Tranny fluid on garage floor

[spk2000]

Well I have an issue that cylinder 1 is misfiring on my 03 mercury sable. Pulled it in garage a week ago and it has been parked there. Put a new coil pack on as I thought that was the issue. Started car yesterday and misfire not as bad but still there. Now going to change the plug wire and see if it goes away.

Went out and saw a large puddle under car. Wiped it with a paper towel and it's red transmission fluid. Wonder why it just decided to start leaking. Puddle is about 5-6 feet long and 1 foot wide so a fairly large leak not just dripping. Looks like it's coming from the pan area leaking near the oil plug so initially I thought it was oil. will jack it up and take a look later once it cools down some. Think it's the tranny pan gasket most likely. It was serviced prior to my purchase of vehicle by Valvoline Quick Stop. Not sure how they did it yet.

 

[Warstud]

Wipe it down and tighten the bolts down.

 

[CharlieBauer]

"the vent cap becomes gummed up resulting in the trans fluid being forced up the dip stick tube and running down the side of the transmission. To the untrained eye you would think your pan is leaking"

https://www.taurusclub.com/threads/ax4n-transmission-leak-fixed-vent-cap.235977/

And check the fluid level, when running and at operating temperature, very carefully.

It was probably serviced incorrectly.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Boy, did you break a mirror or something?...–

 

[tomcat27]

in the future, if you have a misfire, switch two of the coil packs and see if the problem moves. then try switching spark plugs.

 

[BozoDeClowne]

Originally Posted by CharlieBauer
"the vent cap becomes gummed up resulting in the trans fluid being forced up the dip stick tube and running down the side of the transmission. To the untrained eye you would think your pan is leaking"

https://www.taurusclub.com/threads/ax4n-transmission-leak-fixed-vent-cap.235977/

And check the fluid level, when running and at operating temperature, very carefully.

It was probably serviced incorrectly.



This! The official "fix" from Ford is to replace the vent cap with a length of hose that gets zip-tied up by the brake booster. I had this happen on a high-mileage 03 and the hose solved the issue.

 

[spk2000]

It's a single coil pack but I could move wires on the pack. Great idea.

 

[sloinker]

The problem with rendering repairs on an '03 Sable is the economics of repair. Anything that exceeds the junkyard/craigslist price threshold is too much an investment of money, not to mention time. So I figure anything above about $100 on the Sable is time/money wasted. Now that's my reality, others may differ.

 

[CharlieBauer]

I should also have mentioned that the vent cap can cause a problem by being pushed down all the way. It should be half on.

 

[PandaBear]

I had that exact problem with an 01 Taurus. A puddle of ATF on the floor.

Searched online and found a TSB, you need to go to the dealer to buy a $17 (a while ago) vent replacement and you can replace the transmission vent with this at home, then add a few feet of tubes on top and make a snorkel out of the top. This eliminates the problem once and for all. I did it with a few pliers and a hammer (the back of the hammer you use to pull nails is actually very good for pulling out the old vent).

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Are you sure it's not a power steering line?