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Well I'm eliminating one leak at a time and now ready to tackle what the Ultramatic Service Manual refers to as the "Control Valve Lever Shaft Seal". It appears to be item number 3.590 and the seal is #421326. Replacement of the seal is listed under the "Troubleshooting" section as one of the leaks that can be repaired without removing the transmission but all it says is remove the pan and replace the seal. Does anyone know if there are any complications involved with the procedure? it looks like the shift lever shaft slides outward and then the seal is externally removed from the casing.

I've taken the lazy way out once or twice, the recess in the casting was deep enough for a 2nd seal, so I just popped a new one in on top of the old one.

But how about doing a search of the forums? This topic has been treated previously.

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Thanks for the response Owen. I always perform a search first before posting but maybe it's just my way of wording "shift lever seal" that isn't turning up any hits. Well a double seal can't hurt if there's that much recess to work with and I assume you popped the new one in from the outside correct?

This SKF 5569 is listed as a modern cross to the original part #421326. I don't know if it's any thinner but possibly an option if adding a second seal over the original.

PS. Here is SKF 3683 listed as a cross for the #421372 throttle shaft seal if that would be of any help to anyone. Both are available at Napa.

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would that be the same at the shift elector rod bushing? thats where my ultramatic is leakinng and the tranny guys dad who was a tranny guy said the trans gas to come out for that and id be better off buying transmission fluid ,on the right side of the transmission above the back end of the pan ,and comes in horizontally /
by the way The filler hole on the transmission hump is easy to get to but the hole for the dip sick is very small and almost impossible for me to grab the thing and undo it mmuch less unscrew it and pull out the dipstick from the hole ,do people cut the hole and male it bigger> how do I check the fluid level from the inside of the vehical without a lift ?i

would that be the same at the shift selector rod bushing?
thats where my 52 ultramatic is leaking and the tyranny guys dad, who was a tranny guy said, the trans has to come out of the car for that particular fix and id be better off buying transmission fluid ,on the right side of the transmission above the back end of the pan ,and comes in horizontally /
by the way The filler hole on the transmission hump is easy to get to but the hole for the dip stick is very small and almost impossible for me to grab the thing and undo it mmuch less unscrew it and pull out the dipstick from the hole to read it ,do people cut the hole and male it bigger>? how do I check the fluid level from the inside of the vehical without a lift ?i

The dipstick is not reached from the opening in the transmission hump. That fitting is just the vent.
The access for the dipstick and fill tube is from underneath the vehicle and cannot be checked other than from a lift or by crawling from below with the car on jackstands.

Hello ,It didnt seem like it could be checked from in the car but the older cars with the ultramatic could be checked from the cabin by nature of a large panel on the hump rather than the 52's small round filler hole cover .I was concidering cutting a window and making a cover for it so I could fill and check the ultramatic without crawling or lifting .

I was concidering cutting a window and making a cover for it so I could fill and check the ultramatic without crawling or lifting .

I believe there was an attempt to do this some time back on one of the forums but don't remember all the details so not sure how successful it actually was.

The location was awkward -- I think it was first tried on the side of hump but wound up with the bottom of opening almost at the corner of the hump/floor/firewall where the gas pedal attaches. I believe it was found to be a lot of work and a challenge disconnecting and working around things to clear the pedals so the carpet could be moved out of the way. The normal small fill opening on the 51-4 just requires the seat moved back and the rear of carpet folded out of the way from the side. His opening required much more work since it was far enough forward and in a place the carpet needed to clear from the front which meant messing with the pedals.

A way to check and fill from the top would surely be a nice mod for those that desire it but at the moment, IMHO the dipstick approach discussed here a few months ago is the most viable. I still think an easily removable & reversible adapter could be made to utilize the existing fill tube opening rather than drilling the pan. Just needs someone with a car and the desire to experiment.

On these cars I think the gas pedal position precludes cutting access holes. I think you will find yourself trying to drill through the gas pedal bracket.

If the shift seal leak can't be remedied without a new shaft and seal, then perhaps application of Chrysler RTV Automatic Transmission can be such that a seal can be achieved. This sealer cures in the presence of oil and so cramming it into the area prior to installing a new seal may stop the leaking. Of course the oil level should be below the level of the shaft to begin with.

Also, I trust a seal protector is being used. Any nicks on the shaft may be sufficient to damaged the new seal. You can probably get one of these through NAPA or CarQuest.