Gearbox Leaking Heavily!

[leitoo 0]

Hello guys, my name is Leandro and I'm kindda new to the forum, this is actually my first post.... I've been reading a lot on this and trying to find an answer to my car's problems and found the forum to be of MUCH help.

 

This is something that came up just last night, when I was getting home (what a noble car not to break down 10 miles away from home!). Just around the corner the car I heard a BIG bang noise comming from what seemed to be the gearbox, stopped in front of my garage to notice a large puddle of gearbox oil (unmistakeable smell... ), got the garage door open and drove the car in, all the way with the big bangs going on every once in a while, no matter wether I was going straight or turning in any direction.

 

Went to bed and this morning found a lot of gearbox oil on the floor (no surprise) but also an even larger amount of cooling fluid (antifreeze) along with the gearbox oil. I checked the entire thing for leaks, every pipe I could see but there is nothing wrong... It's actually quite strange. I've checked the driveshafts and nothing there either, everything is ok.... The oil and cooling fluid seem to be comming from where the engine meets the gearbox....????

 

I've taken some pictures and even made two videos with the car running and stopped for your opinnion.

Has any of you ever had such problems or seen anything like this in the past?

By the way the car is a D6B 1.9 94' with power steering and aircon, and 110thou miles on the clock.

 

Pics:

http://www.esnips.com/web/GearboxIssues/

 

Videos:

 

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<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DexnWVwxDf4"></param><embed'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DexnWVwxDf4"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DexnWVwxDf4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

[leitoo 0]

Here are the links to the videos just in case:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DexnWVwxDf4

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8cp9Z4F-No

[Mikey S 29 1 Cars]

i have had this happen on an mi16 before. basically the gearbox is shot to pieces.

 

you need to remove the box and have a look inside the bellhousing. the one that i had, there was a rather big hole in the box causing the fluid to leak out in the same place yours is coming out from.

 

as for the anti-freeze im not sure. best bet would be to top it back up and see where its leaking from.

[leitoo 0]

Thanks pugger, do you know why this could happen?

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

last time I had a massive gearbox bang the diff has jumped a tooth in a fiat box, last time on a pug box the planetry gears had cracked in half then exited into the bell housing alomng with all the oil and destroying a brand new clutch in the process (not fun going up a 1 in 3 bank with tight bends and lots off traffic).

 

start by removing gearbox. I suspect you possibly have a similar issue with a cog exiting the box and possibly cracking the side of you alloy block hence the coolant.

[leitoo 0]

That doesn't sound too good.... In fact that is a pain in the arse!!!!

I will start disassembling everything today and update you on news. The strange thing is when the car is idling there are no noises comming from the gearbox so I'm more inclined to the diff since the noise appears when you put the car in gear.... As for the water loss that's what I was most afraid of since if it is a cracked block it will be enormely expensive to fix....

Thanks for your comments and help guys

[davemar 16]

I agree with Richie, it sounds like a differential planet gear has decided to exit rather rapidly through the side of the box. The same thing happened to me a few years ago. The car still drove for a bit, so I kept going until I got the car to a garage knowing the gearbox was going to have to be replaced anyway.

 

A couple of days ago I heard another nasty crack while pulling away sharply. It happened just as the wheels stopped spinning and gripped the road (it was damp and I needed to boot it out of a tight junction). The first thing that came to mind was an exploding diff again, but no signs of hole or oil leaks, so hopefully it is fine. Still no idea what could have caused the noise though.

[leitoo 0]

Thanks guys for the info! I've been looking further into my engine bay and removing some accesories to get a better look of things... Nothing seems to have exited the box but the mess could be inside...

 

A couple of days ago I heard another nasty crack while pulling away sharply. It happened just as the wheels stopped spinning and gripped the road (it was damp and I needed to boot it out of a tight junction). The first thing that came to mind was an exploding diff again, but no signs of hole or oil leaks, so hopefully it is fine. Still no idea what could have caused the noise though.

 

My noise came from something quite similar, I was pulling away from a juncture and wen the wheels gripped the noise started... The thing is mine is still producing loud bang noises....

 

I'm sure I'll get the box out this weekend since I don't have much time during the week due to work but I will keep you posted.

[SPGTi 2]

This what mine looked like when it went bang

 

 

 

Steve

[leitoo 0]

This what mine looked like when it went bang

 

Steve

 

OUCH!!! Did your clutch operate propperly when that hapenned or did any of the peaces get in the way? Unfortunately my trusty mechanic is having loads of work these days and due to my sister's moving I didn't get a chance to work on my car yet... Next Friday is a holiday here and if by then my mechanic hasn't taken the job off my hands I will do it myself and be done with it. Thanks guys again for your comments and information.