borg warner 35 gaskets

[johngosnell]

If anybody is interested I have just had the sump gasket on the BW 35 replaced on my rover (the same as the jag)and it is a compound material replacing the old cork gasket. At the moment it seems to be a big success with no leaks, it can be found on ebay by a company called classeparts, they also do rubber versions which I used about 6 years ago for a rocker cover.


regards john

1B1257BW

[Orlando St.R]

That's an interesting tip, John. Thanks very much.

Wonder if I could persuade them to make up some DG gaskets.

[awiedie]

I'll second that one Orlando.

While on the subject of leaks, I poured some of that Lucas stop leak in my power steering reservoir. I have not driven the car around enough to see if the leaks from my power steering box have stopped, but wondered if it would be suitable for the DG box as well. That stuff has the consistency of molasses and might not work in the transmission.

[Glyn Ruck]

I would not add anything that increases the viscosity of the fluid. It could lead to cavitation or worse.

A better plan is to add a little seal swell additive. For the man in the street the problem is how much & where to lay hands on some.

Regarding the endless DG leaks. While I generally hate any form of gasket cement, I will make one exception. Yamabond in the desired consistency. You won't find an F1 team without it. Yamabond was designed for Yamaha for sealing the precision machined facings of gearboxes/crankcases of motorcycles where no gasket is used & some slight movement is possible & vibration present. Yamabond does not harden with age. It remains highly flexible like soft rubber & if you have to break the joint it just peels off easily leaving a clean surface.

If I had a DG I think I would get a new gasket & seal kit & glue the thing together with Yamabond. It is available in tubes from Yamaha dealers. (4, 5 or 6 most commonly used)

[awiedie]

Glyn,

Any opinions on any of these?

https://www.target.com/p/lucas-oil-24oz ... lsrc=aw.ds

https://www.amazon.com/SealLube-Seal-Ex ... 9800677963

https://www.amazon.com/Bars-Leaks-1420- ... B00754YK2S

[Glyn Ruck]

They are all band aids. I do not know their formulations. The SealLube - Seal Expander seems to contain mainly seal swell additive that will provide controlled seal swell. (an assumption I'm making from their claims)

[Orlando St.R]

Hi Alan

Before you invest in some form of seal expander, I feel bound to remind you of my previous post on the subject of DG leaks:

Whilst we are on the topic of automatic transmission fluid, I asked Graham Whitehouse why my DG gearbox leaks (even) more when I don’t use the car much (eg. over winter).

His reply was...

"When you leave the car standing the torque converter drains back into the gearbox and raises the oil level higher than normal and it reaches parts that aren’t sealed ( eg speedo cable etc )."

I can affirm this from my own experience replacing the speedo cable and getting an unexpected face full of ATF.

The best thing to do to reduce leaks is to use the car frequently and that way the torque converter stays full.

And some leaks seem inevitable with the number of routes out on the DG box - anti-creep switch, speed-hold solenoid, dipstick tube, etc. You'll find it even comes down the threads of the brake band adjusters.

Graham Whitehouse did say on a previous occasion that he could rebuild my DG box so it didn't leak by sealing every route out (probably with something like the Yamabond Glyn describes), but he would only do that as part of a full rebuild at £3k. I'm sure a suitable specialist in the USA could achieve the same; the DG was fitted to period Studebakers as well, so there must be experts around.

I've just stopped worrying about it. I have a nice big drip tray and I think of it as a rolling ATF change.

Finally, I have a suspicion that all Dexron II is not created equal. I suspect that the stuff from reputable suppliers (eg Penrite, Castrol, etc) badged for classic use likely has more in the way of seal expander than standard stuff. That may not be the case with Type F, if you are using that, as all such fluid is for use in classics.

[Glyn Ruck]

It is possible that some Dexron II & M2C33F & G manufacturers (for classic cars) violate the specs & add additional seal swell agent. Both specs have a seal swell spec which is of course intended for good new seals & not worn ones. Worn seals can benefit from from a little more seal swell as long as you don't over do it. It should never be considered a permanent fix. It's not & only a temporary band aid. Ultimately worn seals must be replaced.

A reminder that Type F & G fluids offer superior wear protection over Dexron II & the correct frictional requirements for many transmissions such as the BW 35.

It seems the old DG has sufficiently robust clutches to tolerate the greater slip allowed by Dexron II. Type F & G will look after gear & bearing wear & PAS pumps & boxes far better however.

[Orlando St.R]

Thanks for the reminder about the ATF, Glyn. I am going to try Type F/G at the next change.