Where could this leak be from??

(I hope this is not a double post-it didn't work the first time)

I'll try to do a short version...car has lost some, not a lot of trans fluid over the past 4 months. Car also lost power steering fluid, and leaky rack was diagnosed. There are many small drips on the blacktop, and 4-5 larger-dinner plate sized ones.

Finally got rack replaced as it made me nervous (son driving). A week later I see fresh fluid in the road, can't tell how much because it had rained for 3 days prior and road was barely dry-this would affect the spread etc.

Finally go to trans shop, now I'm nervous the big puddles were trans not steering. A friend had thought my pan gasket was leaky. Shop said no, it's not. He cleaned and painted the pan. Said Ford had likely dripped steering fluid that laid in the frame and finally dripped out (a week later?) He lifted car up (while I was there) and did see a leak onto the just painted pan, but none from the gasket area. IT was from the dipstick entry point, a little black thing that he replaced. He also noticed a hole in a vacuum tube/hose which he fixed too. He thought the car looked good and proclaimed it leak free.

No new big puddles this weekend--but he actually didn't drive a lot this weekend. It was in trans shop Friday, and today is Monday. I just found a new drip, small, spread of about 2 inches by 1 inch on my concrete driveway......

WHERE DID IT COME FROM????? COULD A TRANSMISSION SHOP REALLY MISS IT.....

I am scared to look under car. I wanted more time of happily thinking the car was fine..... It runs fine....My driveway is slightly inclined. Could it be excess from the trans shop topping it off? Normally it is parked flat.

Yes. A transmission shop could miss a leak. Where is it coming from? I don't know. You have to park it on a flat surface and see where the leak is. If the leak is from the front of the car, you should check the transmission cooler lines. I'm jsut mentioning that one since lots of folks have leaks there, and its not necesarily a place that people look.

Good luck. Let us know if you find the leak

You 're absolutely sure its trans fluid? After it leaks try smelling it, trans fluid and motor oil have very distinct odors. You could remove trans and engine dipsticks, smell them and see which odor/color is closest to fluid on the floor. You mentioned that shop cleaned trans pan does this mean they removed it? If they did then check fluid on the ground(just get a little on your fingers) should be fairly new(clear almost pink looking trans fluid).

It is without a doubt, pink and clean.

The trans shop did NOT remove the pan. He felt the fluid looked really good and didn't even think I should service it. It had been done by a prior owner, maybe about 20,000 ago.

I had brought it there suggesting a leaky pan gasket as a friend said it felt wet there. They cleaned the outside and sprayed it silver so we could spot leaks. This is how he noticed a little leak from the dipstick gasket.He said it ws the only spot. I could see the pan and nothing else leaked down the sides of it. I clearly asked him about the rest of the trans and he felt it looked fine.

I'm hoping it's just more leftover from the steering rack replacement, or maybe from him adding a bit of trans fluid. But, this car has been one thing after another.

Trans cooler lines were mentioned....wouldn't he have checked this too?? Where would they drip? DOn't they want to find things to fix?

Now I'm scared it's the steering pump....I also would have hoped FORD would have looked at that when they replaced the rack....

I'm tempted to let this leak for a while, and see what gets low! Sure don't want to dump more $$. It's a 2001 SEL bought used privately 4 months ago. Turning out to be a big mistake.......Didn't even get a great deal.

Is any part of the steering or trans possibilities cheap to get fixed?

I have been told the steering pump is on the right side (DOHC), where would trans cooler lines leak to?
Are these expensive jobs. Remember, I have the DOHC engine it it makes any difference.

"I'm tempted to let this leak for a while, and see what gets low!"
You can do that but as bad as it leaks it shouldn't take a mechanicial engineer to find it. "Now I'm scared it's the steering pump....'" The seals on the shaft go out and it leaks around the seals. Look at the belt pulley then behnd the pulley and see if you see fluid under the shaft on the pump fluid housing/tank/reservior. The thing the dip stick goes in. Remember, the power steering pump and tranny use the same fluid so it should look & smell the same. If the pump fluid has been in there a looonnggg time it will be darker but should have a pinkish tinge.

