Oil is leaking under van - advice?

[Van-Tramp]

Casey, while $200 does sound too bad it is likely that the real fix would cost only $5 and an hour's labor to do yourself.

Case in point; a quote for a transmission fluid flush and filter for my van was $125 from a shop. I did it myself in 30 minutes for $11 including the fluid. There is only one point a transmission can leak; the pan gasket. It cost $3.80 cents (your can is similar to mine). 12 bolts later the gasket was replaced and I added in fresh oil. It is impossible to do it wrong... get a Hayes manual for your van it will walk you through these things and save you a small fortune over the years.

With that said, only you know your limitations. If you feel you can not do it on your own, the $200 isn't bad. Make sure they replace the filter and adjust the bands for that price though. If not, go find a Grease Monkey (or Walmart even) and they will do all that same work (including replacing the gasket) for $125 or less.

Now get ready for this; You should be doing this EVERY YEAR. Tranny oil and filter change is a yearly maintenance item. So learning to do it yourself will save you a ton of money,

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Let me add, if you know these guys at Chevron and trust them, the $200 is not a rip-off. Peace of mind is worth the few extra dollars. So, don't pass on them just to save a few dollars if there is a relationship of trust between you and them.

Happy to hear the real problem was found quickly. Good luck

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Sell all of the watches and buy a new van.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Sell all of the watches and buy a new van.

You're crackin' me up

Maybe sell at least one and take an automotive course at the community college.

 

[caseyc]

VanTramp, thanks for the useful information! Much appreciated. Unfortunately, I don't trust myself so I will have to go to a mechanic I trust. I didn't realize tranmission oil should be replaced yearly.

 

[Patrick46]

There is only one point a transmission can leak; the pan gasket.

WHAAAAAAAAA??????? Are you kidding me???

so, the front and rear main seals never leak?? Or how 'bout the 'O' ring for the dipstick?

I've had every single one of these leak at one time or another. Not quite sure where you're getting your infomation.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I get your point Patrick, and you are correct there are other places it *could* leak from. Personally I have never seen a trans leak from any other place than the pan gasket and the odds are that 90% of the times will would be the pan gasket, but I should have used wording to say that.

Let us know Caseyc

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

WHAAAAAAAAA??????? Are you kidding me???

so, the front and rear main seals never leak?? Or how 'bout the 'O' ring for the dipstick?

I've had every single one of these leak at one time or another. Not quite sure where you're getting your infomation.

Plus, where the tranny cooler lines hookup to the tranny. One or the other could be loose.

Regards
John

 

[caseyc]

I'm going to try to fix the transmission leak sooner than later, hopefully today. Anyone have good experience with Sears Automotive for repairs? The only reason I would go to Sears is cuz they have high ceiling clearance for my vehicle (long story). Ford dealer also has high ceiling clearance, but they are super busy. The other repair shops such as Chevron and my personal mechanic have low ceiling clearance, hence I can't go to them, at least not at this time until I first remove the storage units from my vehicle roof top which won't be until next week.

By the way, the only place that has actually seen the vehicle leaking out transmission fluid is Jiffy Lube. The manager went under the vehicle and saw the leak and told me transmission fluid is leaking, but he didn't tell me exactly where it's leaking. The only place I've seen it leaking with my own eyes is from the center of the van onto the ground. The Chevron mechanic never saw the vehicle, he simply gave me a general estimate of cost of repair. The Chevron guy said it's a relatively easy repair only requiring a couple parts or so. Obviously, the majority of the cost would be labor, since parts are probably inexpensive I'm guessing. I trust the Chevron station mechanics and know those guys personally, as they have done work on my van previously.

Question: How long does it take for all the transmission fluid to leak out entirely? Even though Jiffy Lube filled the transmission fluid to full yesterday, I noticed a puddle after parking for a few hours later in the day after the Jiffy Lube visit. I'm hoping it would take at least several days (up to a week) before the transmission fluid completely leaks out. I need time to take off the cargo boxes from my roof which won't be until later this weekend.

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Edit: On second thought, I think I'll skip Sears Auto. I just now called them, and the rep told me they probably need to keep the vehicle overnight, and may take a day to order the right parts. I had been to this same Sears Auto before for a battery replacement and other minor things, and I was NEVER impressed by their customer service. They are usually too busy, and their reps are not particularly attentive.

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By the way, the transmission fluid (or lack thereof) caused my vehicle to almost stall while driving. For example, when I drove up a city street up a hill to a stop sign, the van had a minor pause trying to accelerate from a stopped position up a hill. It almost felt like the transmission was in neutral rather than drive. Now that the transmission fluid is full again, I did not experience that same pause/stall problem while stopped at a city street on a hill. Would lack of transmission fluid have caused that stall problem?

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Look down at your hands, see your index finger and the one next to it? Cross them on both hands and hope its not the input seal at the torque converter. Its also usually not just the seal that is the issue. If its leaking from the bell housing area yer pertee much SCREWED. If there is torque converter and front pump bearing wear, you will end up with a trans job.

