Looong Non HHR Transmission Question
05-18-2010, 09:17 PM
#1
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Looong Non HHR Transmission Question
If any of you are knowledgeable about cars in general, please give me any insight you may have. Or, if you know of any good forums for automotive repair discussion, that would be good too:
I have a 2002 Ford ZX2 Escort with an automatic transmission. It has about 106,000 miles on it. I got the car when it had about 99,000, so for most of its life I really don't know for sure what was or what was not done to it/with it, etc.
It has had a moderate transmission leak (perhaps...you'll see where I am going with this) since I got it, and I have simply been adding fluid to it as needed. The dripping would occur for a short while after driving the car, and gradually slow/subside to hardly anything later. Recently the transmission began to slip a bit, so I took it to a garage, who found the fluid to be quite low. They added a good quantity of fluid, and the slipping was resolved. However, when I got home that night, the "leak" was quite faster. I drove the car today to work, and by the time I got there and parked, the dripping was really horrible...I'd say a drop came down every four or five seconds.
I took the car back to the garage, and they believed the pan gasket was leaking, so they pulled the pan and replaced the gasket and the transmission filter. On the very bad side, they did indeed find some debris in the pan once the transmission was open. Once the pan was back on, they checked for leaks there and elsewhere, and found none. However, once I drove it for just a few minutes and then parked, I found it to be dripping again in the very same place. After taking it back, they said the fluid is coming from the vent on transmission... that it's building up too much pressure in there for some reason or another and pushing it out via the vent. The upshot of this is they say the transmission is probably close to being shot. There is NO way I would invest the money in the car to take the trans and rebuild it, so the guy said he could try to find a salvage transmission and swap it out for a fairly lowball price. I'm also left with the question of whether the pan ever did leak or was the fluid always venting? No way to know, really.
Here's the question, finally: From what I have described, is this tranny going to die any moment? Is there a huge, IMMEDIATE problem inside that warrants perhaps swapping transmissions? I ask this because this car is meant to be my "beater" car that is meant to save my HHR from taking some of the high miles I must drive. I am very reluctant to sink another generous hunk of cash into this car. If this venting may subside, I'd rather not. If, as low rent as it is, I could just catch the fluid in a tray when I park at home and work and replace the dripped amount, and squeeze a few thousand more miles out of the transmission that is dead anyway, I'd rather do that than just jump at getting another tranny right away, if I even decide to bother dealing with the issue at all. Failing either of those choices, I have a car that is basically scrap, because no one is going to want an eight year old car with a shot to heck, furiously dripping transmission.
If you have any mechanical knowledge about this sort of thing, please share anything you are able...I would deeply appreciate it.
I have a 2002 Ford ZX2 Escort with an automatic transmission. It has about 106,000 miles on it. I got the car when it had about 99,000, so for most of its life I really don't know for sure what was or what was not done to it/with it, etc.
It has had a moderate transmission leak (perhaps...you'll see where I am going with this) since I got it, and I have simply been adding fluid to it as needed. The dripping would occur for a short while after driving the car, and gradually slow/subside to hardly anything later. Recently the transmission began to slip a bit, so I took it to a garage, who found the fluid to be quite low. They added a good quantity of fluid, and the slipping was resolved. However, when I got home that night, the "leak" was quite faster. I drove the car today to work, and by the time I got there and parked, the dripping was really horrible...I'd say a drop came down every four or five seconds.
I took the car back to the garage, and they believed the pan gasket was leaking, so they pulled the pan and replaced the gasket and the transmission filter. On the very bad side, they did indeed find some debris in the pan once the transmission was open. Once the pan was back on, they checked for leaks there and elsewhere, and found none. However, once I drove it for just a few minutes and then parked, I found it to be dripping again in the very same place. After taking it back, they said the fluid is coming from the vent on transmission... that it's building up too much pressure in there for some reason or another and pushing it out via the vent. The upshot of this is they say the transmission is probably close to being shot. There is NO way I would invest the money in the car to take the trans and rebuild it, so the guy said he could try to find a salvage transmission and swap it out for a fairly lowball price. I'm also left with the question of whether the pan ever did leak or was the fluid always venting? No way to know, really.
