Idle for 15 mins till warm up, but ATF leaks?

[PandaBear]

Seems like my Taurus is cursed. After a valve cover gasket job, the car won't start due to low battery voltage. I jump start it and idle for 15 mins to charge it up, and the next day I notice a huge puddle (about 2' by 1' in area) of ATF on the floor. There is also a trail of ATF drops that is along the location of the ATF dip stick.

By observation, the amount of spilled ATF is about 2 cups. The dip stick doesn't sit tight into the tube. What it seems like is a rubber seal is lost or the cap of the dipstick is disconnected out of the handle.

I'm not sure if my assumption or hypothesis is correct:

1)that the ATF overheat and boil over and spilled out of a vent (or the dip stick).

or

2)the car was sitting for a while and there was a slow leak that accumulate over 1 months.

or

3)the ATF didn't overheat, but gradual leak came out in the 15 mins of idle due to the dip stick misfit




any recommendation?

 

[The Critic]

I'm not sure where the ATF dipstick is, but that sounds like a fairly large leak.

Have you checked the radiator cooler lines for leaks?

 

[KilgoreBass]

Even with no dipstick at all, ATF should not be coming out unless its overfilled (assuming you're not doing something like off-roading in your Taurus!!!)

PS: maybe they removed your dipstick housing to access the valve covers, and it is leaking there, being loose, or a gasket (??), and that's why the dipstick feels loose, and you see fluid around the tube..

 

[StormRider]

What year is the car? I think there was a TSB out for G4 taurii (00-07) that installed a re-routed transmission vent line. The original vent line was either not sufficient or kinked I can't remember. Check out taurusclub.com, they would have more info...

 

[PandaBear]

The car is 2001 with Vulcan engine. I was doing the valve cover gasket myself and I did not remove anything ATF related. The last time the ATF was filled was at least 8000 miles ago.

I just noticed the TSB mid night last night as well, let's see how it goes.

 

[StevieC]

I would top off the transmission and run it for another 15 minutes and look under neath the car for leaks. If none can be found then it's probably it has a slow leak from a gasket.

In either case that is a lot of fluid in a short period of time.

 

[eljefino]

The top of the dipstick is a loose fit without much seal, but the bottom of the tube where it goes in the trans has an o-ring. Bet you anything this popped out when you did the VC gasket. Did you have to unbolt the dipstick tube from some bracket and move it out of the way? Bingo.

crawl underneath, the answer should be obvious.

 

[PandaBear]

Found the link to a blocked/stuck transmission vent. The fix looks so ghetto I wouldn't believe it at first.

http://www.taurusclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51551

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The top of the dipstick is a loose fit without much seal, but the bottom of the tube where it goes in the trans has an o-ring. Bet you anything this popped out when you did the VC gasket. Did you have to unbolt the dipstick tube from some bracket and move it out of the way? Bingo.

crawl underneath, the answer should be obvious.


The dip stick is behind everything I need to remove and is very close to the firewall, I check it almost once a week (since I know Taurus is reputable for tranny problem) and I know how it should feel, and yes, I noticed that it is popped out rather than forgot to be put back in, 90% sure.

The "unreliable fluid level reading" part of the TSB also matches what fluid level I'm reading as well (way above full mark).

 

[Gary Allan]

Ghetto? Looks just fine to me. My jeep has 4 snorkeled vents and tons of clamps. What am I missing.


Ghetto seems to be a popular critical term over at Taurus Club.

I kinda liked this response ..this wasn't you, was it, Panda?

That's one GHETTO tranny vent. I wouldn't want some long hose routed around my engine bay and held in place with hose clamps - I rather just let the tranny leak.


I had 2 big 100watt Cibie driving lights on my 79 VW Rabbit diesel. I had them rigged in with the high beams. I was saying that it was a shock for someone who didn't put their high beams down when you "flashed them". Homer said, in a reaction that can only be viewed as ego trumping intelligence, "I wouldn't do that, I'd probably just he-et heem".

