into.

 

Water can get in through the shifter stick. If the Jeep sat outside without a top, it's likely to get water in there.

 

Correct. On my wood hauling jeep I made a flat collar/flange from inner tube and slipped it over the stick, just above the boot. Deflects the water that was running down the stick. Before that the transmission would actually freeze solid in the winter.

 

And, I believe there is a flow through hole. about 1/4" diameter, that allows the transmission and transfer case to share fluid. So it could have easily passed through from one to the other. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

You are correct wheelie. You would really be surprised as to how much water will run down inside the shift tower into the tranny as well as the vent on the top of the xfer case. PeteL has the solution. I cut a small piece of inner tube about three inches diameter with a small 1/4" hole in the center and pushed it down over the shift stick. Then install the boot and that part will be good. The xfer case vent hose is a must if you cross deep water or mud.

 

Thanks for the information guys. I forgot to meantion that I had the transmission inspection cover off and was cleaning from the top down. Im just surprised that that much water would enter the system just from a simple cleaning at low pressure. The hole between the transmission/transfer would make since. In order to clean I pushed it out of the garage and my driveway immediately goes to a steep downhill slope. When I finished I pushed the jeep back into the garage with the help of a buddy. So it makes since that the transmission drained into the transfer case.

Ill check out that vent today too.

 

Is that vent u guys speak of right behind the transfer case sticks? I was wondering what that was and it had a ton of build up on it so I sprayed the hell out of it cleaning it.

 

For anybody having the same problem in the future it turned out to be the transfer case vent valve that was letting in so much water. After removal I found that it was stuck wide open allowing any water that was shot toward it to go directly into the transfer case. The transmission water I believe came from the gear shifter as I was cleaning the top of that off as well.

 

Glad you found it. water just gets into my transmission through the shifter.

 

Because it was originally designed with a waterproof system, the M38A1 (and I believe the M38 as well) had specialized boots that attach to the stick shift mount. They look very similar to the normal civvy boots but have means to secure them at the base and small neck of the boot. They also nest into the sheet metal of the floor mount. At the bottom, they secure with around a 3" clamp (large stainless steel hose-type clamp would work) and at the top with about a 1" clamp that secures to the stick itself. Actually, the boots, when fresh, are tight enough on the top that a clamp isn't even needed. At any rate, they do the job for sealing the stick against any water getting in. The lower clamp really isn't necessary unless you think you are going in deep water and if so, you have other areas to consider as well.

My A1 had a really old boot on it when I got it- maybe original. I didn't worry about it for awhile, till one day, I had the jeep in the rain and it leaked through the windshield seal and dripped directly onto the stick and then right down inside the tranny. I didn't notice the drip for awhile so that day, I drained the trans and sure enough, quite bit of water came out. Not a drop landed in the tub- it all went onto the stick and into the trans. The windshield seal is also quite possibly original from '54 and will be replaced as soon as I find a good quality replacement.

The A1 boots can be purchased plenty of places and are similar in price to the civvy boots. And it's a standard T90A except for the boot.

 

Like Gunner says. x2

 

My new boot is a reproduction but NOS ones are out there as well. The repro is good quality and fits properly. Considering how water can find its way into the most minor of openings, I'm a little surprised that the military boot hasn't seen more use on civvy jeeps. I see them as flat out superior for an open air vehicle (or one with a top and a leaky windshield gasket)

The military boot might be adaptable to other transmissions as well.

 

Is that vent underneath a 3x3 access panel located between the front seats of my '60, CJ-5?

 

Remove the transmission inspection panel and you will see the valve directly in line and behind the transfer case shifters.