[allens969]

Hi all,

Picked up a 2010 CRV Lx 4WD 146K km, a couple months ago and took it to the mechanic for fluid change (oil, trans and diff) since I didn't know the history. MF'r over torqued the transmission drain plug and cracked the housing (pic attached).

Now he's saying he'll get a longer/deep bolt plus freeze-weld the crack and it should be good, but need to know if that'll hold up or is a fair solution?

Also, anyone know the name of the part to which the drain port is attached: transmission housing, torque converter...transfer case?? Would like to know so that if needed I can say replace X part as a whole instead of repair.

Appreciate any/all help, thank you.

 

[otto888man]

Sorry to hear that. I'll post a link you might be able to buy the transmission housing that has the drain plug.

 

[wmurky]

He should replace the housing

 

[otto888man]

AT Torque Converter Case - 2010 Honda CR-V 5 Door EX (4WD) KA 5AT

Shop in the parts listing - 2010 Honda CR-V 5 Door EX (4WD) KA 5AT AT Torque Converter Case. Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Honda parts.

www.hondapartsnow.com

Item 2

 

[otto888man]

item 7 is the drain plug.

 

[Jayceegee]

He broke it -- he bought it ! Need to replace the broken part with a new part. Trying to make the old cracked part act like a new one will keep you up at night !!

 

[Kazoo2U]

Hi all,

Picked up a 2010 CRV Lx 4WD 146K km, a couple months ago and took it to the mechanic for fluid change (oil, trans and diff) since I didn't know the history. MF'r over torqued the transmission drain plug and cracked the housing (pic attached).

Now he's saying he'll get a longer/deep bolt plus freeze-weld the crack and it should be good, but need to know if that'll hold up or is a fair solution?

Also, anyone know the name of the part to which the drain port is attached: transmission housing, torque converter...transfer case?? Would like to know so that if needed I can say replace X part as a whole instead of repair.

Appreciate any/all help, thank you.

Will second what Jayceegee said above. No excuse at all for this type of shoddy performance.

What type of mechanic - independent or Honda dealer? Both should have insurance to cover mishaps like this, but if an independent, may not have that coverage. If a Honda dealer, start a paper trail with corporate including all pictures. Just might have to take either to small claims court for restitution.

In either case, they should be the one to replace the case. Freeze-weld may hold up until the wheels fall off several years down the road, but on the off chance that it fails, your transmission will become a boat anchor.

 

[allens969]

Thank you all - it's an independent local mechanic and already having a sleepless night about it. Going to try to push for a replacement as I go there again in about 6hrs. Never dealt with any such situation - is it just a straight up, "don't repair it need you to replace it?" How should I tackle if he says I'll repair it good, don't worry (been going to him for a couple years now)?

 

[Kazoo2U]

How will the mechanic honor his "warranty" if his repair fails while you are traveling to another province?

Be assertive! Get the case replaced - doesn't have to be a brand new case; your mechanic can get one from an auto salvage yard.

You, the consumer, have the expectation that your vehicle will be returned in the same or better condition than when brought in for repair. What happened is on their hands. They should own up & correct it to the condition your case was prior to you bringing it in for service. Anything less should not be acceptable.

On a separate note, if this mechanic was so pressed for time due to other obligations, maybe you should be looking at another place for you & your vehicle. Torque specs exist for a reason. From personal experience, I can attest that a bolt meant for 34 ft-lbs does not handle 85 ft-lbs very well. Luckily for me, this was one of the bolts for a front caliper. Was able to remove the broken part w/o too much problem, bought a new bolt, & read / followed the recommended torque for the new one.

 

[Jayceegee]

Thank you all - it's an independent local mechanic and already having a sleepless night about it. Going to try to push for a replacement as I go there again in about 6hrs. Never dealt with any such situation - is it just a straight up, "don't repair it need you to replace it?" How should I tackle if he says I'll repair it good, don't worry (been going to him for a couple years now)?

And when you are on a road trip 300 miles from your home will he send a tow truck or pay for a tow truck ? Pay for all repairs ? Pay for rental vehicle ? Pay for lodging is needed ? The best action here -- replace with new one. Now if he were willing to contract with you a lifetime warranty that covers towing, emergency repairs at a shop of your choice, pay rental vehicles, lodging, etc then go for it --- he won't do this but how else will you be covered ??

