[enkeivette]

So I noticed yesterday that my Neon transmission sounded cooler than normal. (Like a straight cut gear box) Came to find out that it was low on fluid, strange seeing as how I drained the old stuff and filled it up with RedLine about 6 months ago. Filled up with synthetic and all is good (spins quietly and drives nicely).

So I went to find the leak today... I found it but I have no idea what I'm looking at. Look at the red arrow, this little pin (about the size of a head phone jack) is sticking out of the bottom of the trans near the drain plug. This is where the fluid is leaking from. Looking closely at the pic, it looks like the outside of the trans was damaged and it allowed this pin to drop down from inside. Otherwise the pin is what caused the damage and is now lodged in the trans. But the pin doesn't feel lodged in there. I can push it up, and it will come back down when I let go. So strange. Any ideas? Should I push that thing back in or yank it out before I seal it up?!

Ignore the blue arrows, I thought that was a crack, but it's too straight of a line. Must just be a seam.

[Vettezuki]

JMO, but that looks like that doens't belong there at all. The proximity and interference with "OIL DRAIN" seems very odd. But it's hard to imagine that kind of penetration happening under normal conditions, or without being far more destructive. I would expect cast aluminum (that's what it is right) to crack like a mofo with a sharp impact if that's what it was. In short I don't know, but it looks out of place as hell.

[enkeivette]

I concur, if you'll excuse me I have a date with the vice grips.

[Vettezuki]

Of course it might be coming out from the inside. ..

[enkeivette]

Hope not!

[94cobra69ss396]

It looks like a dowel pin that came from inside. If you look at the first picture you posted you can see the area around the edge of the hole is gone like the pin came from the inside out. Shoot Throttle Crazy a PM and see if he knows. If he doesn't one of his trans guys might.

[enkeivette]

Thanks, I will.

I think someone went through this engine/ trans once before and did a lousy job of it.

When I did the timing belt, there was white out on the cam gears (for alignment) and I think the idler pulley was over torqued which caused it to fail, which caused the belt to fail, which caused all of my valves to smack the pistons.

[Throttle Crazy]

Hey guys, I am by no means a Neon trans. expert but if I had to take an educated guess, I would say that is a band retaining pin that is pressed into the case. I know some guys at Dodge, so I will give them a shout to see if I can get more info. I don't no whether it is pressed from the inside or outside. I would guess inside because there is no o-ring or retainer to hold it in from the outside. It does not matter because the case is scrap! If it is a band pin and you push it back in and jb weld it, when the band applies it will force the pin right back out.

[enkeivette]

It does matter because the car still drives! And it's my DD, so I'll drive it into the ground until I'm forced to fix it. How important is a band retaining pin? Are the bands held together with multiple pins? Or is it now only a matter of time till it grenades?

[enkeivette]

Here's a pic of the rebuild kit, you can see a bunch of those little pins. Not sure if that helps.