G56 Leaking from the top (shift tower)

[Southbound]

TDR Brethren-



I was curious if any of you G56 guys have had issues with leaks from the top. I have had the same issues before and took it to the dealer which they fixed and 30k later its leaking again. It appears to be leading from the gasket which surrounds the shifter. Any ideas?? Thanks in advance for your time!!!



Southbound

 

[ENafziger]

Yep... the orange flimsy booty at the top of the shift tower is prone to leaking. It is underneath the black boot, but you can often smell the fluid in the cab when the orange one starts leaking. I used RTV to patch mine, and it's been fine.

--Eric

 

[Southbound]

Eric-

Thanks for your response!! Funny because I just talked to the dealer and it appears this is a common problem in that the boot will crack or tear!! Best part nobody can figure out why they are cracking??? So I guess every 30k I can plan on replacing or repairing my shift boot. Still love the truck but hate the "gremlins". Thanks again!!!

Southbound

 

[Regcabguy]

Eric-



Thanks for your response!! Funny because I just talked to the dealer and it appears this is a common problem in that the boot will crack or tear!! Best part nobody can figure out why they are cracking??? So I guess every 30k I can plan on replacing or repairing my shift boot. Still love the truck but hate the "gremlins". Thanks again!!!



Southbound

I purchased two boots for a friend and I from Dodge Parts Online Parts & Accessories Catalog. $35. 94 ea+ $4. 37 ea. shipping. Figured parts are going up and it will happen. part# 55366062AA.

 

[Southbound]

Regcabguy-



Thanks for your response. The dealer told me that they usually stock these but are out now. ;-) Any chance you got that part number laying around? I think I will repair this one myself so I can have pratice for the others. ;-)



I dont know what it is but all of my trucks are plagued with leak issues... ... nothing major but its frustrating. Most of my previous issues have been with differential seals. Other than that I am still a big fan of the Dodges.



Southbound

 

[JBeasley]

I've put 1 on the g56 I put in my 97. It was a crate g56 straight from Dodge and the orange boot was split whenever I took it out of the crate, luckily I noticed it before I put it in. I replaced it and after 40k it's leaking again. I have only 10k on my 06 and it is also leaking.

 

[Regcabguy]

Shifter boot #

Regcabguy-



Thanks for your response. The dealer told me that they usually stock these but are out now. ;-) Any chance you got that part number laying around? I think I will repair this one myself so I can have pratice for the others. ;-)



I dont know what it is but all of my trucks are plagued with leak issues... ... nothing major but its frustrating. Most of my previous issues have been with differential seals. Other than that I am still a big fan of the Dodges.



Southbound

I listed the part#. They had it in my hands in five days. This part is all black. I hope I got the right one. It's got a metal base with accordian bellows and a hole on top for the shifter.

 

[abrankod]

I think mine was torn when I bought my 07! About a week after getting it, I noticed a little leak from the top of the trans but it went away. Later at about 8500 mi when I replaced the junk factory clutch with a SBC dual disk, i noted that the boot was torn and I repaired it with some Permatex Right Stuff gasket maker/sealant. It hasn't leaked one drop since.

-Dan

 

[Southbound]

Gentlemen-



Thanks for all the responses. I am going to take a look at it this weekend and see how bad the crack is. Obviously its a "common" problem yet I havent seen any TSB's on it??? I guess I will stock up on em and keep watching for leaks. ;-(



REGCABGUY-



I just noticed the part number in your previous post. Sorry about that I am dealing with little ZZZZZZ got a sick lil one that wants me to share in his misery. Thanks again for posting.



Hope everybody has a great weekend!



Southbound

 

[Regcabguy]

Gentlemen-



Thanks for all the responses. I am going to take a look at it this weekend and see how bad the crack is. Obviously its a "common" problem yet I havent seen any TSB's on it??? I guess I will stock up on em and keep watching for leaks. ;-(



REGCABGUY-



I just noticed the part number in your previous post. Sorry about that I am dealing with little ZZZZZZ got a sick lil one that wants me to share in his misery. Thanks again for posting.



Hope everybody has a great weekend!



Southbound

No worries! I had a couple of weeks of sleep deprivation myself due to a family emergency. It takes its toll on you. The RTV weld should hold you for awhile. This part is made by a Mercedes supplier I assume, as this transmission is popular around the world. It would seem they'd up the thickness or add more rubber to it to make it hold up. Jeez!

 

[Fisherguy]

I purchased two boots for a friend and I from Dodge Parts Online Parts & Accessories Catalog. $35. 94 ea+ $4. 37 ea. shipping. Figured parts are going up and it will happen. part# 55366062AA.

I searched for that part number at that site and got nothing... ¿



I changed my clutch and the boot already had a hole in it at 30k miles.

