2008 Honda Fit, manual transmission. New axle seal, the ones that press into the transmission and seal around the CV axle. I've replaced them more than once, thinking they were leaking. Both sides now have factory Honda seals and there's no oil around the seal itself, but there is definitely a leak. Drips from above the drain plug area and the subframe behind is coated in oil. The area around the seals looks and feels dry. The oil is new, so it's almost invisible and I can't trace where the heck the leak is coming from.
Any tricks for chasing it down? Talcum powder around it or something? It drips for a bit when first parked and then stops. I'm friggen baffled.
-Rob
ShawnG
UltimaDork
12/21/21 6:05 p.m.
I thought Harbor Freight had a cheap UV dye kit available.
Clean, clean, clean....... then UV dye, a super clean drip pan. Raise car, start from fresh drops and work your way to the source. There is no magic here just work and following the clues.
jh36
Dork
12/21/21 6:08 p.m.
I have used baby powder with pretty good results. Especially very slow or migrating leaks.
UV Dye would be safe in a transmission? I mean, I guess it wouldn't actually run for very long to hunt it down. Didn't even think about that. Should help me find the leak. I've been trying to keep it super clean to figure it out.
I'm now starting to wonder if it's up top near the shift mechanism, so I busted out the hand held steamer cleaning off all the old oil/grease. If nothing else, it'll help with the dye.
Ninja Edit: Learned something new today. They have leak detection dye specifically for oil based systems...... I had no idea.
-Rob
Success!! Turns out you can push the axle seals on a Honda Fit so far in the inner ring rubs on the diff and chews it up. Turns out you can do that multiple times and get distracted thinking it was the seal quality (aftermarket) and incorrectly install Honda factory ones. Your mistake can also be contagious and your son can do the same thing when he was trying to fix the leak.
At least I know I can get a CV axle out of a Fit in under 30 minutes with hand tools and a jack. Lord knows I've had enough practice over the past two weeks.......
-Rob
In reply to rob_lewis :
I learned a thing! I don't know if I'll ever have a Fit, but it's an excellent thing to be reminded of in general. I don't think I'd have expected a not-so-self-aligning part in a modern car.
