1993 T-Bird, has some problems

[zeppelinrules]

Hi, I'm new here. Just have a few problems, and I'd appreciate it if you guys could point me in the right direction. Well, it leaks oil and power steering fluid. My brother who knows quite a bit about cars said it's probably the oil pan gasket and I'll have to pull the motor. Any other explanation? It seems to be leaking out of the oil pan, the rear section of it. Secondly, the power steering. I don't even know where that leaks, but he said it's probably the rack. So, what do you guys think I should do? Take it into a garage and have them look it over and give it a tune up? Thanks

[Jim Adams]

If you are mechanically inclined at all tune it up yourself or you will get a bill that will probably sicken you, and the only thing they can change as far as tune up is pulgs and wires, as for the leak in the rear of the oil pan it is probably the rear main seal,,Id power wash the under carriage and check it while running,,if it is the rear main ,,it may be a one piece seal Im not 100% sure in this case either the engine or the trans has to come out or at least the Trans be pulled back from the engine about 5 inches or more to replace the seal,,if the rack is leaking you may want to pull the engine to replace the seal and this would be an Ideal time to change the rack it is all exposed with engine out.

[zeppelinrules]

Yeah, you're right about the tune up. I was gonna get the undercarriage washed, but forgot about it, thanks for the reminder. Yeah, I'll do that sometime this week and check back in with you guys. Thanks

[zeppelinrules]

Well, good news and bad news. I was running it on jack stands to see where it leaks, and it's not really leaking that much oil. I'm still gonna pull her and replace gaskets and such (130K, she earned a freshening). There was always a puddle of fluid underneath the car. Well today I examined the source, there's a hole where the bellhousing of the tranny meets the (I think it's called a pressure plate?). The hole's about the size a .22 would make. It's all stock, a 93' 5.0. So I was thinking I could either A. Get a new bellhousing and pressure plate (Probably under a hundred bucks) or B. Replace the whole tranny. I was toying with the idea of putting a T-5 in it. Mines automatic, so I'd be a pretty big job. Or, I could just get another automatic tranny. With 130K on it, you gotta wonder how long she's gonna last. See, I'm going for solely gas mileage. I don't really care about power and stuff, it's got enough of that. With prices these days, it's purely gas economy. And lastly, I closed in on the power steering leak. It seems to be leaking out of a hose, or line or something of that nature. Could this be possible, and it not just be the rack? Thanks, and sorry if I did anything stupid, I'm pretty car illiterate.

[97Bird]

Is the fluid that's leaking oil or transmission fluid? The bellhousing bolts to the back of the engine block and the torque converter, which is inside the bellhousing, bolts to the ring gear (some will say torque plate). The ring gear is what the starter engages and what you see when you remove the inspection cover on the bottom front of the bellhousing. By your post I can't tell where the hole is actually. The problem with your power steering could be just a bad hose. Clean the hoses off good then start the car and turn the steering wheel a little bit in both directions then shut off and check the hoses for any sign of fluid. Most of the time when the hose is bad it's the high pressure hose.

[zeppelinrules]

Okay, I'll do the power steering trick. Yes, the fluid that's leaking is tranny fluid. I didnt describe it very well, but it's on the very far end of the bellhousing, in perspective to the rear of the car. Thanks

[97Bird]

With the inspection cover off of the bellhousing spin the engine over until you see the drain plug for the torque converter and be sure it is tight and not leaking. More then likely it is the front seal of the transmission that is leaking which requires the removal of the transmission to replace it. You could always try the "tranny repair in a can" that is supposed to swell old seals and stop the leak.

[zeppelinrules]

Yeah, I'm more relieved than anything. The oil stopped leaking after the oil change (filter gasket, leaking drain plug?), so I'm glad I won't have to rebuild it. I'm more experienced in trannies' than anything (Which is not that much, but still), so doing some work on that will be no problem. I'll just drop it out after I find the replacement parts.