Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Ragusa Aluminum Pan Leaks...? (Don't jump to conclusions)
| Re: [GMCnet] Ragusa Aluminum Pan Leaks...? [message #358760 is a reply to message #358759] |
Thu, 17 September 2020 23:45   |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma:
|
Senior Member |
|
|
We supply lot of Ragusa Tran pans and when the customer contacts us re
leak, we find that there arefew places that one need to check.
One is at the tube that enter the final drive to fill trans, the speedo
housing and the rearcover.
There are times fluid can come from the weeping hole at the final drive.
On Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 9:08 PM Richard via Gmclist
wrote:
> At one point I had a continent coach. I could park it on clean concrete
> for a couple or three weeks and there wouldn't be a drop on the pavement
> when I pulled out. That's changed.
>
> The leak(s) were bright red ATF showing up all over the sides and bottom
> of the Ragusa aluminum pan. Anytime an ATF leak is mentioned, people chime
> in about the porous aluminum in the Ragusa transmission pan. This seemed
> like a remote possibility in my situation as my coach had been drip free for
> a long time. I thought it rather unlikely that the aluminum spontaneously
> developed osteo-pan-orosis. But there have been quite a few posts about
> Ragusa pans having porous aluminum, so I figured it was time to change the
> filter, see what sort of sludge was in the bottom of the pan, see if the
> aluminum really was porous, and finally kill the ATF leaks.
>
> I called Ragusa a couple of times and spoke with Ron Ragusa and his son
> Tate to ask about the pan return process and exactly how they tested their
> pans and covers. Ron said they pressure test the pans with 40 psi air and
> soapy bubbles (remind me to buy stock in soapy bubbles). All pans are
> tested this way before they are sent out to a vendor or individual. This
> is beyond overkill testing as the pan never really sees any pressure at
> all. If it fails the pressure test they send out a new one, and if it
> passes they send the old pan back. I asked Tate how many returned pans test
> good and are sent back to the owner - "Lots." Hmmm...this warrants more
> investigation.
>
> I was parked over the Samsel's pit in Bean Station which made things
> easy. I totally degreased the bottom of the engine, transmission pan and
> final
> drive. A couple of days later there's ATF all around the transmission pan
> flange and dripping from the fins of the Ragusa pan. There was even ATF
> at the top of some of the tunnels between the fins. This was parked,
> hadn't moved and no wind had been blowing the ATF around and spreading it
> out. Okay, that settles it, right...?
>
> Scrupulously cleaning everything on the bottom of the engine and dusting
> with talcum powder pinpointed the leak as coming from the vent pin hole.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/data/7276/medium/2E74FBD7-49A0-4F9F-90ED-81234BC35E7F.jpeg
>
> Wally Andersen posted a picture on the GMC photo site that showed me where
> the hole is located. Until I saw his picture I thought it was coming from
> further up. The hole is not easy to see and probably covered with
> coagulated road grime.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/data/7276/13675C28-47C7-4675-A640-43002421AC28.jpeg
>
> The vent pin hole is located between the two seals on the shaft. If the
> hole leaks ATF the transmission side seal is leaking, if it leaks heavy gear
> oil the final drive side seal is leaking. The 1975 & 1976 Maintenance
> Manual X-7525 shows the vent pin in Figure 1 Section 3C-2
>
> I cleaned around the vent pin hole with degreaser and then acetone, and
> applied a wad of butyl stickum over the vent hole as quickly as possible -
> ATF
> is a speedy creeper.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/data/7276/medium/4B65D098-7741-4429-978A-C3B308B5686A.jpeg
>
> Two weeks and 800 miles later and there wasn't a drop of ATF anywhere on
> the pan. I was certain that there was a small leak at the driver's rear
> corner of the transmission pan. Nope, nothing at all.
>
> I now know there's no reason to send my pan back to Ragusa, that'd just be
> wasted shipping cost and time for both of us, and I now know I have to
> replace the shaft seal on the transmission side of the final drive. I
> consider that a win-win: not chasing an imaginary problem and finding a real
> one.
>
> But this brings up a concern. I'm concerned that a long time GMCer and
> GMC vendor, someone that stands behind their products and doesn't argue
> trying to deny their liability, whose products are all Made In America,
> and is just a super friendly guy, is having their products and reputation
> tarnished through anecdote and innuendo propagation. This bothers me and
> it should bother the GMC community as a whole.
>
> Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
> http://gmc.mybirdfeeder.net/GMCforum/index.php?t=msg&th=39755
> The original poster got a replacement pan without any hassle, was told the
> pan they sent back was pressure tested and passed, and found out that the
> ATF leak was still there after the new pan was installed and coming from
> parts unknown. Another coated the inside of their pan and the leak was
> still there. And another found the leak was coming from the final drive
> gasket.
>
> Please understand I am NOT casting aspersions or blaming anyone. We're
> all on this forum to help others with our experience, experiences and
> advice. Frankly, I think we do a hell of a good job. I'm also NOT
> suggesting that any manufacturer's products are perfect and they deserve a
> pass. I know that there have been some Ragusa transmission pans that
> leaked, but the problem is overblown. What I am saying is that the porosity
> is not common, and it's unlikely that a pan that is pressure tested to 40
> psi with air is leaking ATF at ambient air pressure. Warm ATF molecules
> aren't smaller than air molecules, so temperature won't make a difference.
>
> Jim K told me that the lion's share of returned pans pressure test as
> good. Manny said straight out that the Ragusa pans aren't porous. He said
> that most of the leaks come from the rear 3 bolts so he puts Viton O-rings
> on the bolts before installing them and tightens the bolts to only ~10
> ft-lbs.
>
> So it seems to me that the best advice we can give is to have someone who
> suspects a bad pan contact Ragusa or Jim Kanomata. They're the ones that
> can tell them how to best install the pan to avoid leaks, where the leaks
> commonly occur, and will stand behind the product if it does need
> replacement.
>
> Richard
> --
> '77 Birchaven TZE...777;
> '76 Palm Beach with 18,477 verified miles;
> ‘76 Edgemonte
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.gmcrvparts.com
1-800-752-7502
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
|
|
|
|
Current Time: Sat Sep 28 20:16:42 CDT 2024
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.00973 seconds
|
GMCforum
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
