This is on my 96. Ok so I had a tranny fluid leak. Looked like it was coming outta the pan so I dropped the pan and replaced the filter gasket and tranny fluid. There was only about half a gallon of fluid in the pan and filter. The fluid was a little dark but not really a burnt smell and no abnormal metal shavings. It looked like fluid that was 10k miles old. I last replaced it 10k ago. I put two gallons of fluid in it. The computer at the parts house said it took 6.2 qts for just the pan but when I put that in it did not seem to be showing on the dipstick so I put the rest in. Now I have a bad leak coming out of the inspection cover. I drove back to the parts house (1 mile away) to get more fluid and it leaked all the way. My buddy was sittin at a stop light next to me and saw a fair size puddle, but when I checked at the parts house it was just above cold on the stick. Sorry for the long story, but the question I have is, is there a place where excess fluid bleeds off there or is there a place that my tranny is leaking?

 

Sounds like the input shaft seal. I know they leak anyways with some mileage on them. Add too much fluid, and a minor leak will turn into a down pour! Thats were I would be shooting for.

 

Does that mean that once the overflow is gone that it should continue to hold its fluid?

 

If its the input shaft leaking then it will continue leaking till you replace it and if you overfilled the tranny fluid could be coming out the vent hole, but I don't know where the vent tube is on a ford automatic. Some vent through the fill tube and some automatic trannies even vent through a spot at the top of the bell housing, but I would still bet that it a input shaft seal

 

The vent is on top of the transmission at the rear, not on top of the bellhousing. Overfilling does not raise the internal pressure and make the seal leak. It can make fluid come out of the vent.

 

Hey, sorry to jump into your thread, but Mark, do you have a picture or diagram of the vent's location? I have a '97 E40D trany and the same story. I've gone through 2 (although they only charged for one) Autozone kits, I'm going to change it back to Ford Gasket at this point, although the Wix cork gasket that was on previously held decently until I decided to fix the "small drip" that now is a massive problem. I think I may have a clogged vent AND a bad pan gasket. I want to fix the vent before I go after the pan again. Thanks!

 

No, I don't. It's on the top of the trans near the front of the trans. It's not hard to find once you can see the top of the trans.

 

If you think have a plugged vent pull the dipstick out of the tube and put a rag with a rubber band or something over the end of the tube to keep dirt out. this will be a very open vent (unless the bottom of the tube is lower than the oil level)

 

If you have a psd then you have a e4od trans and it does not seem like 6.2 quarts would be enough if you pulled the pan. My guess would be closer to 10 fwiw

 

My guess is that 6 is about right. 10 quarts would be overfilled.

 

Good idea to help me eliminate symtoms and find the real issue, (which I am now sure was a bad pan gasket). Thanks!