My tranny leaks when at idle

[V8shoheser]

This past summer i had this problem. It never leaked before this and it shifted and ran smooth as it looked. but anyway i had been driving it for like 30 minutes or so and it was city driving so normal high low driving activity. One of my freind noticed when i took off there was a line of tranny fluid from where i started to all the way home it was only like a mile and it was like a quart and a half low so i parked it for a while and waited to look at. and where it was leekin was by the tourqc converter. So i watched it for a while and eventuall it stoped leakin and hasnt done it since. I only put like 2000 miles on my sho a year and then park it for the winter and was just wondering what would cause it to leak like that. 97 sho cams not welded yet but this spring itll be done it has like 97,000 miles on i now any info let me know.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Chances are one of your tranny cooler lines is leaking.

 

[V8shoheser]

But they dont go inside the tranny there they are on the outside and this may be a seal or something. I doesnt spray it just drips slowly and then only once it left a line of trany fluid. If it was a line as you say it would constantly leak and only get worse. Mine on the other hand got better and only drips a little.

 

[stephen newberg]

I thin Chris is still probably right and you should check the lines. Due to air pressure when driving, the fluid can move around a good deal, and not always by the same paths, thus giving the impression of things coming from various places and at various leak rates, plus, exposed lines are more likely to get something on them from outside that sticks and does somewhat decrease the flow.

pax, smn

 

[V8shoheser]

I have checked all over and it is infact coming from inside by the tq converter cause there is only one path of fluid and it comefrom inside the bell houseing i have asked tranny mechanics and they said the gear box blew up and the tranny is junk but that wasnt the case either but i am stumped if i had a camera i would show you the problem areas but i dont so i have to explain bst i can. that was the first thing that i checked was all the lines see if they were still intacted so i donno it is really puzzleing to me so rite if ya have any other ideas

 

[38SHO]

your trannies not toast if it drives normally. Fill it up with fluid real good, you can overfill these transmissions without a problem.... and make sure it has all the gears, lock-up, and doesn't slip.

Now if thats the case you need a reseal job. More then likely it is the front seal leaking. The transmissions needs to be removed, torque converter pulled out and seal installed. That is probably it... if the cooler lines were leaking there would be streaks and wetness in that area, if they are bone dry then that cannot be it despite what they say.

Just because it leaks there doesn't mean you need a rebuild job. all it probably will take is one seal which is accesible from the outside of the transmission without taking it apart. This is as long as it shifts and doesn't slip. Don't let some scam artist bad tranny shop rip u off.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

For there to be a distinct line of fluid, I would still bet that there is something up with the cooler lines. As mentioned, you wouldn't believe the places that tranny fluid can end up when those lines are leaking.

Now, it is possible that your pump shaft seal or sprocket seal could be leaking inside the bellhousing, BUT, if that were the case and you were leaving lines of fluid on the street, you'd be losing the entire volume of tranny fluid pretty quickly.

You can try removing the little plastic inspection door and see how damp if at all the converter itself is or if there's evidence of fluid inside the bellhousing.

 

[38SHO]

hes already said the cooler lines are dry, no matter what kind of air flow you think the tranny is exposed to forget about the cooler lines leaking.

I am also wondering why u could say that the front seal is not the problem because it is not leaking fast enough. I've seen 100's of front seals leaking and they all leak at different rates. Some just leave a drop every now and then from that location, some pour out quarts every few seconds

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I am also wondering why u could say that the front seal is not the problem because it is not leaking fast enough. I've seen 100's of front seals leaking and they all leak at different rates. Some just leave a drop every now and then from that location, some pour out quarts every few seconds

Because of what he says here:

One of my freind noticed when i took off there was a line of tranny fluid from where i started to all the way home it was only like a mile and it was like a quart and a half low so i parked it for a while and waited to look at.

Leaving a line of fluid on the ground for a mile is indicative of a substantial leak, probably one under pressure, which is why I say that if it were one of the seals on the input side of the tranny, he'd most likely be dumping the entire volume of tranny fluid pretty quickly. In the 1000+ SHO's I've worked on (stopped counting at 1000), I've probably seen a couple hundred tranny fluid leaks (that weren't just a pan leak), and better than 90% of them can be traced to a leak in one of the cooler lines.

V8shoheser, FWIW, if you can't locate/identify the source of the leak on your own, try another tranny shop. The "the gear box blew up" diagnosis is a pretty good sign that the shop you dealt with either didn't have the desire to diagnose the problem properly and just wanted to sell you a rebuild, or is simply incompetent.

