Transmission oil leaking through shifter
 

So I'm getting tranny oil leaking out of the shifter, not sure how or why it's doing it. I don't think bushings would do that and the inner boot on shift lever seems fine. Not sure why it's happening, anyone else have this problem before and is there a smoking gun with a part replacement that would fix it?

If the inner boot is in good condition, then I'd suspect the gasket. Take the 3 10mm screws out and pull the shifter straight up. There's a gasket there. Either replace it or clean it off really well and use some silicone.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.as...m=17-4740-0303

Gear oil or Transmission fluid?? I'm guessing maybe its a standard and ass Agreen said, the gasket has been worn out and the gear oil thats used to lubricate the shifter is what is leaking out.

Yeah gear oil...brain cramp...anyway inner boot is fine, I replaced the gasket a few years ago when the problem first started, maybe I didn't get the gasket on clean. It almost seems like a vacuum is pulling the gear oil up through inner boot out through the top. I will say the middle and outer rubber boots are in pretty bad shape.

Make certain that the oil is not overfilled, just enough to do the job as too much oil in the top will force its way out.

That's possible, I switched to Redline a few years ago because of the 2nd gear syncro problem. Don't believe I over filled it, but when you're under a car pumping in oil, it's possible I miscalculated.

They are talking about the oil in the shifter tower. It is totally separate from the transmission oil.
You can't really over-fill the transmission since it will just drain back out the fill hole. Check the level of oil in the shifter tower.

When you say it is leaking out, you mean it is coming out the center of the boots surrounding the shift lever? That is a bit unusual.

I had this happen in my old N/A. I was told the problem was a seal up where the shift lever enters he case. This seal goes bad and the transmission is able to pump oil up into the lever tower. The only real fix is removal of the transmission and replacement of that seal, which basically means a transmission rebuild.

Some sealant on the gasket surface on the shifter tower where the inner boot bolts to may alleviate the problem, but if that is indeed what is happening, the transmission fluid will just find its way out between the inner boot and shift lever.

Boy...that sounds exactly like what I'm seeing. Guess I'll live with it for now. It's about 1/2 an eye dropper worth of gear oil every other week, so it's not so much a headache, but more of an annoyance.

How is this possible, if memory serves me right the shifter goes to a short linkage and not directly into the transmission... ill have to look at that.

reviving this thread because i have the same problem on my 87 na i have already used permatex ultra black in between the short shifter spacer and the uppermost shift boot but the transmission fluid just seeps out of the top rubber seal it smells and drips onto my exhaust any fixes for this problem besides getting a whole trans rebuild ?

Had this problem once.
Bought a new inner boot part # 17-480A-M513 from mazdatrix and problem solved.
I bought both shifter bushings but only replaced one since it was like impossible to install the other.

sounds like a faulty rear main seal to me, there really is no way the shifter can leak much oil if at all.

I would check to see if the MT isn't overfilled. Many trannies (at least of the ones I've seen) just have a single fill port and you pump fluid in until it starts to come back out of the fill port. However, the Mazda has two (at least the Tii one, dont know about the NA). I attached a pict from the FSM.

When we did the swap I filled ours up using the port C which is the fill port using the procedure I was used to. We've had cronic slow leaks and the car always smells of burnt gear oil most noticeably after its been parked in the garage.

We've been fighting it for years using the techniques described in this thread and others. Once we learned the errors of our ways with the car up and level on four jack stands we pulled both ports C (fill) and D (check) and gear oil came out of D. Once it stopped put the plugs back in and power washed the tranny, exhaust and underside of the car. No leaks, no smell, no problem.

There seems to be a little bronze breather port on the top right side (IIRC) of the tranny and I believe thats where the gear oil was escaping. That made it seem like it was coming from the shifter.

Good luck with your project.

As the OP, I still have the problem and think JerryLH3 got it right...for now I've just been dealing with it.

yes i agree with JerryLH3 i have already replaced the rubber upper shift boot part number 17-480A-M513on mazdatrix. Well i have been wiping off the excess fluid with the paper napkins from fast food places but it is a real problem and creates fumes when i drips onto the exhaust. its a real issue. should i just find a used transmission or go for a jdm turbo tranny keep in mind that my cars n/a would it be worth it for a low mileage turbo trans?