Smoke - How concerned should I be?

[Kidd-7]

Got to work today and saw smoke from under the hood, no too much, but enough to see. Popped the hood and its coming up from around the bell housing along the fire wall. It smells of tranny fluid. I need to get under her and inspect. I recently cleaned up oil, etc on the bottom of the oil pan & off the tranny pan. She marks her territory everywhere we go, leaks some oil & tranny fluid. I assume its dripping onto the exhaust and burning. Any input on how severe or scared I should be.

This is a 96 all stock / all original.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Check the tranny dipstick tube.

Joe

 

[Kidd-7]

Yup I replaced that O ring a couple years ago. Good place to start.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

If it's anything like mine - and the ultimate reason why I parked her - it's the front pump seal in the transmission that's failing.

It's going to be a lot of work for a $15 part replacement.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Transmission fluid dripping on the hot exhaust had me scared for a moment.

I only spilled a few drops, which translated into a big, dense white cloud.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

If a few drops had you scared, what would ~1/2 quart make you feel like? I still remember that last drive pretty clearly.

I was driving on the freeway back home from a client's office and about 20min from home mark, I look up and I see a haze behind me but not around or in front of me. Curious about it, I make a lane change and I see it follows my path. I merge again, and again, it follows my path. I know it's me at that time. I look at my temp cluster and it's still showing normal.

I get off the freeway to stop and see what's happening. I slow down at the freeway off ramp and get off (light was green) and I stop at the parking lot of the Bob's Big Boy restaurant immediately off the freeway and before I even get a chance to turn off the car I have this huge cloud of smoke coming up from either side of the car. I get out of the car and look under it. From the front area of trans pan, I see ATF just hemorrhaging out of the transmission.

I had one of my aunts pick me up. We went to the parts store and I bought 3 quarts of ATF. Went back to the car, put in the ATF, and drove the car back home. It's been parked pretty much ever since with the occasional move from garage to the driveway or driveway to garage over the last few years. In that time, the ATF has slowly been dripping out on its own merit and I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the only ATF in the transmission is however much the trans pan can hold.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

So short of changing that seal, did you attempt any other fix? Such as some miraculous fluid additive...

 

[Kidd-7]

Ok, so the smoke ain't that bad.
Getting off the highway today there was a somewhat steady stream on the drivers side, near the front wheel. I got under her this evening. Tranny fluid is a little low. I think the first pic is my culprit, it's hard to see in the second pic, but the shit mechanism is wet and the neutral safety switch (I'm pretty sure that's what it is) is coated in sludge.
and here are some pics below:

 

[CDsDontBurn]

So short of changing that seals, did you attempt any other fix? Such as some miraculous fluid additive...

LOL, no. If the front pump seal is hemorrhaging ATF the way it was, no type of fluid additive would solve the problem. It would slow the problem, at best, but it's not worth the risk of starting a car fire.

This weekend and next weekend I'm going to be cleaning my garage to have it ready to receive my T-Bird and I'll start doing all the work it's been needing to have it be road worthy again. Some of that work involves rebuilding the transmission. Honestly, I'm doing a 5spd swap (TR-3650) for which I already have all the necessary parts, but because I live in Commiefornia, I have to jump through hoops to make that happen legally (as I want to do it). But for registration purposes, I'm going to get the AT rebuilt and reinstalled first before I make the MT swap happen. Sure, I have a few people who "know a guy", but there's risks involved with that, that I don't necessarily want to take. If it comes down to it though, I'll go down that road.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

@Kidd-7
Are you using the factory gasket?

 

[Kidd-7]

@Kidd-7
Are you using the factory gasket?

Yes; It does kind of seem like its leaking out of that front corner. I should have checked the torque of the bolts, thought of that after I put her down though.
The area where the dipstick goes in the tranny is dry. There is some similar marks on the other cat also so maybe the front of the pan isn't sealed completely.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Ok, so the smoke ain't that bad.
Getting off the highway today there was a somewhat steady stream on the drivers side, near the front wheel. I got under her this evening. Tranny fluid is a little low. I think the first pic is my culprit, it's hard to see in the second pic, but the shit mechanism is wet and the neutral safety switch (I'm pretty sure that's what it is) is coated in sludge.
and here are some pics below:
View attachment 7787
View attachment 7788

If you see any fluid coming down from the trans pan, I'll say it's the front pump seal.

 

[Kidd-7]

I'll keep an eye out, I need to get back under her over the weekend.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Well, it could still be the pan gasket or undertorqued bolts, which would be an easy fix.

 

[Grog6]

Overtorqued bolts are also a problem. Check the flatness of the pan where the gasket sits. If some yahoo sees a leak, their first instinct is to tighten it; go too tight, and it volcanos the metal, making the seal even worse.

 

[Kidd-7]

That yahoo ain’t me.
I am due for trans fluid change.

 

[Grog6]

Our trans leaks from every possible spot.

 

[Kidd-7]

Checked the bolts today, all were a little loose, anywhere from 1/8 to a 1/2 turn. Tightened them all up with the IMPACT torque wrench.