 

[Dragonrider99]

It is one thing to weld a crack in the housing but I don't even see that as the main problem as bad as it is. Yes I imagine you could weld the crack in the housing itself and I imagine it would last a good long while. I see a bigger problem with the actual threaded part that the plug screws into. It is obvious from the picture that when it cracked the threaded portion separated by a good bit. A weld will fill the gap but the diameter is now larger than it originally was. It is highly unlikely that the drain plug will seal it properly because of the larger thread diameter now. And I doubt that another bolt will work unless it is drilled out and tapped after the weld and even then I would be suspicious. I agree with the general consensus that the housing has to be replaced. If it was me every time I drove the thing I would be looking under the vehicle to check for leaks. Best of luck..

 

[chidog]

There is no way to weld that in car, since there is no way to clean it in car. To replace that case is almost a transmission rebuild, the case can not be replaced with the transmission in the car or on the engine. You don't just go buy a salvage transmission case part, you will be buying a salvage transmission to take the part off of, unless maybe at a pick n pull. Disassembly required. It took a huge amount of torque to do that crack, did he use an impact wrench?
In support of the mechanic, how come all that oily mess on that cross member? Maybe someone else cracked it before maybe a smaller crack, and is why the car was sold?
To me it looks like its been leaking for awhile.

 

[Traylaw]

Can you cold weld this crack....nope. Cold welding is ok if you are tack some light gauge metal but cold welding has no penetration and no structural strength. A skilled welder can repair this crack almost as good as new by grinding out the weld so he can obtain good penetration through out the full thickness of the metal. And then probably install a threaded insert.
This is why God created torque wrenches so that us mere mortals wouldn't screw up aluminum cases. 🤣

 

[udraft]

I'm sure it could be welded, but the plug diameter has been compromised, would not expect the drain plug to seal. Quite the fuckup. Hopefully that part of the case can be replaced.

 

[allens969]

(Thank you all) Update - fully agree with the reco's here that replacement (case or trans) is the ideal fix and mechanic/shop bears full responsibility.

I went there yesterday and by the time I got there, he'd already "fixed" it using Permatex epoxy (pics attached). He says he drove it 50km to test it and come back in 7-10 days he'll inspect it again to make sure it's holding up.

I feel like I can push him to replace but it almost feels like opening pandora's box - touching things that aren't broken to fix this crack (full engine and trans out)! Plus, if I push him to replace it, he'll likely just order a used/scrapped unit which again could be good or bad...

Honestly, I feel if it holds up I can live with it because it's just stressing to keep thinking about it (sigh)...but wanted to get some thoughts if such fix is liveable

Thoughts?

 

[Traylaw]

OMG, he epoxied the drain plug in. When you mentioned "cold weld" I thought you were referring to the actual welding process called cold welding not an epoxy called cold weld. So I guess you're not planning on changing the trans fluid in the future. Never go back to this guy again for any service. Sorry but this is an abortion gone bad.

 

[chidog]

There is no way in the world that epoxy will hold. Like I said before there is no way to clean it in car, yeah you may think you clean it good enough but remember unless he flipped the car upside down, that fluid will continue to drain. Maybe in 2 years it may all drain out good enough I don't know. But there is no way the crack was cleaned out and no way to stop the constant draining of oil. The fluid prevents any in car and assembled transmission welding or epoxy ing, type fix. Just like you can not paint over an oil covered part you can not epoxy it either. Welding with oil will just pollute the weld, tig welding won't work, nor the soldering type welding either, can have no oil.
He may have sprayed brake clean on that case but still he sure didn't clean it well on the outside at all. It should have be aggressively wire brushed or sanded rough, to help the epoxy stick. But then its the oil in the cracks that will sooner or later cause it to leak again. I would not accept that fix at all.

 

[Kazoo2U]

You don't need to replace the entire transmission, just the outer case. You can't clean out ATF so that negates any reliable temporary fix which is what the cold weld really is.

Since he won't do that, take him to court.

 

[Jayceegee]

You just went from being a customer to being a victim --

 

[chidog]

With the huge costs of everything nowadays, this is why anyone that is charging to do mechanic work needs insurance. I know of an auto repair place that the mechanic had a small dowel pin drop in an intake port and ruined an engine, the insurance paid for it. And this is also likely why it costs so much to have your car worked on.