"I'm hoping it's just more leftover from the steering rack replacement, or maybe from him adding a bit of trans fluid." It could be, but it shouldn't take but a day or two for it to spend its self and dissipate then no more drips. From the way you describe it, it sounds like someone dumped a quart of oil on the engine.

"Is any part of the steering or trans possibilities cheap to get fixed?" Depends on what you're fixing. A tranny rebuiild is around $1500. but the lines or pan gasket are relatively inexpensive. I had my power steering pump replaced parts and labor about $150.

"Trans cooler lines were mentioned..." Look up front under the radiator and you should see two lines connected to the radiator, one line in and one out, probably rubber hoses or metal tubing. Look at the fittings that connect to the radiator and where they go in the tranny. Run your hand with a rag in it along the pipes looking for leaks. Fluid or oil leaks are usually very apparent.
Go to a store and get cardboard boxes and unfold them so they're flat and put under the whole engine and tranny, let it sit over night. Next morning the card board should have oil on it and be directly under the leak, or pretty close to it. If theres a lot of dripping and lot of wetness underneath that indicates a leak being blown around by wind and you'll have fluid all over the bottom of the engine & tranny. Oil is decieving in that a teaspoon full can spread out and look like a cup full.

If I had it in my hands here's what I'd do. I'd put it on a lift and get under it with rags and wipe it as dry as possible then crank it up and let it idle and see if I could spot the leak, turn the steering wheel back & forth to put pressure on the lines and if no leak let it down and put it in gear and drive a quarter mile then back up on the lift and look again. God luck & let us know how goes it.

C A U T I O N! Never put your hands anyplace you can't see them when the engine is running! Don't go shoving your hand up in a tight place with engine running because you get it caught in a pulley you can use it for fish bait. Also, some places are extremely hot and can burn you mighty bad. When the engine is running, LOOK for the leak, do not FEEL for it. Capish? If you have any doubts whatsoever abut what you are doing, remember, "Discretion is the better part of valor." Get someone who does know because it ain't worth a bad burn or losing a finger or hand.

'Nuff said. Nitey-nite. Zzzzzz.......

OK Huney1, Thank you for your detailed advice. I will print it and show a friend who can hopefully do this for me within a week or so(not on lift).

Meanwhile, I will observe, I have to be discreet as my husband will freak about spending more $ on this, (CONTINENTAL GARBAGE TIRE BLEW YESTERDAY!) so I'd rather keep him in the dark until I know how serious it is, making the cardboard part difficult...But fluid levels I can watch.

The trans guy did clean it up, lifted it, and found only the bit from the dipstick gasket. I'm sure another lift might tell the story now. He did not drive it after cleaning, but it was running. I know where the dip leak was, so mabe I can look under that area,maybe he didn't get it in right! That would be sweet.

I am afraid to find out, as I said. But hopefully it can be minor. I am mainly afraid of it being major trans. Also, my steering fluid is all new and my tran fluid is very clean--hard to tell them apart!

He has a friend (not a close friend) who works at jiffy lube and goes to technical school, maybe he can help.

The tire blew out the sidewall, yet they only had 15,000 miles or so on them (rear tire) and the tire store even said there was no reason to buy a set, they were pretty close.

Some people say, "old cars just leak"....If it's not losing a lot, don't worry about it........

"Also, my steering fluid is all new and my tran fluid is very clean--hard to tell them apart!" The power steering uses transmission fluid same as goes in the transmission (tranny) so if both are fresh fluid they should look and smell the same. 'Prolly Mercon or Mercon III but you can use Mercon V.

Dipstick tube - Yeah, that would be sweet if that was leaking. I thjnk they are pressed in or maybe have a washer or grommet on it and if that isn't there it would be very apt to leak. Go to a parts store in person because your face gets more attention than a phone call. Ask them how the tube goes in, if it is pressed in or what and if there should be a grommet or washer on it.

The Continental tires on mine rode so hard I swapped them out for Kumhos, think it was $215. for all four mounted and balanced and gave me a few bucks for the old ones.

