Leaking A904 front seal

Just got this 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger and it has been sitting for 4 or 5 years and I am getting it road worthy.Have a front seal leaking on A904 transmission. How easy or difficult is it to replace. Put fluid in it and it shifted okay and all just leaks.

Thank you

Easier to pull the transmission than the engine to get at it. To remove the torque converter, you pretty much must remove the tranny, so you will be working on it outside the car. It is easy to replace the front seal. I even did it when I was a dumb kid when having my engine rebuilt.

But, first insure the front seal is truly the problem. I think if you over-fill the oil it will come out the front seal (or look like it). It is easy to over-fill because it is hard to get a good level reading, especially until you get it right. Otherwise, it splashes and churns so you get strange readings on the stick. I just dealt with that on my 1996 minivan's torqueflight (very similar). I thought it was leaking from the front when I had slightly over-filled in dealing with a "no reverse" issue (turned out to be failed L-R servo piston seal again).

BillGrissom said:

Easier to pull the transmission than the engine to get at it. To remove the torque converter, you pretty much must remove the tranny, so you will be working on it outside the car. It is easy to replace the front seal. I even did it when I was a dumb kid when having my engine rebuilt.

But, first insure the front seal is truly the problem. I think if you over-fill the oil it will come out the front seal (or look like it). It is easy to over-fill because it is hard to get a good level reading, especially until you get it right. Otherwise, it splashes and churns so you get strange readings on the stick. I just dealt with that on my 1996 minivan's torqueflight (very similar). I thought it was leaking from the front when I had slightly over-filled in dealing with a "no reverse" issue (turned out to be failed L-R servo piston seal again).

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Thank you...........

Check the torque converter snout for cracks while it's apart.

daliant said:

Check the torque converter snout for cracks while it's apart.

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As well as the snout for wear where the bushing rides.
A pump bushing is a lot easier to replace the first time the trans is out.

"Easy" depends on what work area or tools you have on hand. If you dont have a lift to get the car overhead, only have a floor jack and a transmission adapter that mounts on top of it, you'll probably not get the car high enough on typical jack stands to roll the trans out from under the car while on that floor jack setup. In some cases, If you have a cherry picker / engine hoist, pulling the engine is easier.
The jest of how I have done it ( typical LA )... Remove upper radiator hose. Set distributer cap off. Put the car on stands. Unbolt exhaust pipe collector to manifold bolts. Unbolt to remove the trans tail cross member section, tilt the trans/engine back far enough to get the upper most bolts out of bell housing. Poke the bolts back in the trans support. Thread a cinch strap around the torsion bars and cinch it up tight enough to support the bell housing/front of trans. Remove remaining bell housing bolts. Remove torque converter to flex plate bolts. ( Unload torsion bar at their adjusters optional ) Let the car down and roll it out from under the raised engine if necessary.

TrailBeast said:

As well as the snout for wear where the bushing rides.
A pump bushing is a lot easier to replace the first time the trans is out.

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Thank you

BillGrissom said:

But, first insure the front seal is truly the problem.

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The fluid is checked hot and in NEUTRAL on flat level ground. You may have to dip it several times,wiping the stick each time, as the fluid likes to migrate up the tube.I bend all my sticks down on the end in such a way that the tip more or less enters the pan vertically without touching the sides. That means the stick is now oriented, and needs to go in, just the one way.

BillGrissom said:

I think if you over-fill the oil it will come out the front seal (or look like it). It is easy to over-fill because it is hard to get a good level reading, especially until you get it right. Otherwise, it splashes and churns so you get strange readings on the stick.

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Actually Bill,it's been my experience with overfilling, that the churning oil goes out the vent that is also in the bellhouse.So you are absolutely right about it looking like a bad front seal.And there is no test to determine which it is, except to drain some oil and see what happens, I guess.......

What happens is fluid loss. Dripping begins the within seconds of engine start.
Once about a quart low, there's a fish bite feel in the way it pulls. Also seems to fall out of gear in a turn, especially those exchange ramp circles.
What sux is the leak moving about the unit. My current 904 for example.... First mere seepage was at speedo gear housing. Shortly after that was fixed the selector shaft seal began to leak. About 3 months after that was fixed the front seal started leaking. All the seals and gaskets are the same age ( renewed in 1984 ). Good luck with yours