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Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 2, 2013, 9:37 AM
Post #1 of 18
(2859 views)
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Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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1993 Ford Ranger XLT, 3.0l, 6 cyl, 70100 original miles. I went to an oil change shop which I have trusted since I started driving to get a regular oil change yesterday. I just purchased this vehicle on the 24th of january, the carfax is completely clean with 1 previous owner putting only 69.5k miles on it since it was new in '93. Before the oil change absolutely none of these problems existed. The tech's drained the oil, replaced the filter and then proceeded to accidentally spill almost a full quart of oil all over my engine, the oil refill intake is positioned directly over my transmission. The transmission was dripping with motor oil on the outside so they sprayed it down to clean the oil off. I was not leaking any oil from inside or outside the engine when I left. I drove about 10 miles doing errands before I circled back to the shop to ask about suggested maintenance prices. They were a bit spendy so I drove another 4 miles home with no problems. When I got home I stepped out of the truck and almost gagged on the smell of burning motor oil. I thought it would be normal since they had just spilled oil on a hot engine so I went inside. After dinner I got a call from the shop saying I had leaked oil when I returned the second time but the shop was closed so they would call me in the morning, a call I haven't received. I went out to check and there was a puddle of what I thought was oil about 3 feet long and a foot wide still dripping from my transmission, but the oil level on the dipstick still has not changed. I started it back up after cleaning the IAC valve (it was a used vehicle idling very high and I have encountered the problem before so I knew how to fix it) and now the transmission no longer engages and is covered in burnt-on oil.
I just stopped writing this to check the fluid levels again. I ran it to running temp and checked the oil, still full. The transmission fluid is the same color as motor oil and now I am dripping about a cup of antifreeze per ~10 minutes. I only know a very small amount of information on fixing various engine problems, but I have no clue why I'm leaking antifreeze (bright green fluid from the radiator is antifreeze right?) or why my transmission has failed. I'm going to call them soon but I wanted other peoples opinions on this problem as well. I am going to take action against the company for this but how far should I go? Should I have them fix it or just have them foot the bill for someone else to do it? I'd also like to know what caused these damages if anyone can hazard a guess as well. Any help is greatly appreciated :).
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 2, 2013, 9:49 AM
Post #2 of 18
(2848 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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You've got me all confused now..........
Are you leaking oil or are you leaking coolant? It should be pretty easy to tel the difference.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 2, 2013, 9:54 AM
Post #3 of 18
(2846 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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The oil fill is near the front of the engine in the valve cover. If the transmission fluid is dark and smells burnt, the transmission is toast.
You'll need to pressure test the coolant system to see where the coolant leak is coming from.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Feb 2, 2013, 9:56 AM)
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 2, 2013, 10:31 AM
Post #4 of 18
(2830 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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The red bottle is directly beneath the transmission catching a motor oil looking liquid, the clear cup is under the radiator, which is also leaking from the other side but not as much.
Pic of the oil fill tube thing... and the transmission dipstick, both in yellow letters.
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 2, 2013, 10:37 AM
Post #6 of 18
(2820 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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Sorry for the double post here but the manager was nice enough to come to my home and take a look at the truck. He found the most likely cause of the issue is that the transmission fluid and coolant are being transferred between systems and mixed due to a bad gasket somewhere inside the radiator. He even showed me where the radiator cap has been leaking a rust colored milky fluid which has been happening for so long the radiator is stained with it, the same fluid escaping from the seals on the transmission pan. Time to get a refund from the lot or have them fix it, since I assume this problem makes the vehicle unsafe to drive.
Edit: The radiator is leaking from the cap, as it is stained with the coolant/transmission fluid as well as having fresh fluid dripping from it. The transmission is leaking from the gaskets on the pan on the downhill side of whichever direction the vehicle is parked in. I'm happy I won't have to change service centers :).
Anyone know how this problem can be fixed so that I know what useless additions the shop makes to my quote?
(This post was edited by Fisher.King on Feb 2, 2013, 10:46 AM)
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 2, 2013, 11:13 AM
Post #7 of 18
(2806 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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If you have coolant in the transmission fluid, the transmission fluid will turn into a strawberry milk shake looking consistency. If coolant is in the transmission fluid, the transmission clutches are done and the transmission needs to come apart for complete cleaning and overhauling.
If the radiator fluid is milking looking because the transmission cooler in the radiator is allowing transmission fluid to get into the cooling system, you can flush out the engine and replace the radiator.
Still don't know if the transmission was serviced at your oil change place or the engine oil was serviced.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Feb 2, 2013, 11:15 AM)
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 2, 2013, 12:42 PM
Post #8 of 18
(2786 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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It was just an oil and oil filter change, I looked it up and found what's called an oil cooler. I'm researching it more at the moment. There are two tubes coming from the tranny. One goes to the radiator just underneath the cap and is clean, however the fluid just inside the radiator cap is an unmixed tranny fluid/antifreeze. At the bottom of the radiator one tube comes out and enters the oil cooler, this tube is leaking a mix of antifreeze/tranny fluid. Another tube exits the oil cooler and enters the tranny, which is leaking a grainy looking brown fluid from the pan. I assume I explained it in the correct directional flow of fluid but I could be backwards I don't know. I added fluid to the tranny this morning and that is the fluid I can see just inside the radiator cap, the guy that looked at my truck said routine maintenance on poorly maintained vehicles can cause problems so hopefully this fluid exchange happened recently and there is not much damage to the tranny. Looking into it more, like I said, any input from you discretesignals or anyone else?
