I pulled my 1996 E350 into the shop last night, and there was a trail of tranny flued on the concrete, and a puddle under the torque convertor area after I shut it off. I restarted the truck, and it was almost running out again-very fast drip. Now what?

The tranny is a Ford Reman'd unit, with app 30k on it, and I'm pretty sure the converter was also replaced. It doesn't have the drain plug on the convetor, bit I suspect the seal went out at the front of the tranny.

I guess I'm lucky it happened when it did, as I just got home after pulling a trailer weighing app 10k for about 45 miles, but I didn't pull it hard and fast, never over 55, and the last 2 miles about 35 due to rough roads. I had just unhooked the trailer, restarted the truck and put it in the shop when it started leaking. Not even a puddle at the spot I stopped at to unhook the trailer, but then a few hundred feet later a nice (NOT) trail of fluid. I checked the level, and it was just at the low end of the Full when hot level, so it hadn't leaked long.

What's the solution? Pull the tranny and replace the seal?

 

Believe it or not the solution is to wait till it's cooled off. It just may stop leaking but a new front seal might be in your future. Not to hard to replace except the tranny needs to come out There are a couple posts here that had the same leak under the same circumstances and the leak went away after it cooled down overnight. You likely got the tranny pretty hot. The last 2 miles might have done it, not enough air moving over the cooler? WHo knows. The extra heat softens the seal which creates a leak is the best explaination others have come up with. A better tranny cooler solved one IIRC.

 

I agree with Jim on the cause. that last 2 miles is what heated your tranny up. It time for a bigger tranny cooler and a tranny temp gauge. Then you will know what going on there. If it doesn't stop leaking then your looking at a new front seal. any chance the tranny is still under warrantee?

 

Not likely under warranty. I think it only had a 12k, 12 month warranty. I didn't think it would heat up when going slow since I was only in 2nd at the time. But I guess it makes sense with low airflow across the cooler. Well, we will see what it's like tomorrow.

I don't pull a heavy trailer often, and this is the first time it's done this. I guess I thougt slow was better as less load, but who would have known.

 

Oh yah, I forgot to mention about reverse. Backing-up your trailer will get the tranny hot too, especially if you were going up a slight incline. If backing the trailer for ~100 feet or jockying back and forth, the tranny gets hot really quick. Then shutting the engine off will heatsoak the oil. It usually pukes about this time. I leave the truck running (idled up) while disconnecting the trailer. If your trailer has surge brakes it even worse if you don't lock-out the master cylinder on the trailer. The brakes on the trailer are holding itself back.

 

Yeh, I backed up the trailer, but it was on level ground, and it was empty after I unloaded the TLB so that shouldn't have been an issue, but it may have been just enough to do it. Probably because I shut the engine off for the 5 min or so it took to unload the tractor before backing the trailer up to park it. Dang, now I know better

 

Man are hese transmissions really that flimsy?
I thought they were supposed to be tough when I bought my van.
I mean I heard they werent the best thing later on but god thinking your babying it and it craps?

 

How hard is it to change that front seal? Anybody got a good step-by-step? I am flying up to Philly today to go get that shuttle bus I bought last year and the tranny is leaking fluid out from the front. If I fill it up and drive it it shifts good and drives out nice so I want to fix the leak and head home to South Florida in it.

 

"Not likely under warranty. I think it only had a 12k, 12 month warranty. I didn't think it would heat up when going slow since I was only in 2nd at the time. But I guess it makes sense with low airflow across the cooler. Well, we will see what it's like tomorrow.

I don't pull a heavy trailer often, and this is the first time it's done this. I guess I thougt slow was better as less load, but who would have known. "

I think that is incorrect. Ford is pretty proud of their Re-man E4ODs and I believe they have a 2 year warranty when bought at the Dealership. I would be dialing them up and rattling some cages if it were me. 30k on a re-man tranny should be dealt with by Ford IMO.

 

Unfortunately, it has also been about 3-1/2 years ago, so it's too old.

 

What does a reman from Ford go for?

 

Time goes by faster than you think. It was installed in Sep of 02, and cost $2727 installed. And the mileage is just under 40k.

 

Gray seal was the culprit. I bought the Viton replacement. I just got it out and lowered down enough to pull the old seal and tap in the new one. I slid the torque converter back on and I'm going to lift the tranny back up into place tomorrow morning and see how she does. I'm pretty sure it was just leaking from the center seal from torque converter to pump. There didn't seem to be any leakage around the pump housing. I'm hoping that it goes back together and is done. Fluid looked good as it leaked out. If I get her back together and the leak is gone I will change the filter and fluid and head south 1,200 miles to home. I have a transmission temperature gauge I am going to install too with a little metal pod that I will mount alone up on the dash by the pillar. I'm pretty sure it was rebuilt. The torque converter has the following stamped on it: REMANUFACTURED XL 3Z DARM 01601P and there are spots of blue paint and some partially deteriorated painted numbers in different places like rebuilders use to ID their own personal rebuilds. Is there anything else I need to do before I put it back together? Thanks, Eric

You guys are the best!!!!!!!

 

Well it doesn't leak since it cooled down, so I think I got lucky. But I will keep an eye on it.

 

I was able to remove the TC and change the seal without actually completely removing the tranny. There is just enough travel in the slip joint and just enough room all the way around to undo everything on the front of the tranny and drop it straight down and slide off the TC and replace seal and slide it back in and jack the tranny back up into place without unhooking the driveshaft. Unhooked the cooling lines, dropped the crossmember, flexplate bolts removed, pulled the bolts out around the bell housing, removed center carrier bolts and Voila, slid her back a little and dropped it down. Jacked up the engine a little and had plenty of room to work.