 

[38SHO]

what do you mean by input side of the tranny?

and yes the Taurus does have a pretty weak setup as far as cooler lines go compared to some other cars' setups in my opinion.

and in my past experience I've seen that all types of places can leak at different rates, be that a cooler line, pan, or front seal, it matters more as to the extent of the damage causing the leak then the pressure of the fluid in that area I think.

 

[SHOZ123]

Best thing you can do to the cooler lines is rip them out and use some 1/4 MPT x 3/8" hose barbs. The run the new 3/8" hose straight out and then under the upper radiator hose then down to the OEM hose location.

This will improve the flow considerably. You can drill out the hose barbs as much as you deem safe and use steel reinforced hydraulic hose for even better flow. The hydraulic hose will not kink and gives nice smooth bends for the fluid to flow through.

 

[Sagabu]

A few years ago, I bought a 96 over in PA. that had only 48,000 miles on it. The owner discribed the same issue. When I went to retrieve the SHO it took 1.5 quarts of trans fluid to get it on the trailer on its own.
The SHO was rarely driven befor he purchaced it and he indicated that sometimes it would leak a stream as you have discribed, but not always. When I picked it up, it was leaking too badly to drive.
I brought it back to the shop and yanked the trans to find that the front seal had popped completely off and was out on the TC shaft when we pulled it out. It looked as if it was like this for a while as there was a groove on the shaft that was caused by the seal. This told me that it had been that way for some time and driven that way.
We replaced the TC and seal to fix it and all is well. The aftermarket seal was a much tighter fit thatn the OEM seal.
This is fairly common on a automatic car that is rarely driven and sitts for an extended time in a dry climate. The rubber around the outer part of the seal can dry up and when you start the car after sitting, it will stick to the shaft and/or crack.
When storing a car, it`s a deffinate plus to start it at least once a month to prevent such things. The weekest ling on a stored car, is the front trans seal.

 

[SHODWN]

Inspect the cooler lines first.. They are a trouble spot for sure, first turn the wheels to the left then stick you head in the will lifting the lower part of the splash shield. Look for where the steel lines make the first bend. Here the lines rub one another and will over time start a leak.

Second. remove the lower airdam, look on the back side of the radiator support (lower edge) you will see where the steel return line from the Rad meets the rubber section of the main tranny line. The hose clamp can loosen and or the pressure from the trans can work the line loose.

Third. look from the front of the car directly at your cooler (drivers side) these clamps loosen as well and seep.

the puddeling can be from the fluid being caught on the lower aid dam, then under acceleration it will force the fluid off of the dam and make a line in the road.

BKing: If the front seal was gone on this car it would entirely pump the trans dry in under a minute, I dont see anything that points at that type of a leak. Good comments about storing the car, though as any car that is stored should be started once a month, but it needs to be brought up to temp otherwise you run the risk of ruining the cats, o2's and other things.

 

[lancSHO]

Mine had the same issue, and Brian told the story for me. My dealer [under warranty] replaced the seal and torque converter. I've seen another V8 SHO [black 97] go through their shop with the same problem.

 

[V8shoheser]

It sound like it could be the problem. The only other time it leaked real bad was when i let my dad take it and run for some parts like 60 miles away. Well that was ok but he has a lead foot so the whole time he was drivin it at about 120 the whole trip. It wasn't a strait shot either it had large hills and when he got home the car was smokin from all the fluid that ran out and hit the cats and the rest of the exaust system. I also store it in the winter so it sits for like 4 months and then i only put like about 4,000 miles a year on it so it could be possible that the seal is goin out but i will check this spring when i go and pick it up.

 

[Sagabu]

The OEM seal did not fit as snug as the replacement. IIRC there was a TSB on the Orion report for the SHO (that I bought/sold) concerning the seal and a previouse complaint of leaking trans fluid that went un repaired. I`ll see if I can find it and share it.
The way the groove was on the TC and the worn edge of the seal, led us to assume that the seal actually wedged at an angle for a period of time allowing small amounts of fluids to escape (mainly upon start up/idle situations). The seals are designed (cupped inside) to somewhat expand when the presure of the fluids are applied sealing even tighter to the TC shaft. Therfore, if the seal was lodged at an angle, the seal could pose a leak yet seal when under presure, until the seal blows completely out.
Ironicly, the seal we removed looked good. The rubber was in tact and the only sign of damage to the seal was some wear on the inner most metal of the seal housing that had to be stuck at an angle to do the damage to the TC shaft.
Hope your issue is indeed the trans lines. It sucks to pull a trans over a $2.00 seal that takes 30 seconds to install.