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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Explorer / May 2004Possible tranny problem after service?
98 Explorer, 4.0 SOHC, 108k miles. I took it in to the local tire/brake/lube shop that has one of those machines that replaces all the transmission fluid. They performed the service, and I drove home about 6 miles and parked it Saturday. I drove it to work and back today, which is a 25 minute one-way drive including 10 miles of 75 mph interstate and the rest 50-60 mph highway. In other words, plenty of time to get it hot and run it hard. After I got home and it cooled for about 30 minutes, I went back down to check something else. Noticed some drips underneath about halfway back, and investigated. From the tranny tailshaft to the spare tire, almost the whole underside of the truck is wet with tranny fluid. Don't know how much I lost going down the road, but there was a good bit still underneath. Cranked up and checked fluid level (after going through every gear and leaving in park running, still pretty hot) and it's about one inch above the crosshatch area. The marks that it says not to add to if its there. So she's way overfull, and I ran it 40+ miles, blowing 1/2 quart (?) out. Has it blown a seal? What should I check for? I'll be the first in line tomorrow at the lube place... Jack Probably didn't hurt anything other than making quite a mess. Your tranny has a 1/4" steel vent line that comes out of the top of the tranny for just this reason. Too much pressure and the fluid will start blowing out the vent hole all over the underside of your vehicle if you are driving at a fairly high speed. Other times just driving it a few miles and then parking is enough to cause the fluid to come out the vent which should be noticeable by the big puddle under your vehicle.  Signature============================================================================ ================== Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ ================== > 98 Explorer, 4.0 SOHC, 108k miles. I took it in to the local > tire/brake/lube shop that has one of those machines that replaces all the [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jack Yet another VERY different answer to the question of how to determine correct tranny fluid level... sheesh... > Probably didn't hurt anything other than making quite a mess. Your tranny > has a 1/4" steel vent line that comes out of the top of the tranny for just [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > enough to cause the fluid to come out the vent which should be noticeable by > the big puddle under your vehicle. ============================================================================ > ================== > Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put > eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ > ================== > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > > > Jack Considering the fact that the title of this thread is "Possible tranny problem after service?" and the only two questions the OP asked were: "Has it blown a seal? What should I check for?", there is no indication that the OP was asking "how to determine the correct tranny fluid level.. sheesh..." Signature============================================================================ ================== Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ ================== > Yet another VERY different answer to the question of how to determine > correct tranny fluid level... sheesh... [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > by > > the big puddle under your vehicle. ============================================================================ > > ================== > > Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put > > eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ > > ================== > > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > > > > > Jack no, but the reference to the hatched area on the dipstick is a reference to "correct level" I am just amazed that in all the references and messages on this topic, nobody mentioned the "vent line" before... most previous statements were to the effect that overfilling could cause foaming and tranny failure... Not to mention the nastiness of overflowing in such a way as to coat the underside of the vehicle! More bad design... why not an overflow reservoir to prevent that? Radiators do a nice job of overflow and then later fluid recovery... why can't a tranny be designed that way? Sure beats trying to guess what a dipstick reading is... > Considering the fact that the title of this thread is "Possible tranny > problem after service?" and the only two questions the OP asked were: "Has > it blown a seal? What should I check for?", there is no indication that the > OP was asking "how to determine the correct tranny fluid level.. sheesh..." ============================================================================ > ================== > Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put > eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ > ================== > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > by > > > the big puddle under your vehicle. ============================================================================ > > > ================== > > > Due to an excessive amount of spam, if you want to send me an e-mail put > > > eniplA in the subject if you want me to see it. ============================================================================ > > > ================== > > > [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > > > > > > > Jack >no, but the reference to the hatched area on the dipstick is a reference to >"correct level" [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >later fluid recovery... why can't a tranny be designed that way? Sure >beats trying to guess what a dipstick reading is... The reason a tranny won't have an overflow bottle like the cooling system does is because the tranny is an open-to-the-air system, while the cooling system is a closed system. Any overflow from a tranny would stay in the overflow bottle, and never be sucked back into the tranny. In theory, the vent line is just that; not an overflow. If it overflows, there's something fairly wrong, and a bottle would hide that. SignatureBill Funk replace "g" with "a" > no, but the reference to the hatched area on the dipstick is a reference to > "correct level" [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > underside of the vehicle! More bad design... why not an overflow > reservoir to prevent that? Bad design? Not really. Why not just put the right amount of fluid in it and then it won't overflow? Otherwise, we'd want to put an overflow tank on the engine crankcase too? And how about that windshield washer bottle or brake fluid reservoir? > Radiators do a nice job of overflow and then > later fluid recovery... why can't a tranny be designed that way? Sure > beats trying to guess what a dipstick reading is... Reading a dipstick is not exactly rocket science... Even high school drop-outs seem quite capable of performing this amazing feat at the local gas station. ;-) A radiator is made with overflow because there is expected fluid expansion in an entirely fluid filled enclosure. The fluid needs somewhere to go. An auto transmission (or engine crankcase for that matter) is nowhere near full and has plenty of headspace to takeup the expansion when the fluid gets warm. -Fred W Of course the 5R55W transmission on the 02 Explorer doesn't even HAVE a dipstick. Is that "bad design"? I dunno, but I can't say I'm too enthusiastic. I'd like to check the level occasionally, and I'd like to look at the color of the fluid, too, without sliding my body under the vehicle. Bill Jeffrey ======================= > Bad design? Not really. Why not just put the right amount of fluid in it > and then it won't overflow? Otherwise, we'd want to put an overflow tank on [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > -Fred W Follow-up... The lube place pulled 6/10 of a quart back out and cleaned up the underside of the truck. It was probably a full quart over full, based on the amount underneath. All seems fine now. Was good to find out about the vent tube, so I know it's not a blown-out seal. Thanks! Jack > 98 Explorer, 4.0 SOHC, 108k miles. I took it in to the local > tire/brake/lube shop that has one of those machines that replaces all the [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jack |
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