Tranny line leak

[pbnj22]

I am heavily leaking transmission fluid from one of the two lines going to or from the transmission from the radiator or trans cooler or wherever It goes. The leak seams to be directly above the Cat converter but could not tell which line. I already blew up one trans and am well on my way to burning up a 2nd one. My question is how hard is it to replace these lines and how is it done? Do you gotta replace the whole line or just a small portion? Is there some kind of tape or something I can wrap it with as a "bandaid" until I get it fixed? How much should i expect to pay at a shop? I had my trans swapped at a reputable shop and he said no leaks.. So I'm pretty bummed.. I live in northern Minnesota and the lines are pretty rusty so I assume that is the culprit or a rock came up..
I poured a quart in the dip stick tube and about half of it just poured right back out in the driveway..

 

[drdoom]

Might be the filler tube chief.

 

[pbnj22]

Might be the filler tube chief.

lol never thought of that.. BUT it is leaking while driving and just idling without adding any in too.. so it wouldn't be leaking out the filler tube would it? unless I have two leaks?

 

[pbnj22]

is there a diagram of the lines, filler tube and all that to help me trace every place it could be leaking? I can not find one in my knock off haynes manual or anywhere online.

 

[drdoom]

Pull the wheel and splash guard, I think you can see it in there.

 

[drdoom]

All I know is the filler tube is well known for rusting through.

 

[99SportX]

There are two lines. To cooler and from cooler. They are one piece lines with the only connections being at the trans or cooler. If the line did rust through, replacement would be extremely difficult if not impossible without great disassembly. You could repair with a short section of rubber hose. Cut the bad section out and clamp a piece in its place.

Then there is the fill tube. I would lean towards the fill tube as well. It may not be seated properly in the transmission case leading to leaks. The tube has a tab and bolts to the rear of the cylinder head if I remember correctly.

It seems unlikely to me that a 2000 model would have lines rusted through already unless some other damage had occurred that weakened them or compromised the coatings.

 

[pbnj22]

There are two lines. To cooler and from cooler. They are one piece lines with the only connections being at the trans or cooler. If the line did rust through, replacement would be extremely difficult if not impossible without great disassembly. You could repair with a short section of rubber hose. Cut the bad section out and clamp a piece in its place.

Then there is the fill tube. I would lean towards the fill tube as well. It may not be seated properly in the transmission case leading to leaks. The tube has a tab and bolts to the rear of the cylinder head if I remember correctly.

It seems unlikely to me that a 2000 model would have lines rusted through already unless some other damage had occurred that weakened them or compromised the coatings.

would it make sense for fluid to leak during normal operation out of the bottom of the filler tube where it connects to the transmission? from searching here I can see its somewhat of a common problem..
the bottom of my truck is pretty rusted so i wouldn't be surprised if it was rust.. and the rust could have weakened it enough and a rock flung up and punctured a hole or something. I couldnt even get the exhaust manifold bolts out from all the rust. there is a lot of salt rain and snow here in minnesota so the bottom of my truck is pretty roached after 14 years. for the rubber hose thing do i need to even cut out the old tube? can't i just slide it over the old tube and clamp it at both sides of the leak?

 

[pbnj22]

There are two lines. To cooler and from cooler. They are one piece lines with the only connections being at the trans or cooler. If the line did rust through, replacement would be extremely difficult if not impossible without great disassembly. You could repair with a short section of rubber hose. Cut the bad section out and clamp a piece in its place.

Then there is the fill tube. I would lean towards the fill tube as well. It may not be seated properly in the transmission case leading to leaks. The tube has a tab and bolts to the rear of the cylinder head if I remember correctly.

It seems unlikely to me that a 2000 model would have lines rusted through already unless some other damage had occurred that weakened them or compromised the coatings.

just realized your from duluth as well! sweetness didn't know anyone from duluth was on here!

 

[99SportX]

I think you are going to have to crawl under there and figure out where the fluid is coming from. If it leaks during operation then it could be the cooler lines. The likely place would be at the fittings. If it leaks while filling then it is probably the fill tube.

If you patch a line you could just make one cut and slip a hose on there. I would double clamp it for extra piece of mind.

Yep. Duluth. I'm no stranger to rusty explorers! Lol

 

[koda2000]

in my experience, it is more likely for the dip stick tube to leak when the engine is not running. this is because the fluid level in the trans pan is lower when the fluid is circulating. as far as a 2000 having rusty trans lines, this is a problem on rust-belt vehicles. one of my 2000 Mountaineers has very rusty trans lines. if at all possible, I would go the rubber hose patch route, however, make sure you use trans line hose, as fuel line hose will not last very long when exposed to trans fluid (ask me how I know). FYI trans lines do not carry much pressure (probably less than 15 PSI).

 

[pbnj22]

I think you are going to have to crawl under there and figure out where the fluid is coming from. If it leaks during operation then it could be the cooler lines. The likely place would be at the fittings. If it leaks while filling then it is probably the fill tube.

