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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'92
Ford Explorer, BAM-Fried Transmission
Q:
I am the proud (or not so proud) owner of a ‘92 Ford
Explorer, Eddie Bower Edition. Recently the auto developed
a transmission fluid leak. It was not that it was a major
leak, but constant. I took it to a home mechanic that was
referred to me by a friend. He was supposed to have replaced
the front seal. I got it home and found that after a few
days it started dripping again. But not major. About the
same time I took it to WalMart and had the oil changed.
I bought the 12 point inspection and they might have added
extra tranny fluid to it. Shortly after that I was driving
home and noticed that the tranny fluid was starting to pour
out. I stopped and got some and since I was only a few miles
from home, decided to drive. Almost home, then bam!, I felt
the transmission starting to go. It was very difficult to
steer and was getting almost impossible to shift (automatic).
I pulled over and added the quart of fluid I had just bought,
crept home (did not have a choice). It now sits and I have
been getting different advice from different people as to
what could be the cause and what I should do about it. I
am so flustered and being of the female gender, I want to
make sure I don't get ripped off. I'm still trying to find
out if the guy actually replaced the seal (from what I've
been told, he didn't) or just pretended to. This is a must
since I already paid him (for services NOT rendered??).
I hope you can help me with this. I've been researching
on the computer, trying to become more knowledgeable about
cars but have a long way to go.
- Debbie
A:
Changing
the front seal of a transmission in your vehicle, in most
vehicles for that matter is no simple task. The transmission
has to be removed from the vehicle, add the age, wear &
tear factor the job doesn’t get any easier. The seal
costs little in comparison to the labor/time that is needed
to perform the repair. I don’t believe that your gender
is as much of an issue as you think. Unless you work on
vehicles or have had some experience in the area of transmission
repair, no matter the gender, you would have no way of truly
understanding what was required to perform a front seal
replacement on your vehicle’s transmission. But, after
a small serving of life lesson pie, I think you’ll
have a better handle on it. Part of this lesson is the understanding
that an auto transmission is a hydraulic pump first, and
transmission for power second. Without the creation of hydraulic
pressure (which occurs when the engine is running) there
will be no movement of the vehicle. The seal at the front
of the transmission just happens to be right next to the
pump of the transmission and as you found out, when failing,
will leak like the Exxon Valdez on a rock pile. When a transmission
loses enough oil to cause it to stop moving it has lost
in the area of 20% to 30% of its vital fluid, which translates
into 4 to 6 qts of oil. Adding that one-quart only allowed
for more damage to the transmission to occur as you drove
home. As for your, “do it at home mechanic”
I find it hard to believe that he would have removed the
drive shafts, exhaust, transfer case and transmission to
replace the front seal. Performing such a task is a 7 or
more hour job with a lift and related tools. Without such
equipment it looks more like a multiple day job. If the
front seal is the cause for the leak the transmission will
have to be removed to replace it. If you drove and damaged
the transmission, you may want to think about a replacement,
used or rebuilt. It would not be fun to go through that
work/money to find out the transmission is damaged. Check
with your “home mechanic” he may step up to
the plate and make things right. As for the next time you
find you have a leak, don’t ignore it and when it
comes to repair time the cheapest way out is often just
the opposite. As my Grandfather use to say “Why ruin
a nickel pocket knife to save a penny”.
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