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Tranny Trouble

shmockey

Member
Joined
April 8, 2010
Messages
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City, State
Windsor, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
'99 XLT
My transmission just lost all of its fluid, I got it towed home and up on jackstands and I see what looks to be a vent tube on the drivers side of the tranny near the shifting linkage that appears spit out all of the fluid. My question is, is this a vent tube for the tranny and what would have caused it to spit all the fluid out of it?? And if I am thinking of this wrong feel free to let me know, I would just like to get this fixed and running again. Oh and mine is a 1999 4.0 SOHC with an auto trans.

Thanks for any help
 



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oh I am sure someone can help me, I just want to make sure I am on the right path with this, is that the breather? and why would it spit out the fluid?? if I have to replace the tranny I will I am just wondering??
 






My guess is the fluid didnt come out of that tube but im no expert. You could go by a parts store and look at a service manual to help you identify said tube. Is that the only place around the tranny that is wet with fluid? Can you tell how much fluid was lost? I think the entire capacity is quite a bit. Try adding some fluid and start the car and look for visible leaking.
Did the trans do anything funny before the fluid loss? Slipping? Jerking? Unusually hot? Maybe a seal or gasket gave out or one of the lines that run back and forth to the cooler is bad. You could also try giving a transmission shop a call and tell them what happened and maybe they will enlighten you. Sorry i cant help more.
 






thanks for the reply

I have looked at the lines they seem fine and dry

I am guessing that the fluid came out the line that I see because it is not wet anywhere infront of that line

the tranny was not acting bad before, but the "O/D off" light would flash once in a while, I flipped the O/D button on and off and it worked fine, so not sure

I think all of the fluid is out, doesnt show any on the dipstick

and last I went and got a manual, that doesnt even go into any sort of detail on the tranny

maybe this can give more insight as to what I have allready done
 






I believe the O/D off light flashing is a warning of some kind. It means there is a problem somewhere with the transmission. Also, no fluid showing on the dipstick doesnt mean the trans is completely empty. It very well could be but alot of the fluid is in the lines and torque converter. You could always drop the pan and have a look around for anything unusual. If you dont want to take the truck to the trans shop right away then i would suggest buying the cheapest Mercon V fluid i could find and start filling the transmission up. Follow the service manual on the filling procedure and this may show you how much fluid is gone.
 






thanks for the help Knox, I will try filling it up and see what happens, I do know that it doesn't move by itself, I had to tow it back to my garage.
 






thanks for the help Knox, I will try filling it up and see what happens, I do know that it doesn't move by itself, I had to tow it back to my garage.

No problem. I have a question about the fluid loss. Im assuming you lost the fluid while driving and then suddenly the trans was no longer functioning. Can you see where the underside of the car is all wet from the fluid blowing back? It should be wet all the way to the back. Did you see a puddle of fluid on the ground after you come to a stop? When was the last time you actually checked the fluid level before this incident? If by chance the transmission starts working again after you fill it, i wouldnt drive it farther than you care to push it or else you may have to get it towed again. I would just start it and shift through all the gears while checking for leaks. Good luck.
 






Again Knox5.0, thank you for your reply, I have been doing some more local calling and my regular shop and he pointed me in the direction of a shop that specializes in Fords and he said is trustworthy. And by regular I mean anything that has to do with electrical connections and most sensors and things of that nature, other wise I do most of my work myself. This new shop knew exactly what it was when I discribed what happened and is going to take out my trany, rebuild it and put it back in with a one year unconditional warranty for, what I feel is "only", $1400.

now to answer your question, it was only wet from the vent tube back, and all the way back even up the back window. And yes it did go while my wife was driving she pulled right over and there was a good size puddle under the vehicle. I did check the fluid just before all this happened and it seemed fine and didnt smell burnt. I did go and buy some fluid, it only took 2 quarts to get it in the good section on the dipstick, I then tryed to drive it, I had to get the RPM's up to about 4500-5000 in order to get it to move just slightly from my garage to the driveway.
 






Again Knox5.0, thank you for your reply, I have been doing some more local calling and my regular shop and he pointed me in the direction of a shop that specializes in Fords and he said is trustworthy. And by regular I mean anything that has to do with electrical connections and most sensors and things of that nature, other wise I do most of my work myself. This new shop knew exactly what it was when I discribed what happened and is going to take out my trany, rebuild it and put it back in with a one year unconditional warranty for, what I feel is "only", $1400.

now to answer your question, it was only wet from the vent tube back, and all the way back even up the back window. And yes it did go while my wife was driving she pulled right over and there was a good size puddle under the vehicle. I did check the fluid just before all this happened and it seemed fine and didnt smell burnt. I did go and buy some fluid, it only took 2 quarts to get it in the good section on the dipstick, I then tryed to drive it, I had to get the RPM's up to about 4500-5000 in order to get it to move just slightly from my garage to the driveway.

Well the good news i guess is you didnt lose all of your trans fluid. The obvious bad news is your tranny is messed up. 2 quarts is just getting started but that amount sprayed all over the bottom of your car can look like a ton of fluid. What did the shop think it was that caused the fluid loss?
 






well, I have not got it to him yet but best he could figure was that the bands where shot and overheated the trany, he said it isnt uncommon for an overheated trany to spit fluid from the vent tube. I will have to take his word on that one, I am not quite as versed in auto trany's, more of a standard guy, lol
 






I really dont know much at all about transmissions but what he said makes sense i guess. Keep this thread updated once you get it over to the shop.
 






I will update it when he gets it in, looks like I will be a car down for a week or two, good thing I work from home
 






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