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Feb 2, 2013, 12:57 PM
Post #9 of 18
(2783 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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I just skimmed thru this thread and will offer my thoughts...
The 1st thing that jumped out at me was when you said the tranny oil on the stick was the same color as the engine oil, that isn't good and is a sign of problems going on inside the transmission.....
As far as the other leaks, before you jump the gun here, the best options would be to take it into another shop and have them check the leaks...Then just simply ask them.....What happened here??? Leaks that come from age or neglect are pretty obvious..... I wouldn't even go into the background....let them tell you....If someone has done something here, it will be obvious, you can't fake seam leaks or old gasket leaks....
That is very low mileage for a 93 but not impossible......The thing with maintenance is....it's not just a mileage thing......That is why most schedules will list mileage & time.....On vehicles that have very low mileage, you need to change things on time.....This is a 20 year old vehicle, if the fluids and other things have never been changed simply because there wasn't many miles put on the vehicle.....then that is a problem.....It would be hard to get a shop to pay for a 20 year old transmission or radiator than had never been serviced....
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 6, 2013, 6:38 PM
Post #10 of 18
(2738 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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So the dealer said they would take a look at it for me. The mechanic told me the problem wasn't transmission fluid mixing with antifreeze, it was a hose going from the ignition to the transmission that was causing it not to engage. He told me that is what he replaced as well as fixing the high idle, which seemed odd to me because I cleaned the IAC and the idle dropped just before I took it to their shop. Now the transmission fluid is still red like normal, but the antifreeze is continuing to turn brown and has gotten worse since I got the truck back. The transmission still drops into 3rd at over 35mph after revving way too high, then 4th at 45, and now the entire engine vibrates in idle and in gear, so much that the whole truck vibrates. I'm heading to the store now to pick up a radiator flush kit, should I try flushing the transmission as well soon? Would that possibly fix the gears shifting at the wrong time? The oil change shop also put down 'Transfer Case' in the recommended procedures box, do 2wD trucks even have transfer cases or were they adding that without knowing it was 2wD?
Also an idle question, just in front of the drivers seat in the middle of the engine sitting over top of everything is a... lever I guess is the closest I can explain it. When I push the lever the engine revs up. Is there something on that lever that I can change to adjust the idle, like a nut on the spring that I can see or something? Or is the idle adjusted somewhere completely different?
I would dive right into this myself if I wasn't an independent contractor with a 7 day a week job, I love tinkering with machines and I am very good at it, everyone who has seen me do it is absolutely amazed at what I can do to machines with barely any knowledge of them. I personally think I can do this with no problems so that I don't have to spend money I can't afford, but I can't risk blindly stumbling through this with my entire income on such a thin line, so that's why I'm asking this stuff and any input is greatly appreciated.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 6, 2013, 9:17 PM
Post #11 of 18
(2730 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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You got us all confused now...LOL
There is no such thing as a hose from the ignition to the transmission. Maybe some terminology got messed up somewhere.
If there was transmission fluid in the coolant system, the coolant wouldn't turn brown. It would turn into a nasty greyish soup. It may be brown because of rust from the coolant not being properly serviced.
Don't try to flush the transmission with anything. You should flush out the coolant system though. You may have a hard time getting rid of the rust.
2wd trucks don't have transfer cases.
You need to take it to a reputable shop that is licensed and insured. You need to have the engine problems solved first because they could be causing the transmission shifting issues.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 11, 2013, 3:56 PM
Post #12 of 18
(2700 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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That's what the dealers mechanic told me, he replaced a hose/wire leading from the ignition to the transmission. I have heard from a few people since then that the radiator has been neglected, that will have to wait until after the transmission is running normal. I've looked into it more and have been told it may be the throttle valve. That's the one last thing I'm going to mess with before getting it flushed, if neither one of those processes fixes the shifting problems I'm probably just going to return it to the dealer, they definitely won't put a new transmission in it. They sold it to me with a bad muffler, cracked windshield and corroded radiator (constant leaks now), so I won't have a problem with explaining how it's not safe to drive with all that on top of whatever is up with the transmission (if flushing it or adjusting the TV doesn't work). I really like this truck though :(. I need to get the transmission flushed even if it won't fix this problem, I assume the original owner never did it since he never took care of any other systems.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 11, 2013, 6:09 PM
Post #13 of 18
(2689 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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If you are going to keep this truck, you really need to start by flushing the coolant system out and replacing the radiator. If you don't, you'll just end up with overheating issues which will damage the engine.