"I am mainly afraid of it being major trans." Lets hope not. Don't take this as Gospel, but here's the way I see it: If there were major problems bits and pieces would be filtered out by the tranny fluid filter and you'd find bits and pieces of this and that on the filter. If the torque converter was going bad then there would be a lot of clutch slippage and it would get hot and the fluid would smell burnt & be a dark color from overheating. Slippage = friction = heat. Take a white paper towel and wipe some power steering fluid on it side by side with tranny dip stick fluid and they should look & smell the same, if not let us know. Tranny dip stick smells burnt that's a red flag but both fluids smell & look the same that's a good thing.

Read this link and it will give you a better perspective of what goes on in the tranny.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission.htm
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/torque-converter.htm

Appt'mnt to keep so must run but one of us will be here to help you.

Thanks a lot! The trans place put in the dipstick gasket thing, hoping maybe when he did it that it didn't seat right or something...

He thought my fluid looked good. He thinks the car looks good.

I have had 3 people look at this, over time for different things. I expressed concern on tranny leak due to color of fluid, but nobody ever say anything other than "maybe" the pan gasket leaking. Two of them were regular mechanic who didn't do tranny work. They said it could just be PS fluid on the pan from my leaky rack boot, and that it would be hard to tell until rack wasf ixed (it is now). Neither noticed any other tran leak.

I find it hard to beleive they all missed a tran leak, I guess it could be small and camflauged by the steering leak. So I'm clinging to it just being residue, but will have somebody look and see what's wet (if any).

I think it is more to the center/left than to the right, which sort of rules out PS pump, correct? Are the trans cooler lines more to the driver side than the passenger. Maybe it's that. Hope that's a small price.

Thanks again, I'll wait to post again until I see more leakage, or have info.
I appreciate your help. Oh yes, considering a PENN warranty, or something because I am afraid something big will develop. Already too late for steering rack...any opinions on warranties-not thru dealer?

Use your money towards vehicle repair, forget the service contract,, did you look at the Penn website?? I never heard of them, looked myself.. 100 dollar deductible per occurrence, after-hours emergency repairs chances are you aren't getting your money back, all repair estimates must be submitted for approval, how long is this?? Just a few I noticed. All repairs at agreed upon-price, shortcuts taken??? Who knows, sounds like a loser to me. Remember, they're in business to make money, not be your friend. If you're afraid of your car, you're just why they're in business. In that case, use your money towards a new car with the factory warranty.

In that case, use your money towards a new car with the factory warranty.


Love to, except it's my teenager that drives it. Even if he had the $ I wouldn't let him drive a new car. (insurance and carelessness).

He already dented this bumper, got lucky that with a little heating up he was able to pop it back out, and it was pretty deep.

It did it again!

It's been about a week since I last noticed a drip. That time was when it was parked in the slanted driveway. Nothing new seems to be in the street. I was letting it go, based on nothing new in street.

Last night it got egged, so he pulled in driveway and washed it. After washing it he pulled out and left long puddle in driveway. Hard to tell how much due to driveway was wet (cement)and I didn't see it until he has hosed it and spread it out. There was obvious pinkish brown stuff floating on the water when it puddled at the bottom of the drive (dirt from driveway plus water plus fluid).

He'll have someone look at it, but steering fluid is still quite full. Trans, after running 5-10 minutes is above the bottom line of the hatched area, but not by much. Whatever is leaking is dripping onto some part where it must accumulate and sit until it is parked on a slant........It seems to drip off slightly to the drivers side about even with the tires....

Could it be overheating and leaking out somewhere and sitting on the frame, but not doing it when we are trying to find it? I have heard of trans overheating, but how can you tell?

The engine may overheat if the trans runs too hot, since the rad cools both.. in summertime a lot of rad overheats are caused by overheating the trans, usually pulling a larger trailer with no auxillary cooler may do it, especially in hilly terrain. Fluid in the crosshatch area is fine, the hotter it is the higher the level will be,, trans fluid will not boil out of the trans vent.

I read something about drive axle seals or differentials and stuff. Would any of that leak closer to the driver side...Could they have messed up something when they replaced the steering rack? The rack itself did not look wet when it was on the lift for the trans leak to be checked.