If you patch a line you could just make one cut and slip a hose on there. I would double clamp it for extra piece of mind.

Yep. Duluth. I'm no stranger to rusty explorers! Lol

After school and work today (if it is still light outside) i am going to take off the passenger front tire and splash guard, have my dad pour in some fluid and ill check the filler tube for a leak. once i pin point it ill have to figure out which route to go. Hopefully i caught it early enough and didnt trash ANOTHER trans

 

[pbnj22]

in my experience, it is more likely for the dip stick tube to leak when the engine is not running. this is because the fluid level in the trans pan is lower when the fluid is circulating. as far as a 2000 having rusty trans lines, this is a problem on rust-belt vehicles. one of my 2000 Mountaineers has very rusty trans lines. if at all possible, I would go the rubber hose patch route, however, make sure you use trans line hose, as fuel line hose will not last very long when exposed to trans fluid (ask me how I know). FYI trans lines do not carry much pressure (probably less than 15 PSI).

Thanks, that was my next question, I will find some hose at napa if that is the route i go!

 

[99SportX]

What mileage do you have currently and at what mileage did the trans fail?

My highest mileage 99 5.0 is just about to roll over 100k.

The 99 4.0 just rolled over 145k. I bought it at 118k with a failed trans and fuel pump.

 

[koda2000]

I've currently got three 5.0's. two 2000's and a 2001. all approaching 200k, all on their original transmissions. as far as automatic transmissions go, the Ford 5.0 trans is a pretty bullet-proof unit.

 

[pbnj22]

What mileage do you have currently and at what mileage did the trans fail?

My highest mileage 99 5.0 is just about to roll over 100k.

The 99 4.0 just rolled over 145k. I bought it at 118k with a failed trans and fuel pump.

it currently has 140k which is when the first trans failed due to low fluid i think. my current junkyard trans that just got installed last week (unknown mileage) was experiencing similar symptoms so hopefully i caught it fast enough to fix the leak, fill it up with fluid and it will be good to go but well see.

i just went out and looked at it again.. jacked up the front and got under it. my dad poured in fluid with car off... no leak... waited a few minutes and still nothing.. he hit the auto remote start and 10 seconds later the line started leaking. so it definitely is not the filler tube. It is the lower trans line where it is flat directly above the cat converter. so next i got to figure out where to make my "access cut" then slide some rubber hose over my access cut and over the leak and clamp it on both sides. start the car and if no fluid comes out ill top it off with fluid and hopefully that my trans is saved!

whereabouts in duluth are you? Im out east in lakeside

 

[1992fordgreen]

Either your lines are rusted out as aformentioned, or the line(s) came loose from the input into the tranny.

When replacing the line (unscrewing and such) here is a pro tip that I didnt figure out till afterwards. Trying to remove those lines from the wheel well is as hard as driving a mustang with no steering wheel. I wastet about 4 hours of my day ditsing around with 1/50 of a turn each wrench twist. The room in there to negotiate with isnt bigger than squat. You must remove the console (the entire thing) and remove a plate access held in by clip welds. (4 bolts). Located underneath.Then you can access the cooler lines much more easily and knockoff 3 hours from the project.

 

[pbnj22]

Either your lines are rusted out as aformentioned, or the line(s) came loose from the input into the tranny.

When replacing the line (unscrewing and such) here is a pro tip that I didnt figure out till afterwards. Trying to remove those lines from the wheel well is as hard as driving a mustang with no steering wheel. I wastet about 4 hours of my day ditsing around with 1/50 of a turn each wrench twist. The room in there to negotiate with isnt bigger than squat. You must remove the console (the entire thing) and remove a plate access held in by clip welds. (4 bolts). Located underneath.Then you can access the cooler lines much more easily and knockoff 3 hours from the project.

is that to replace both lines completely? from radiator to trans? i wan planning on buying a hose to slide over the trans line and "pinch" it with hose clamps and be good to go. i think replacing the entire lines is a little overkill for this old of a car

 

[Dave 1955]

is that to replace both lines completely? from radiator to trans? i wan planning on buying a hose to slide over the trans line and "pinch" it with hose clamps and be good to go. i think replacing the entire lines is a little overkill for this old of a car

I have done that more then once..it works.
Or get some new line and splice it together with hose and clamps where you can get to it easy enough.

 

[koda2000]

is that to replace both lines completely? from radiator to trans? i wan planning on buying a hose to slide over the trans line and "pinch" it with hose clamps and be good to go. i think replacing the entire lines is a little overkill for this old of a car

I agree. I considered replacing the lines on my '00 Mountaineer. they run around $100 for both and they're a PITA to change. there's nothing wrong with patching with some rubber hose. heck, Ford uses rubber hose and hose clamps at the oil cooler connections, albeit for flexibility.