Transmission fluid leakage

[martinv]

I owe a 1991 Explorer with 95000 miles on it. I have been driving it without too much trouble, originally in the US and for the last 10 years in Europe. Local Ford dealerships are not very acquainted with this car, but I managed to maintain it with the help of my workshop manual and good mechanical ability. Now the car has let me down seriously however with a massive transmission oil leak. I was just able to drive it to the closest dealership here in the south of France , topping it up with a gallon of fluid to drive 15 miles ! It shows indeed a serious fluid leak between the bellhousing and engine.
From previous posts, this might seem like an oil pump seal. Given the transmission is working properly as long as the fluid is on level, would this be the most likely cause or could there be other nastyer causes ?

What is involved in a oil pump seal replacement ? Any indications on repair and parts cost ? If parts would be hard to get locally, could somebody point me to a reliable source in the US ?

Thanks for your quick reply

Martin

 

[Opera House]

www.bulkpart.com will ship overseas on an over $100 order. ATSG manual, basic seal kit, vacuum modulator and a couple filters will get you to that point. Read some of the rebuild threads here.

This is an ugly problem in your situation. The front seal isn't hard to replace but it usually isn't just the seal. The seal is not supposed to have any pressure on it. It usually leaks when other bushings are worn and/or an alignment issue. There is a drain back hole that many enlarge when rebuilding. This reduces pressure on the seal and allows bushing leak not to be a problem. If pump is replaced/removed an alignment tool NEEDS to be used. You will likely not find the equipment to do this locally. You can try just replacing the seal, but his problem may take some dedication.

 

[martinv]

Thanks for your message and parts proposal. The transmission will be taken off the car tomorrow by the local Ford dealer. Hopefully he'll be able to locate the cause and do the repair. I will standing by if he needs parts or advice via this forum. I'll let you know about the outcome.

Martin