I have a 95 E150 cargo van with the "big" V8 and auto tranny. A few blocks from my house, I notticed globs of black smoke coming from me! I stopped and saw some oil pouring from out of the bottom of the van right around the bell housing. By the feel of it I thought that it must be ATF (it did not feel or smell like engine oil) and in all I estimate that maybe 2-3 quarts have leaked out on the ground and God knows how much before I stopped (but probably not too much as I watch my mirrors a lot) - the smoke was from it hitting the exhaust pipe as it was pouring out. It was coming out pretty fast...

I was only 2 blocks from my house, so I babyed it home and by the time I got there the leak stopped (likely ran out of fluid). Now the problem is that I cannot figure out where the leak was at!

I thought it was ATF, but after fiding the well-hidden dipstick and checking it a number of times, it looks to me (light pink stuff) is perfectly at the "cold" level with the engine off. (Should I warm it up and check the "hot" level? If so, do I check with the engine off or on?)

Engine oil is full. Power steering is OK. Brakes are OK. It drove home (2-3 blocks) just fine and I moved it around the driveway - everything feels OK...
I am now puzzled, what the heck could have leaked out?? It has got to be ATF, but the dipstick looks OK....

 

...so check it with the engine running. Exception was a '98 Acura TL that I had that had you check the AT fluid cold, engine off...

I'm assuming you smelled and saw the fluid, so you're in the best position to know if it was ATF, oil, or antifreeze...although burning ATF and oil would make blue smoke, not black smoke, in my experience....

Possible your trans was overfilled and you blew some fluid out of the front trans seal or something if as you say it was coming from the bellhousing...keep a watchful eye on the fluid level from here on in, now that you've found the dipstick....

George

 

Hi George,

Thanks for the reply.

Thing is, this is a van that I have driven for over 20k miles (it has about 110 on it now) with virtually NOTHING done on it. I had the oil changed a few times, but that's it - its a workhorse. Last time oil was changed was maybe about 3000mi ago, so there is no way that the tranny may have overfilled itself with me sleeping...

The oil felt and smelled like ATF... Given that the cold level is good, what is the procedure for checking "hot" level? How much should I run it? And should I check it with the engine on or off?

 

In case that I need to top it off, what kind of fluid do I need to put there? Will generic ATF work?

 

I *believe* that in your older van, regular Mercon (not Mercon V) would have been the standard fluid. Ford has "sort of" discontinued making Mercon recently but you can find it in most auto parts stores.

Check the owner's manual to be sure you're not supposed to be using Mercon V but I believe that spec was newer than your van....just checked and it was introduced in 1997, so Mercon....

George

 

Your '95 will take regular Dextron/Mercon fluid. If it was leaking from the bottom of the bellshousing it is for sure ATF. If you have an 5.8 liter motor, then you have the E4OD automatic and these are famous for dumping fluid out the front seal.

Either it overheated or the pump bushing spun. Either would cause a big leak at the front seal.

To check the fluid level, start the engine, leave the transmission in park and pull the transmission dipstick. Be sure to wipe the stick thoroughly and then cycle the stick and note the level.

 

In the event that your diagnosis is correct, what is the solution? New tranny?

Does the tranny need to be removed to permform the repairs? I have done engine, tranny, clutch swaps before and have the tools to do it. How much of a PITA would it be to do the work?

 

The fix depends on why its leaking. If it just got a little hot, then a new front seal may fix it. To replace the seal, the tranmission has to come out.

However, if it overheated because the torque converter clutch is slipping, or failed completely, then an overhaul is likely required. In some instances, a new torque converter may be the only problem, but don't bet on that.

If it overheated badly enough, the pump bushing could have spun in the pump body. If this is the cause then it will likely require an overhaul as well.

I should note that pulling an E4OD is like pulling any other automatic except that it is very big and very heavy. A proper transmission jack is a necessity.

 

Thanks a lot man - I appreciate the insight. This is my workhorse and it just sucks that this happened out of nowhere! One lucky thing is that it happened close to home and I didnt need to tow it...

 

There IS indeed a way for the transmission to become overfilled while you slept. First, have there been ANY coolant issues at all, as in unusual coolant consumption?

The reason I ask is I once had a four year old S-10. Took it on a moderately long trip and on the way home I started having "temp. gage" issues. It drifted up and down, in the winter! Once home I started looking for the cause, which got worse. I replaced everything, fanbelt, thermostat, fan clutch, finally, the water pump. Apparently that truck had never had its coolant changed. No, no leak at bearing...NO FINS, no little paddles to pump the water around...they were rusted off completely.

Fast forward a few months when I had sold it to a really mechanically retarded couple. Their weekly "LONG" trip was 7 or 8 miles, I drove 50-100 a day! Immediately they began having transmission problems. Finally I went over to look at it for them and the transmission fluid was 3 inches up the dipstick! I knew it was OK when I sold it to them. I accused them of overfilling it (I said they were retarded mechanically...the truck had nearly new brake pads on the front, so when it started not shifting right, the man put on a new set of front brake pads!).

Then I noticed the transmission fluid seemed a bit milky-red. It had coolant in it and the radiator was low- the overflow tank empty.

I told them I'd fix it if they would pay the $900 balance they owed. I figured it needed a new radiator (the transmission cooling coil had apparently rusted through like the water pump), a good transmission flush, a new filter and a fresh change of oil. They wanted a new transmission. I told them I was sorry, and left them alone. I hope they were able to fix it for the $900 they supposedly had waiting for me.

So, never say never, it could have happened. It also could have had motor oil inadvertantly added...if you used a quick lube, that is. Maybe the temps just never got high enough for it to "boil" over.

Here's a hint...warm the engine, check the level of the transmission fluid with engine running, in park or neutral, and wipe the dipstick on a clean white paper towel, using a different corner of the towel for before and after wipes. The fluid will wick into the towel and leave behind the colored dirt and contamination at the wiping point. Look at the second wipe, the one that is the freshest oil from the tranny. All nice and bright red? Blackish? Brownish? Pinkish/creamy? How does it smell? Burnt? Like fresh oil?

A good initial analysis along with symptoms of where the oil was exiting will guide you. I've had some goofy acting transmissions that were just trying to tell me their filter was plugged and their oil was dirty. For my money, it's an expensive gamble to changed the oil and filter...if it doesn't work, but a darned cheap fix if it does work.

Use your senses and judgment to help decide what kind of gambler you are.