Thursday, September 22, 2011

Transmission Leak, something more serious?

My car, or more accurately my transmission has been leaking off and on since 2005. The transmission pan seal is one thing I remember being identified as the problem, its been replaced, things have been tightened, snugged etc. etc. And it usually works, its will stop the leaks which was usually just a few drops a day, not a big deal really. It never caused any problems with the car, at least none that I noticed. It only happened maybe 2 or 3 times a year and I’d usually get it fixed when I got an oil change and that was that. But recently (past 2-3 weeks) the leak became more substantial, it wasn’t just a few drops here and there it was an ever darkening stain in the driveway. My mechanic said it should go to a transmission shop because he couldn’t do it there and that I needed to get it taken care of soon lest it start to smoke etc. I asked him, (fearfully) how much he thought it would cost. Anywhere from $100 to $300. I breathed a sigh of relief, not great but not so bad. So, they take it in and I got it back yesterday apparently they had to “replace the servo cover seal on the back of the trans”. It cost about 180.00 and I went home happy it hadn’t been more serious. I get up to come to work this morning and pessimist that I am I make sure to look at the driveway closely before I pull off. Turns out I didn’t have to look all that closely there was a huge, wet red stain in the driveway. It looked like someone had slaughtered a pig. I take it back to the mechanic, show him a still dripping napkin I had dipped into the puddle. He says; “That shouldn’t be” and that it will need to go back to the trans shop.



So after all that my question is do you think it could be something more serious? Am I going to have to pay more money? Is this something they wouldn’t have seen yesterday, a crack? Will I have to get a new transmission? I’m scared of what the mechanic is going to say when he calls.



By the way I have a 1998 Ford Taurus, around 66,000 miles on it. (I don’t drive that much, maybe 30 minutes a day to get to and from work total.) I’m up to date on my oil changes, new brakes, new tires, new fuel pump and filter and I need a tune up which I’m scheduled to get on Monday. If you need anymore info to answer the question I’ll do my best to get it.

Transmission Leak, something more serious?
I would take it back to the transmission shop and have them recheck it. They may have left something loose. And if it was just repaired then they should not charge you to check it. Transmission Leak, something more serious?
you have been punked by a shop

they replace a cheap seal and %26quot;forget%26quot; to tighten a few bolts and then you need to go back a pay them around a grand to fix the issue

and since they know your not going to pull the tranny out and inspect it for all new seal they hand you a bill for all new gaskets and seals when all they did is tighten the bolts they %26quot;forgot%26quot; to tighten the first time i cant say for sure but this crap happens every day and the sad thing is no one can stop themTransmission Leak, something more serious?
Most likely he pinched the seal and it leaked thru the cover again however it could be once he fixed the seal that it built pressure up and blew out another seal like the shifter linkage seal. fluid always goes to the path of least resistance, it could also be the tail shaft seal if it's building pressure there may be a more serious problem but ask the mechanic what happened to it and have him explain it in simple terms. the fill tube seal might have broke as well and that would cause it to leak badly when it is at the full mark, it's a cheep fix though. hope this helps.Transmission Leak, something more serious?
It looks as though your mechanic did not accurately pinpoint the source of the leak. And now, work was done, and the leak is worse. That sounds fishy to me.

Anyhow, the transmission needs to be power washed from top to bottom, then thoroughly dried, and taken for a road test for a couple of miles or so. Then the car is brought back to the shop and checked again.

Sometimes it is hard to tell where the oil is coming from, and this method will help a lot. But this guy should know this. You will need to be persistent to get the right answer on this. Good Luck!