 

[caseyc]

So if there is damage, would that have been caused due to my negligence in not filling the transmission fluid in time, which caused wear and tear strain? Or are you saying that due to the age of the vehicle (1995), the potential extra damage might have happened anyway? Maybe I should have the mechanic do a diagnostic test to determine if anything else might be wrong?

Look down at your hands, see your index finger and the one next to it? Cross them on both hands and hope its not the input seal at the torque converter. Its also usually not just the seal that is the issue. If its leaking from the bell housing area yer pertee much SCREWED. If there is torque converter and front pump bearing wear, you will end up with a trans job.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Couple of observations:

Your automatic transmission has a pump in it that circulates the tranny fluid throughout the transmission. What you are seeing under the vehicle when you park and turn it off could only be the tip of the iceberg. You have no idea how much fluid you are losing while you are driving down the street and the pump is working. You need to be checking that tranny dipstick every chance you get.

Seals almost never develop problems on their own. It's almost always a bad bearing that causes a seal to fail. With a good bearing, the shaft rotates true and the seal functions as designed. As the bearing wears the shaft starts to wobble, and when the wobble becomes bad enough, it wrecks the seal. If you just put a new seal in and leave the worn bearing, the wobbling will destroy the new seal in short order.

(BTW, the wobble I am talking about is not visible to the naked eye. You would need to use a dial indicator on the spinning shaft to see it.)

Finally, when it comes to nationwide chains like Sears or Walmart, I suspect the quality of the service varies from store to store, depending on the skill of the mechanics they are able to hire. Mechanics come, and mechanics go. There is a lot of turnover.

The real question is: Do Sears and Walmart pay competitive salaries? Would a really good, Class A mechanic leave a job at the local Ford dealership to work for Sears Automotive because the pay is just as good? Or do the really good mechanics all work for the dealers, and Sears and Walmart settle for the ones that are left? I truly don't know the answer to that question.

Of course, for routine work like exhaust systems and brakes, a good Class B mechanic is perfectly adequate. When you need to diagnose a mysterious problem is when you need the best trained, most experienced mechanic you can find.

Regards
John

 

[Patrick46]

hold on...don't shoot the horse just yet.

YES...driving the van with low tranny fluid WILL (eventually) kill your transmission...but since this issue has just popped up and hasn't been an on-going issue for some time now, I'm thinking you'll probably be all right.

...but this is only an educated guess and I'm mearly speculating. We won't know for sure until this gets checked out.

Jus keep an eye on your fluid level, and don't go on any road-trips until this has been properly handled.

 

[caseyc]

Sooooo, is there a diagnostic test that can be done to determine if it's anything worse?

 

[Donedirtcheap]

hold on...don't shoot the horse just yet.

YES...driving the van with low tranny fluid WILL (eventually) kill your transmission...but since this issue has just popped up and hasn't been an on-going issue for some time now, I'm thinking you'll probably be all right.

...but this is only an educated guess and I'm mearly speculating. We won't know for sure until this gets checked out.

Jus keep an eye on your fluid level, and don't go on any road-trips until this has been properly handled.

Thats true but if the primary method of vehicle maintenance is seeing oil on the ground its possible that a lesser issue was present such as a pan gasket or a tail shaft seal leak but wasn't noticed. As the oil level receded the secondary damage may have been done. Thats where the fingers come in. Its such a nasty and complicated job pulling those dipstick thingys out. I hate doing that.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

My understanding of automatic transmissions is fairly rudimentary.

I know there are things in there called bands.

I know the bands wear.

When they wear enough, they slip.

There is a certain amount of adjustment available. If they are slipping, they can (usually) be adjusted to remove the slip.

When they can no longer be adjusted, it's time to rebuild or replace the transmission.

The bands depend on the tranny fluid for proper lubrication. Without that, they wear VERY quickly. They can even "burn".

Burned transmission bands definitely mean rebuild or replace.

A trained transmission specialist can drop your tranny pan and inspect the bands.

Finding an honest, trained transmission specialist - one whose kids college tuition isn't due - can sometimes be problematical.

Regards
John

 

[caseyc]

Your rudimentary knowledge of transmission is far superior to my non-existent knowledge of such things! Thanks! Only thing I know is that something called a transmission exists in my vehicle.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Your rudimentary knowledge of transmission is far superior to my non-existent knowledge of such things! Thanks! Only thing I know is that something called a transmission exists in my vehicle.

I sold auto parts to professional mechanics for twenty years. I can talk the lingo. I don't pretend I can actually DO any but the most rudimentary work myself.

Regards
John

 

[Mac J]

The whole works shouldn't cost much more than your new watches. ;-)
Hey, on the good side you get to buy something. lol

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Perhaps this should be under the heading... Why do I keep spending?

 

[Zil]

If you do not have a trusted mechanic to use, and I guess not or you would not use sears, wally world, or jiffy leak.
Now you know it is a tranny problem, go to a Transmission Shop. Check with Tom and Ray for a recommendation. here; http://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files

 

[LeeRevell]

If the work seems to be much, or the price high, get a second opinion. Had a tranny mechanic once try to sell me a complete rebuild for $600 (this was some years ago!). Another mechanic found the problem - a $5 'kickdown switch' was bad. Saved me a LOT of money! :shy: