1997 Windstar Transmission Problem

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:19:53 -0400, Joe's Newsgroup rearranged some electrons to say:

Did you happen to check the fluid level?

| > I have towed my boat before, but this time after about 100 miles, and a | > few hills but not a particularly hard run YET, the tranny started to | > slip. Then really badly. | > I only ran maybe 1/8 after a mile and luckily pulled into a gas station | > with a big lot, thank God. | >

| > To my horror the fluid looked like it was streaming out of the front | > seal, but I could not see the seal because it is behind a shield, that | > the starter goes through. | > The fluid was coming out for quite a while, it was all underneath the | > length of the undercarriage. | >

| > I put a quart in to park and the tranny worked, but it all came out from | > the same spot in a steady stream, where the engine meets the tranny. | >

| > It was towed back, AAA Gold Rules, because it was 99 miles!!! So no | > charges but only tolls! | >

| >

| > Put 7 quarts in yesterday, NO LEAKING AT ALL, and I drove it for several | > miles, shifting and no problems. | > Just wanted to see where it was coming from, but it kept taking it and | > did not leak! | > My background is a capable backyard mechanic not afraid to tackle any | > job. I have replaced tranny's on drive shaft vehicles no problem, but | > front wheel drive looks like a pain in the ass! | >

| > FORD GUYS PLEASE HELP! | >

| > WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED? | >

| > Thanks in advance. | > Joe | | Did you happen to check the fluid level?

I had a very similar experience with a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon while on vacation in Big Bend State Park. I pulled into a campground and going into it, there was a very steep downward sloping hill.

When I needed to get back up the hill (I was towing a camping trailer), instead of getting a running start, I crept up to the incline then goosed it to get up and over. The car lost all of its pulling power and transmission fluid was all over the ground.

I think the pressure exerted on the front pump exceeded the front pump seal's ability and fluid just came squirting out.

After assessing the situation and driving the vehicle around the campground for a couple of minutes (and it was still pulling OK), I decided to take another run at the hill - with a running start this time - and successfully negotiated it without any other complications for the rest of the vacation (after topping off the ATF fluid level).

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:23:53 -0500, Steve rearranged some electrons to say:

Sounds like the OP just overheated the transmission, and like your experience, exceeded the seal's ability to keep the fluid in. But the question I had for him was: "when was the last time he checked the fluid level?" If it was low to begin with, then that could have caused it to overheat.

The fluid level was good prior to the trip.

I have been driving it for a few days now. But now I will be really gunshy about towing.

NOT A DROP COMING OUT.

Thanks Joe

Not towing anymore may be a good idea... Some vehicles do better than others WRT towing.

Just for curiousity's sake, when you were towing did you have the tranny in Overdrive? I did that in a Jeep Cherokee I used to have. Towed an empty Uhaul trailer home from the rental place in OD(heck, the trailer was empty after all)and all of a sudden it spewwed fluid everywhere. Filled it back up and the next day towed that trailer(now full to capacity)1800 miles in Drive instead of OD with no further problem.

Yes, I did not have the OD off button pressed.

I thought of that the other day because, I go over everthing in my head, all angles. If I do tow in the future the OD WILL BE OFF. STILL NO LEAK!! THANKS EVERYONE. JOE

Another O/D tip-of-the-day ...

When you come to a long incline on the freeway, and the transmission shifts down from OD into whichever the next lower gear is, gains a bit of speed, shifts into OD again, then repeats, press the OD button to force the transmission to hold the lower gear until you get to the top of the hill and level off, or crest the hill and begin the decent down the other side.

The transmission should not be allowed to hunt back and forth for the gear needed to climb the hill. It is far better for your car or truck if you force the transmission to hold the lower gear while going up a long grade.