Bad axle seal?

[FeelthePathos95]

‘94 developed issue the other day.

Started briefly losing transfer of power to wheels, particularly during turns. No warning lights and transmission not flashing any codes. It’s not doing the tranny fail safe thing where it won’t shift out of 3rd.

Drove it home PDQ and saw what looked to be tranny fluid leaking onto the axle. Getting it towed to shop Monday but thought I’d throw it out here on the board to see if others have experienced this or want to venture a thought about what might be going on.

 

[Frenchy]

Where on the axle does it look like it is leaking? Something to be aware of is the axle shafts do have a little bit of a breather hole in the center. If the axle breather for the axle itself(hose near the center of the axle assembly) gets clogged then the brether hole at the end will seep a little. Clean out the breather hose and that will most likely solve your problem.

 

If it's.more like a wheel seal then its a different story.

[adamzan]

Is the fluid red or brown, does it have a rancid smell to it?

[FeelthePathos95]

Red.

[FeelthePathos95]

And no smell.

[FeelthePathos95]

Dripping on right side, more toward the front wheel.

[Frenchy]

That would most likely be a leaking transmission cooler hose/line. I dont remember what parts were metal, but the rubber hose is usually first to go. It does go along the right side of the engine. If lucky you can fix it yourself

[FeelthePathos95]

Makes sense.

Not sure why loss of power would be most pronounced in a turn, but these rigs can be full of surprises.

[FeelthePathos95]

Related question here is what people recommend for changing out tranny fluid since my understanding is the original Dextron recommended for WD21s is no longer made?

[Frenchy]

Actually it is. It is known as Matic D and you can get it from Nissan and online. Unfortunately it is pricy but it is the stuff.

 

Genuine Nissan OEM Matic-D Transmission Fluid 999MP-AA100P (5 Quarts) https://a.co/d/g98TPqN

[Slartibartfast]

Sounds like a trans cooler line failed, and the fluid level got so low in the pan that it was sloshing away from the pickup when you went around corners. Hopefully it's just the rubber hose that's failed.

 

I didn't know Matic D was still available! I used generic parts store dex/merc when I flushed mine. Annoyingly I think I paid about the same amount for it.

[adamzan]

Yea that sounds like a failed transmission cooler line, should be fairly easy to fix. Maybe on turns the fluid is so low that it introduces air into it somewhere. They are like a differential with a vent, so not a complete airtight seal.

 

Any dexron 3 compatible fluid will work, but the Nissan Matic D is the best fluid for these transmissions.

[FeelthePathos95]

Thanks, guys!

Once again the few and the proud on this board come through!

Will update later.

[FeelthePathos95]

OK, guys. Back to play more stump the band.

The tranny cooler lines are replaced and, knock on wood, hoping tranny escaped any major damage. It’s shifting smoothly but showing momentary hesitancy to engage in first gear when going from a stop. Willing to drive it for awhile to see if that resolves or worsens.

The bad news is that something weird happened to the electrical system while it sat for a week. Had it towed to shop because of dead battery and my guy said wires from battery were fried and after he replaced them and recharged battery all gauges in dash are dead, no power locks/windows, no AC or heat. Key won’t start ignition, has to be done by touching wire to battery though key will shut car off. Headlights work, oddly so does stereo though it shuts off if you turn on headlights or wipers.

Shop guy fears PCU fried.

I’m just trying to figure out where to begin in assessing where I start in trying to tackle this.

 

[gamellott]

I'm not sure what this PCU you mention is. There is a brain, and if the engine is running, and drives as suggested, I doubt it's faulty. It sounds to me as though power through the ignition switch might be bad, or possibly a chassis ground. There are a couple of fusible links near the battery that could also be bad that your mechanic didn't connect. Also, if those wires are corroded badly, they might not be able to carry enough current to light some things off. At least it's not an intermittent fault that is nearly impossible to troubleshoot.