oil or transmission fluid is leaking how do I find out which one is leaking without taking it to garage?

Question

1994 Ford Taurus , mechanic said if it is transmission , to install a rebuilt trans. it will cost 1400--1600. Does this cost sound about right?

The car is running good no problems with shifting . I smell something hot when I park. Have added small amount of trans. fluid over the past week

Answer 1

Yes, that price sounds pretty good. But why is it leaking? It could be a gasket leaking. Does the transmission work properly? If it does I would try to fix the leak. If it dosent then replace the trans.

Answer 2

im not sure, but i think that machine has a flukey tranny. anyway auto trans is red, very slick to the touch, slicker than motor oil, just not as thick and a semi-sweet odor not so unlike antifreeze. it also taste almost as bitter as brake fluid, and will not wash out!motor oil will not spread fast, but remain drips with surface tension. almost no smell to a burnt gas smell. itll be slick and thick.


gear oil just plain stinks. dont get the scent in the interior or you'll smell it forever. try checking the stick. also my guess is a combo of thrust bearing wear and main wear with a lil balance issue due to bad belts on the engine etc, and driving it hard. the centerline of the crankshaft and tourque converter remain constant and for the most part true. when motor clearances are worn, the mains allow the crank to drop,and slide fore and aft. some of the wear is transmitted to the converter and seals bushings etc. but it almost always remains true. this binds the crank to pump bond and causes leakage in the center, rear of the engine and front of the tranny.


crawl under it and look at the mess really careful. look for clean spots and where they are located. email me and ill tell you most likely why. dirty oil is seapage. clean spots around grime usually mean substantial oil leak. good price on the tranny.

Answer 3

most of the advice is good...........I had a quick read..

whats the service history of the car???

if you have just had the trans serviced it could be something as cheap as a new gasket or just tightening up a few bolts...

you could try gettting the engine/ trans steam cleaned on the outside..this will make it a lot easier to see where its leaking from..



one more bit...how long are you going to keep the car........if your thinking of trading up in the next year or so....you may be able to just top up the oil every week or so...
if the cars still going....it aint broke..& if it aint broke..dont fix it

Answer 4

if the car is running fine why change the trans,just fix the leak.trans oil is red or pink engine oil is black or brown.find the leak and have it fixed by another mechanic that wont take you for a ride.

Answer 5

1994 Ford Taurus huh?

The price is about right.
The best way to find out which one it is, is to compare the leak to the engine oil dipstick, transmission dipstick, Power steering cap dipstick, and antifreeze.

Could be one of them, or all of them.

Answer 6

transmission fluid is red and oil is kind of black looking or gold looking. put you finger where it the fluid is and look at it that or put a old paper down.

good luck
hope this helps

Answer 7

PLACE A PAPER TOWEL UNDER THE CAR OR YOU MAY BE ABLE TO LOOK ON THE GROUND IF ITS BROWN OR BLACK ITS OIL IF ITS BURGUNDY OR REDDISH ITS TRANSMISSION FLUID

Answer 8

transmission fluid is red. dip a scrap of paper in it.