That's how silly it would be to tolerate a drooling slob of a trans with it's nose running ...snotting up anywhere and everywhere ..all for the sake of not feeling "ghetto"

 

[eljefino]

I'm not talking about the stick itself, rather the tube in which it resides. The bottom may have an o-ring in the trans with a friction fit and little else to keep it from popping loose.

One should always check what's in the periphery of what they messed with. Mess with the valve covers, check what could have been jarred. If the trans dipstick tube attaches at the rear of the top of the engine, not firewall, (I suspect this is the case), it could have been jarred in the job. The bottom may have little to nothing attaching it!

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Ghetto? Looks just fine to me. My jeep has 4 snorkeled vents and tons of clamps. What am I missing.


Ghetto seems to be a popular critical term over at Taurus Club.

I kinda liked this response ..this wasn't you, was it, Panda?

That's one GHETTO tranny vent. I wouldn't want some long hose routed around my engine bay and held in place with hose clamps - I rather just let the tranny leak.


I had 2 big 100watt Cibie driving lights on my 79 VW Rabbit diesel. I had them rigged in with the high beams. I was saying that it was a shock for someone who didn't put their high beams down when you "flashed them". Homer said, in a reaction that can only be viewed as ego trumping intelligence, "I wouldn't do that, I'd probably just he-et heem".

That's how silly it would be to tolerate a drooling slob of a trans with it's nose running ...snotting up anywhere and everywhere ..all for the sake of not feeling "ghetto"

No, I'm still PandaBear everywhere (unless someone already took that name, then I'll use something else).

Anyhow. I'm finally able to understand why someone still have a debate over why American car sucks or not. People have different expectation and while something like a snorkel, sticky tape, brittle plastic pieces, and electrical tape are acceptable by some and calling a car good quality, others look at it as merely acceptable or even ghetto or junk. I'm somewhere in between, accept it as a fact of our lowered standard yet not willing to pay for it.

Seems like if they just put a splash shield inside the transmission there is no need for all these, and every single other automatic transmission I've seen have no issue with vent getting stuck (not yet at least, knock on wood).

 

[PandaBear]

Nice drawing eljefino. It makes me want to use it as my aviator.

The dip stick for the ATF is about 1 foot away from the nearest corner of the valve cover. I'll double check where is it connected to and thanks for the reminder, but I'm 90% sure it wasn't mounted to the engine.



This morning I check under the car (after parking outside overnight), bone dry and no leak. So it seems like it is the warming up of the ATF when parked that expanded something (air pocket or the ATF itself) and pushed the fluid out. The vent and the dip stick tube are about 6-10" apart and around those area I've seen some wet fluid stain with old dust/dirt.

I have a fear that there may be multiple leaks in place.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Nice drawing eljefino. It makes me want to use it as my aviator.


Shouldn't your aviator be a panda?

 

[Propflux01]

Aviator?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Aviator?


The little photo thumbnail under your user name.

 

[mechtech2]

Looks like a Rorshach Test.

[But very good info!]

 

[Propflux01]

I thought it was called an Avitar

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
People have different expectation and while something like a snorkel, sticky tape, brittle plastic pieces, and electrical tape are acceptable by some and calling a car good quality, others look at it as merely acceptable or even ghetto or junk. I'm somewhere in between, accept it as a fact of our lowered standard yet not willing to pay for it.


Sure. 'Rigging was a common term. What most would find comical is that there was/were/is "equal but separate" terms depending on your cultural origin. 'Billy rigging was one such term. Now the undifferentiated "GHETTO" is not only more PC, but more accurate.

That said, most trans and cooling hose is attached with a clamp ..all of my wire loom junctions wrapped in fabric tape

..but beyond all that, this vent, as it was offered OEM, obviously didn't have issues well into the aftermarket realm of repair/service/maintenance.