 

[Regcabguy]

I searched for that part number at that site and got nothing... ¿



I changed my clutch and the boot already had a hole in it at 30k miles.

You need to call and talk to a human being. The part# is accurate. These sites don't work real well.

 

[MPerez]

G56 oil leaking from top?

TDR Brethren-



I was curious if any of you G56 guys have had issues with leaks from the top. I have had the same issues before and took it to the dealer which they fixed and 30k later its leaking again. It appears to be leading from the gasket which surrounds the shifter. Any ideas?? Thanks in advance for your time!!!



Southbound

Well this may help, my G56 had the same issue, fluid leaking apparently from the top. When I put in my new clutch since I had the shifter tower off I checked for any problem in the vent tube but nothing was visible wrong with the boot or the vent or the seal.



Well I put it all back together and refilled the transmission through the side filler hole. I always used the Amsoil synthetic ATF+4 and changed it every 20K miles. Always had oil on the outside of the transmission. At 128K miles I ended up buying my oil in quart bottles instead of the 2. 5 gallon bottles I normally used and discovered that my transmission did not hold the full capacity as stated by the manual - something I'd never noticed pumping the oil in from the large bottles.



So, I went to the trouble of filling the transmission through the top and added the full 12 pints. During the next 20K miles I had ZERO oil on the outside of the transmission. Could it be coincidence? I suppose. But I'd like to think that I solved a chronic low oil and foaming problem that caused the oil to vent.

 

[Regcabguy]

Well this may help, my G56 had the same issue, fluid leaking apparently from the top. When I put in my new clutch since I had the shifter tower off I checked for any problem in the vent tube but nothing was visible wrong with the boot or the vent or the seal.



Well I put it all back together and refilled the transmission through the side filler hole. I always used the Amsoil synthetic ATF+4 and changed it every 20K miles. Always had oil on the outside of the transmission. At 128K miles I ended up buying my oil in quart bottles instead of the 2. 5 gallon bottles I normally used and discovered that my transmission did not hold the full capacity as stated by the manual - something I'd never noticed pumping the oil in from the large bottles.



So, I went to the trouble of filling the transmission through the top and added the full 12 pints. During the next 20K miles I had ZERO oil on the outside of the transmission. Could it be coincidence? I suppose. But I'd like to think that I solved a chronic low oil and foaming problem that caused the oil to vent.

That's odd in that I filled my g-56 with 6. 2 qts of Amsoil ATF from the side plug.

 

[MPerez]

That's odd in that I filled my g-56 with 6. 2 qts of Amsoil ATF from the side plug.

I think it has something to do with when the truck was built; my '06 is a very early build date. When I filled my truck up with the qt. bottles from the filler hole it would only hold (almost) five quarts before pouring out. Since I always pumped it in until it ran out from the larger 2. 5 gallon bottles I'd never actually measured how much it took to do that, I just assumed that it was right. Dodge at some point fixed the problem and the later G56 fills properly.

 

[Southbound]

Gentlemen-



Since my last post I replaced the innner boot on my transmission which showed some wear but was not root cause for my leaks. Now that I have had time to really inspect the transmission I am a little confused on how the inner boot could be related to "leaks". After removing the inner boot one can see the shift tower which is held in by a cover that has 4 torque bolts. It appears my transmission is leaking from the actual cover (metal). Spoke to the dealer and he said that he has had a few trucks with the same problem and the fix consist of removing the cover and adding some sealant. Note: This cover does not come with a gasket?? As simple as this is to fix (second time) I am going to take it to the dealer and let them fix it so they have it on my records. BTW ... the inner boot discussed in this forum has been re-designed so that it will not "rub" on the outboot (cab boot). Basically the boot is shallow not to cover the actual linkage where the shift lever is bolted to the shift tower. The transmission is a little louder now because there is nothing to insulate the actual shift tower. I hope this make sense.



Southbound

 

[bwall7116]

I have the same leak at 20k. Although it doesn't look like its leaking a large volume of fluid I am wondering about moisture penetration. I don't hit every mud puddle I find but I do occasionally wash the underside of the truck to get all the deicer and junk off. Do I need to worry about oil contamination? I don't really care to replace it until there is a TSB unless the hole is large or in a position to promote contamination.

 

[RMurano]

I changed the transmission fluid abut 3 months/3,000 miles ago replacing the fluid with Amsoil ATF. Since then, there has been a strong transmission fluid smell in the cab. I think that maybe the orange boot you all speak of may have split. How do I remove the leather cover at the base of the shifter in order to inspect the orange boot for damage?



Thanks!

 

[Spooled-up]

Check this out:



Removing the dash bezel on an '06 and newer Dodge Ram

 

[RPelletier]

Mine is leaking as well. It's going to the dealer pretty soon.