Here's the question, finally: From what I have described, is this tranny going to die any moment? Is there a huge, IMMEDIATE problem inside that warrants perhaps swapping transmissions? I ask this because this car is meant to be my "beater" car that is meant to save my HHR from taking some of the high miles I must drive. I am very reluctant to sink another generous hunk of cash into this car. If this venting may subside, I'd rather not. If, as low rent as it is, I could just catch the fluid in a tray when I park at home and work and replace the dripped amount, and squeeze a few thousand more miles out of the transmission that is dead anyway, I'd rather do that than just jump at getting another tranny right away, if I even decide to bother dealing with the issue at all. Failing either of those choices, I have a car that is basically scrap, because no one is going to want an eight year old car with a shot to heck, furiously dripping transmission.
If you have any mechanical knowledge about this sort of thing, please share anything you are able...I would deeply appreciate it.
05-18-2010, 09:46 PM
#2
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Join Date: 06-21-2008
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Does it leak only when running, or does it leak even after sitting overnight?
If it leaks while running, it may be 'venting' although I've never heard of such a thing. My guess would be the input shaft seal.
Oh, BTW- FWD transmissions are a PITA to swap.
If it leaks while running, it may be 'venting' although I've never heard of such a thing. My guess would be the input shaft seal.
Oh, BTW- FWD transmissions are a PITA to swap.
05-18-2010, 10:01 PM
#3
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I never tested out whether I saw drips while it was running or while it was shut off before. I simply knew it was losing a little fluid and so tried to keep up on replacing it.
When they replaced the pan gasket they ran the car for about 15 minutes and found no dripping going on. Once I drove it for about ten minutes I stopped in a parking lot and found it dripping pretty quickly, much like it did since getting a lot of fluid added yesterday. Since I have been home, I have not checked to see how much it has either leaked or vented.
When they replaced the pan gasket they ran the car for about 15 minutes and found no dripping going on. Once I drove it for about ten minutes I stopped in a parking lot and found it dripping pretty quickly, much like it did since getting a lot of fluid added yesterday. Since I have been home, I have not checked to see how much it has either leaked or vented.
05-18-2010, 10:09 PM
#4
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Oh my freakin' God...I just went out to check how much it dripped since I have been home, which has been for about an hour and a half or so.
I put a tray under the drip, and it has dropped about six fluid ounces or so in just that small amount of time, I'd estimate. Maybe a little more. What the heck is happening? This used to be a slight drip. Since yesterday it got appreciably worse. Now, after getting a transmission servicing, it is simply hemorraging fluid! What the heck?!?!
I put a tray under the drip, and it has dropped about six fluid ounces or so in just that small amount of time, I'd estimate. Maybe a little more. What the heck is happening? This used to be a slight drip. Since yesterday it got appreciably worse. Now, after getting a transmission servicing, it is simply hemorraging fluid! What the heck?!?!
05-18-2010, 10:37 PM
#7
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It's not the front seal, if they have any car know how at all, which is what I thought, too, at first...it's not in the right area, even allowing for weird "it's leaking here, flowing there, dripping here" stuff. There were four guys looking at it from above, the side, and below once I took it back, and they concurred on the venting thing...but oh my god it's coming out like CRAZY now!
05-18-2010, 10:49 PM
#8
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OK,if you have fluid indeed coming from a vent,, that is generally an indication of overheating. Why,, clutch packs slipping cause enormous heat. I would say,,its just a matter of time. Was the fluid dark before they changed it? did it stink? were there a lot of fine grindings in the pan? Over time, clutch pack seals get old, and hard, and dont hold pressure like they need to allowing the slippage.........just my 2 cents
05-18-2010, 10:51 PM
#9
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The fluid was still nicely red, and didn't stink....
And for the record, I HATE automatic transmissions!!! Every last car I've ever owned with an automatic has had major issues with the trans. Every stick I've ever owned has run for a bazillion miles and never had a problem in the trans. Manuals rock....automatics blow!!! Shame on me for going back to auto!!
And for the record, I HATE automatic transmissions!!! Every last car I've ever owned with an automatic has had major issues with the trans. Every stick I've ever owned has run for a bazillion miles and never had a problem in the trans. Manuals rock....automatics blow!!! Shame on me for going back to auto!!