Hey Everyone,

I have a 2004 g35x sedan & recently i had a situation where the front drive shaft (specific to AWD models) literally collapsed on me while I was driving!!

I spent the $800 to fix it, however the mechanic showed me a small hole and crack on the top part of the transmission housing.

The good news is that there is no fluid leak , however I am worried this hole and crack is going to increase overtime & cause the tranny to completely collapse.

What do you guys think, should I fix this issue or drive it off?

Note: the hole is very high up, on the right side where the drive shaft is situated

 

Yes, fix it. You're exposing the internals/fluids to contaminants that can do further damage.

 

Thank you for your reply.
Do you think it is possible to "patch" it up or will the tranny have to get rebuilt?

 

You should be able to have the transmission dropped and welded up. If it's too much hassle, grab a 2nd hand transmission and bolt it up.

 

Oh wow. That seems expensive. Any other fixes i can do? And if i leave it alone how long can i drive it like that

 

I personally wouldn't drive it at all until it's fixed. You're going to lose fluids once the transmission builds up pressure and fluids is tossed around. Not to mention what kind of contaminants you'd be introducing to the internals of your transmission. Bad idea all around.

Would you still drive if you had a hole up high in your engine block? Transmission is just as important as your engine.

 

Your explanation of the "hole" is very vague. If it's in the bell housing area (the part that bolts up to the engine ) than there is no issue in welding it. Problem is that transmission needs to be dropped if the hole is at the top. If it's on the bottom and accessible from underneath the car, you should be able to weld it up once you disconnect all electric plugs from the transmission to avoid any problems with electrical system.
There are no other ways of fixing it permanently besides that.

 

Perhaps Loctite aluminum repair putty would be worth a try?

 

Repair recommendation all depends on where this hole is?


Also, how did the driveshaft fail? Any warning signs? Did a u-joint just let go?