If coolant has gotten into the transmission, the transmission is a goner. You can't flush a transmission out that has fluid contaminated with coolant. It has to be cleaned and overhauled or replaced with good unit.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 12, 2013, 4:54 PM
Post #14 of 18
(2677 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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I actually just came on to see how to properly refill a radiator, that is the main problem at the moment. Last night I was hearing liquid flowing beneath my feet as I was driving so I popped the hood and then turned the engine off. Pretty much every hose that re-enters or exits the radiator is leaking from all the seals and the coolant reservoir+radiator were completely empty when I woke up today. I checked them cold before work yesterday and they were both full to the caps. I just need to figure out what to do now to refill the radiator so I can get it the 20 miles to the dealership. That's the only good thing about the damage to the radiator, it's plainly visible that the hoses and radiator have been leaking for a long time, so they sold it to me with a bad radiator.
They told me they had done a checkup on the vehicle when they got it and everything was fine, which was used dealership-speak for "Yea we started the engine then slapped a price tag on it, just like the other 2 cars you test drove that had shot transmissions that we learned about when you got in them."
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Feb 12, 2013, 8:47 PM
Post #15 of 18
(2665 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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I'm a little confused on why you are going back to the car lot.... Maybe I'm reading this wrong but just so you know...
It kind of seems by your post that you are under the impression everything needs to be in perfect working order for them to sell you a car...It's just the opposite.....Nothing needs to be working if they are selling "AS IS" with no warranty.....If the brks or tires were shot, then you may have something to hang your hat on.......Radiators, trannys, engines leaking, bad mufflers and all the other stuff, you'll never get, unless they decide they want to do this.... Unless there was a warranty then it's an as is sale and they aren't liable for anything, even if it was broken when you bought it...
Any used car buyer is suppose to inspect the vehicle before they buy it and in a case like yours, where maybe it wasn't doing it while you looked at it....That just strengthens their side.....If it was bad then....How where they suppose to know it was going to go bad???? If it was already broken, then a presale inspection would reveal that and you would either get them to drop the price or you wouldn't buy it........
It sounds like you have some serious leaks here.......Don't try to bandaid this thing to drive 20 miles to get nothing except frustration.....If i read this wrong & they are going to do the repairs, then spring for the $60 & tow it.....Don't risk ruining your engine....with the leaks you have described....You could do that in 5 miles.....
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Fisher.King
Novice
Feb 25, 2013, 4:14 AM
Post #16 of 18
(2612 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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I got about 30 miles after that, thankfully I didn't bring the hoses and antifreeze inside after buying them, I did the repair on the side of the road and the radiator's not leaking any longer. It is still corroded obviously... But I remembered something about closing up threads on this forum so that's what I'm here for. Oregon has several laws about this, no lemon law (this truck wouldn't apply to it anyways) but there is the 'Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices' law as well as the 'Unlawful Trade Practices Act'. Basically all I have to do is prove that the vehicle has even the slightest ammount of damage that could be considered dangerous and it was present prior to sale with or without the dealer knowing about this damage, or I can prove they lied to me about the condition of the vehicle then bound me into a contract under those conditions which they did. Two salesman and even their mechanic told me the truck was in perfect running condition while I was making the purchase. So this is what's happening in the morning: Once I call a lawyer/attorney that handles this and they say I have a case we will be taking the dealership to court at which point I will try to get a new transmission, new radiator, new muffler and new windshield all installed by a mechanic of my choice, though I am still unsure about the mechanic of my choice part. If the lawyer brings to my attention something the dealer did that negates the UDAP and UTPA however, I'll just drive the truck back to the dealership and leave it there, call the finance company and tell them it's no longer in my posession. I haven't made a payment on the vehicle yet and I know personal friends who have done this in Oregon before, so I know it's legal to get a refund that way. Cool thing about the UTPA as well, the dealership would have to pay my attorney fees on top of parts and labor and their attorney, so I'm basically paying 3100$ over the next 2 years for most likely around 6k-6.5k that they could have sold it at if they had replaced only the transmission prior to sale. That's part of my argument as well, a '93 with 69.5k miles for 3895$? No wonder why the salesman's hands were shaky as we were signing the paperwork...
Thank you to all who replied, over the course of this mess I have decided to take college level auto mechanic classes, I have always loved to tinker with broken things and I feel so good when I've had to fix things on the vehicles I've had to borrow over the past month. Hopefully by the end of summer I'll be back on here helping as much as I can... Wish me luck :).
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 25, 2013, 4:33 AM
Post #17 of 18
(2609 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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You may be in for a bit of a surprise on that one.
This thread has drifted into an area outside the scope of this forum so it's time to close it..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Mar 9, 2013, 11:23 AM
Post #18 of 18
(2549 views)
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Re: Oil spilled on transmission which then failed.
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Not sure why this one was "stuck" but I'll unstick it.......
LOL.......Ok maybe in Oregon.....They have some different laws in that state......Measure 11 being one of them....
Good luck......If you want update us, feel free to start a new post in the "open posting" section........I'm curious to how you make out....
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