WTF is this thing? (Transaxle)

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.

Nevermind. And I thought I had bad luck when this sort of thing got stuck in my tire.

Looks like some kind of center pin, came loose and got forced through the case

[edit] Oh, see you pulled it out. Damn, looks like your problem is indeed bigger than just a leak. JBWeld the hole and fill it up

Can't imagine enough road hazard speed/force to drive a pin through that aluminum case like that....

I think it's vandalism from some mechanic or other.....

:smash:

I am very surprised you can penetrate the casing with this pin and only leave a small hole - I would expect the casing to crack. What was holding the pin ? Did it pull out easy ?? If it pulled out easy I'm wondering why it did not fall out due to vibrations....

That tranny works fine ??? JB weld the hole.....

So what's the verdict? Did it come from inside the trans? Or was it forced in from the outside? Those little indentations on the pin are a result of damage, it was not made like that. If that helps... And if that is part of the trans, how important is it? What should I expect to happen?

I'm not using JB Weld, that stuff gets eaten away by oil. I'm using some other epoxy that is supposedly oil resistant.

The only time I've ever taken this car to a mechanic was when I had the AC system serviced. My friends Dad did it, so I sincerely doubt that it was him.

Edit:
Karsten, those little indentations on the pin got stuck on the casing, had to wiggle it out. Tansmission works great! See:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLxbEB6BAgg[/ame]

It came from inside, look how it broke away (chipped) the case. Clear "exit wound".

Twin_Turbo said:

It came from inside, look how it broke away (chipped) the case. Clear "exit wound".

Click to expand...

Yep. It's either a retaining pin, or what's left of a roller needle. It's just a matter of time now. :crap:

Looks like someone is pulling a Neon transmission soon....

OK.... you drained and re-filled with redLine 6 months ago.... it appears the Neon tranny and the synthetic high dollar stuff are not compatible thus causing parts inside the tranny to liberate :shocking::shocking::shocking: :lol:

seriously:
It looks like there's a chunk of aluminum chipped off where the "D" used to be (the first letter od 'drain') - like Marck said, it's an exit wound.... my best guess is the pin got wedged between rotating parts inside the tranny and that's what caused the three marks. Let's hope the pin is not too important, you say it runs fine ??
I assume you don't know when it started to leak ?? If it was a very slow leak then it's safe to assume you're driving for a while without the pin, let's hope it continues to run fine :drink:

Doubt it's a roller needle, if so I should have seen another 10 fall out when I drained the oil. If it's a retaining pin, wouldn't whatever it was retaining have a bunch of retaining pins? Meaning, that it might still work fine after losing one?

The transmission has always made strange rattling or vibrating noises. Ever since I've owned the vehicle. Does that give anyone clues? I'm willing to bet that this pin has been floating around in there ever since I bought the car. And my hard driving finally kicked it up and pushed it through the case. We'll see anyhow... haha. Guess this is incentive to get my Vette painted and back in driving condition.

If I do need to pull the trans, I'll swap it out with a trans from a SOHC motor. They had a lower final drive and a steeper overdrive.

The pin would probably be to keep a countershaft from rotating. It would press fit into the case, and the countershaft would have bushings/needle bearings. If the shaft starts rotating in the case, the case will egg quickly leading to failure.(Educated guess, nothing more)

So much for "edit" function. TT, WTF??