Leaking something? HELP PLEASE

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
Ford SportTrac Forum

Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

Marsha Walker

Active Member
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
219
Reaction score
0
Location
Des Moines, IA
Hello All,



I have been trying to nurse my Trac but she's starting to fail me. This morning I came out to a fluid leak which looks to be redish (possibly tranny fluid) but it was located almost directly under the radiator and a little to the passenger side. I was headed to work so I was in good clothes. Haven't looked underneath yet. Any ideas? Thanks
 
The tranny cooler lines are located on the passenger side of the truck. You'll see two 1/4 inch or 3/8 lines that run together from the under the radiator back to to the transmission. If you look into gap in the bumper, below the lic plate, to the right of the passenger side fog light you can see these two lines tie into rubber lines that run to the transmission cooler. Look for a leak where the steel lines transition to the rubber lines as well as the rubber hoses that tie into the tranmission cooler mounted on the passenger side in front of the radiator. A hose clamp could have popped loose, or the hose cracked with age, or the cooler could even be leaking.



Also pop the hood and look at backside of the radiator, at the drives side the trans cooler lines bolt into the radiator in two spots on the backside of the radiator below the radiator cap.



You could also have a power steering leak a wells, since power steering fluid is also red.
 
Thanks Shawn! I didn't drive it yesterday and we have had some cold weather here. Over night temps were around 20 degrees. The steering was a little tight this morning when I first pulled out of the driveway but I am not sure how much I should attribute the cold and not driving it to a possible leak in the power steering. On the way to work, the steering didn't feel as tight as when I first pulled out of the driveway but I was being very ginger with it since I wasn't sure if it was brake fluid or something like that. Any idea of what I am looking at cost wise to fix?
 
Break fluid starts off clear when new, but turns a blackish green with age, if you haven't flushed your break fluid then I doubt that's the source.



With it being cold it can affect the power steering, check the fluid level for the power steering. The power steering reservoir will be on the drives side of the engine right up front, see if it's low. If it's low that might be your source, steering could be a little tight until the fluid comes up to temp.



The repair could be simple or could be something more depending on what is leaking. I would start looking around to isolate the leak first, which can be treaky since the fluid runs all over the place. Hopefully you'll get lucky and get a cheap simple repair.
 
Your leak is ATF, either from the cooler lines or from the power steering which also uses ATF. The steering stiffness you noticed is due to fluid's thickening (viscosity increase) in cold temperature. If you want better cold weather performance from both tranny and steering, use synthetic ATF.
 
you probably have rusted out tranny lines... BTDT... splice in new lines w/ compression fittings, or go with hose... Mine let loose real quick after the first leak.. your trans fluid is already synthetic, not sure of the PS fluid.. flushing both is probably a good idea...
 
ahhh, sorry a little slow! I checked the fluid level of the tranny and it is up. WHen I went out at lunch there was only a spot the size of a half dollar. Would it be pumping it out as I go down the road? I plan on taking it in tomorrow morning but the nearest Ford dealer is about 20 miles away. Any idea if the Ford dealership would "splice in new lines w/compression fittings or go with hose" if I tell them to, to keep the cost down?
 
My guess would be that a dealer would want to replace the entire line that was leaking (more parts sales and more labor charges) where an independent mechanic would be more in tune with fixing what is broken, Or at least present you with an option.



With that said, the dealer will probably not say what will be done until they look for the problem and then tell you what they have found and say what their plan is to fix it. If they say they want to replace an entire line, you can always suggest that they consider inserting a spliced in flex hose as an alternative and see if they are agreeable.



 
You're not likely to leak a lot of ATF while driving as there's not a lot of pressure in the cooler lines. Different story if one of them fails completely. IMO, most service technicians (dealership and independent) are going to replace parts needed to complete the repair. That's what they have to do to offer warranty on their job. If you're after minimum cost then you'll need to DIY it. Plenty of advice available here.
 

Latest posts

Top