So, i had a really large leak about a week back. I pulled the pan off and noticed that a corner of the pan had rusted away, and was very brittle, and thats where the leak was coming from. I replaced the pan (with brand new) and installed a new gasket and filter. I added tranny fluid and warmed the truck up for about 15 minutes. i didnt notice any leaks at all, but had to add a little more fluid after it was running. I drove around for a few minutes and it ran and shifted great. No issues at all. I pulled back into the drive and parked, and noticed a red spot where i had backed out, and switched to drive, and a red stripe where i had slowed down to turn into the driveway. I jacked up the back, and didnt notice any big leaks, so then i jacked the front up and checked again. The only leak i can find is right on the bottom of the tranny. It looks like its a crack right on the seam of the transmission, but i cant really tell if i is or not, that just seems to be where the fluid accumulates. I watched it for a few minutes while it was running, and its only a slight drip, not a big leak like it looks like it should be with the amount of fluid where i slowed down at.

this is the place that i see the fluid coming down at. I let the truck sit all night, and there is only a little spot on the floor...





what should i do? if it is a crack, is it something that can be repaired?

i just need to get this thing fixed, and for as cheap as possible... 3 kids and no way to drive them is difficult...

 

From the pics I see a casting seam not a crack(can't be 100%) a crack here would be a structural issue over a leak.Get an accurate reading on your fluid level so you can determine if it is leaking or if it's residual fluid from spillage or from when you changed the pan.Have a good close look at the trans,check the cooling lines,everything,to rule out different areas for leaks.....That could be an input shaft seal which will show the leak more as you drive than when sitting at idle.COULD be,(not trying to scare you) it could also just be fluid that accumulated from your pan leak and is just finding the easy way out.You writing you saw the stripe kind of leads to that thought.Double check your pan job,check the pan bolt torque.Get a fluid level reading,take a SHORT ride and pull over,look at it,see if the stripe is still there and recheck the fluid level,see if it is going down.Make sure you take a very short drive though,it shouldn't take much to see if the stripe is still there,and bring some trans fluid and a funnel with you...Is there a chance that this was the original leak before the pan replacement?

 

In this picture you can see the fluid appears to be coming out out of the inspection plate access panel weep hole. This is that little cover over the swell under the bell housing and the engine block.

Now some I have worked on you have to separate the engine from the trans just enough to remove the inspection cover, which I think is a very stupid design flaw! Anyway, it looks like it could be a transmission input seal or a leak from the pump or torque convertor.....IMHO

You could try to open the cover and see if it will come off or slightly bend it back to see what is actually leaking up inside.

 

This is continuing to leak. I actually have been afraid to drive it because its leaking. there seems to be a red line that follows me where i go so i only drove it a couple times. The fluid level seems ok (not leaking when its sitting still) but i just want to get money before trying to fix it any further.

Out of curiosity, If the input seal or TQ are bad, what would one assume labor cost would be to fix? if i am going to have to drop the trans to repair, would it make more sense to buy a transmission with a warranty, or just have this one replaced? Just trying to get a good feel for what i might be looking at cost wise.

Thanks for the help

 

Well you could pull the trans and replace the seals. But if ur transmission has never been replaced, then while its out I would have it rebuilt. It's definitely nothing cheap and youd have to shop around with local shops. I haven't had my D tranny rebuilt but my old bronco tranny was rebuilt for around 1700, but I had it built up for mud and towing abuse

 

Well to fix the issue you most likely would have to drop the transmission out, which in turn would make perfect sense to have your transmission rebuilt and if you have the 5.9L motor, or the 5.2L motor then also have the 2 freeze plugs on the rear of the motor replaced while your in there, because this is one of the only times you can do this.

You are looking at about 2K for a OEM rebuild or about $3k for a good one with a shift kit.