Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

took my 1955 clipper constellation out for first time this year and noticed transmission fluid leaking from the small hole at the bottom of the bellhousing. it has a ultramatic fitted. i topped up the fluid and ran the car. the transmission is working with no problems. just to see if anyone has had the same issues and how to go about fixing the leak thanks jamie

The front seal has worn and probably hardened -- possibly the pump shaft/bushing is worn as well & allowing excess pressure to seep thru and reach the seal. Maybe it will seal well enough again after some use and fluid works into the surface and maybe not. Some snake oil for leaking seals probably won't hurt but generally once you see drips from that hole, the affected pieces are telling you it won't be long before it is replacement time. If the seal has hardened enough to suddenly crack it would be a significant leak and you could lose a lot of fluid in a short time.

thanks howard, is this a job you have done before ? just want to know what parts to order, do i just need the seal or will i need gaskets too, a friend will give me the use of his ramp but i can only have it for a short time so would like to order all the pieces i need before starting the job thanks again jamie

I have changed the seal but it has been a lot of years so the memory of any special steps is a bit fuzzy. Ross or someone who has done it recently would be a better resource. If Ross doesn't see this thread and have a better answer you might PM him.

Aside from the seal, you will need a couple of gaskets. The bellhousing gasket and the pan gasket. Unless they were fairly fresh, doubt if either would be reusable. While it is probably possible to do it without removing the pan, IMO it would be a good idea to open the bottom and check tightness of the bolts on the selector shaft components as well as the pin to manual valve and to clean the screen. The pan gasket is available separately but not sure if the bellhousing gasket still comes alone. It might require buying a set to get that one. On anything else, it will be a matter of seeing what the general condition of the pump shaft and bushings are before knowing if they are needed.

Read thru the process in SM on removing the transmission and then the bellhousing and front pump. Not removing those little jumper tubes on the side of bellhousing caught me once. I don't know of a satisfactory way to remove and replace the seal with the input shaft going thru the middle but if someone has a way to do it with bellhousing on, I'm interested in learning.

If I have the engine and tranny separated for any reason then I always put in a new seal. There are seal pullers that you can use that are sort of a t-shape with a handle so you don't have to take the trans apart. The seal is a C/R 21172 you can get from Napa.

But whilst you are in there: see if there are fluid fling marks on the convertor. They always come from the gasket behind the little stub shaft there. Also check that the sealing bolts bell housing-to-case are in the proper location per the shop manual. There are two for 55 and only one for 56.

All this is predicated on a trans that still shifts OK and hasn't recently cooked its fluid. A sudden overheating is usually caused by a seized reactor clutch. You can (should) check that while you have it apart. Twirl the smaller dia shaft on the convertor. You should feel something inside turn with it in one direction, and not in the other.