Chevrolet Repair: 1998 Chevy cavalier transmission, chevy cavalier, shaft seal

Question
Hi Robert,

I have a 1998 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 IL-4 with a manual transmission.   I did some research and found out that specifically, it is the Getrag F23 5-speed manual transmission which was standard by GM in almost all of its cars on the J-platform of that time.


I went in for an oil change, and it was discovered that my transmission was leaking.   My oil change place is one of those quick oil change only places, and said that they don't do repairs, but recommended a few places.

As the owner of a manual, my understanding is that they generally do not need to have a fluid change, or at least need them less often, so I have never needed a transmission repair.  I'm hearing from trusted friends that this could be a scary bill.  More than I can afford, which would leave me without a vehicle, which would put me out of work, since the cost of a rental would be on top of the repair.

1) The oil change guy says that you can never be sure, but he believes that since there appears to be no external damage, it might just be a gasket or seal leak.   Is that something I can do?  Or is he full of it?

2) If I can't do it, how do I add a little bit of tranny fluid/gear oil to replace the slow leak I have until I can get a repair shop I feel comfortable with?

3) What kind of questions should I be asking to see if I am dealing with a reputable shop?

4) What would be a reasonable range of repair costs for the most common problems associated with this transmission?   I am not looking to go cheap, because you often get cheap work, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either.

Thanks for your time.

-Jared
Vista, CA"

Answer
Hi jared... depending on where the leak is would dictate the cost of the repair...if it is an output seal they are fairly inexpencive to replace...if it is a input shaft seal that can be considerably more expencive since the trans would need to be removed to be done...you can try adding some Lucus trans stop leak and see if that slows it down... output seals to change would only be a couple hours labour and the cost of seals..at my shop that would be around 200.00 dollars canadian...the input shaft seal would be around 10 hrs labour and the seal and fluid...   hope this helps