Transaxle leak

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Hello everyone, greetings from across the pond!

My '06 QP has recently developed a very minor leak from between the torque tube and the transaxle. The fluid has the unmistakable aroma of gear oil, so I'm guessing that the seal (#13 in the diagram below) is starting to let go. Is there any other possible source that I'm missing? Also, to replace that seal, would the front cover (#2 in the diagram) have to come off?

qtp-2006-42-f1_036.jpg

All advice is greatly appreciated!
 

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
Just try to live with it mate.. as the whole transmission would have to come out for a refresh!

Dave
 

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Yep, in principle I do agree with you! Especially if the leakage rate is very low (going to check the fluid level later this week) and I can put it off until it’s time for a clutch job.

On the other hand, knowing it’s there is really irritating! And based on the shop manual, getting the gearbox out doesn’t appear to be an especially difficult job. Unfortunately, my copy of the manual doesn't detail actually getting to the seal, but I assume it’ll be something like this: remove front gearbox cover; replace #12, #13, and #14; apply new RTV to front gearbox cover; button up gearbox. Of course, it’s probably never good to plan a Maserati repair on the basis of “I assume”!
 

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Oh and to clarify a couple things:

1. She’s my daily driver;

2. Even though there are only 1-2 drips of oil on the garage floor per week, there’s no way to measure the loss rate apart from getting under the car and opening the fill plug, and I’d rather spend 6-8 hours one weekend replacing the seal than routinely take measurements to establish a loss rate
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
I think if you put most GT/QP up on a ramp most will be wet in this area. It’s a bit like the cam cover gaskets.

Just live with it and replace if you have to drop the gearbox for a clutch etc.
 

Swells65

Junior Member
Messages
39
Howe hard do you push the QP? If you give it the beans some oil will get pushed out through an overflow pipe presumably due to pressure. My Stradale does that too and I asked the main dealer to check it out and there was no constant leak - just me using it properly.
 

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Howe hard do you push the QP? If you give it the beans some oil will get pushed out through an overflow pipe presumably due to pressure. My Stradale does that too and I asked the main dealer to check it out and there was no constant leak - just me using it properly.

Interesting, I hadn’t considered this as a possibility – do you have any idea how much oil is lost over the span of a service interval? To answer your question, I do drive it as a Maserati should be! However, I suspect a bad seal for the following reason:

From around the end of November 2017 to May, she was in the shop for some body work (long story short: I was on an unlit two lane road at around midnight; coming up to a bend I saw headlights so I switched off my highbeams; came around the bend and there was a car stopped in the other lane with his highbeams on; when I got out of his highbeam cone, I was about 15 feet from a large tree branch in my lane, so there was no time to stop – and of course, the cowardly little $hit drives off immediately) and the leak was not present before, so I suspect the seal may have dried out a bit from the six months spent sitting in the shop
 

Swells65

Junior Member
Messages
39
Interesting, I hadn’t considered this as a possibility – do you have any idea how much oil is lost over the span of a service interval? To answer your question, I do drive it as a Maserati should be! However, I suspect a bad seal for the following reason:

From around the end of November 2017 to May, she was in the shop for some body work (long story short: I was on an unlit two lane road at around midnight; coming up to a bend I saw headlights so I switched off my highbeams; came around the bend and there was a car stopped in the other lane with his highbeams on; when I got out of his highbeam cone, I was about 15 feet from a large tree branch in my lane, so there was no time to stop – and of course, the cowardly little $hit drives off immediately) and the leak was not present before, so I suspect the seal may have dried out a bit from the six months spent sitting in the shop

I have a similar rate that you describe earlier in the thread, however it would be sensible to have it checked out just in case it is more than just using it properly.
 

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Yep, my thoughts exactly. I ordered some gear oil and it should be in on Tuesday – I’ll check the fluid level and report back with how much has leaked out

It’s a bit like the cam cover gaskets.

Yeah those damned valve cover gaskets are the worst – I got my car with 28,800 miles on the clock, and the gaskets were already seeping! Replacing them took me the better part of a weekend, definitely the longest repair I’ve ever done.
 

Sodium

New Member
Messages
6
Okay so to follow up:

The gearbox was slightly low on oil, I had to add about 125mL of gear oil to top it up. I first noticed it the seepage about 3000 miles ago when I changed the engine oil (I checked the gearbox oil at that time and it was still full), so the leakage rate is around 40mL/1000 miles