What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

[MadMikeyL]

With the trans out, you can replace just the front seal without having to pull the pump. If the only purpose of the automatic is to last long enough to get the 5-speed swap certified, that is all I would do.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

With the trans out, you can replace just the front seal without having to pull the pump. If the only purpose of the automatic is to last long enough to get the 5-speed swap certified, that is all I would do.

Indeed that is the only purpose. Is it really that simple to replace the front pump seal?

How do I know that there isn't anything else going on? But I guess you're right, I shouldn't care what else is going on so long as it shifts fine (it does / did).

While it's out, how do I go about checking other things to ensure it's working fine without getting deeper than I have to?

 

[MadMikeyL]

Yeah, pry the old one out with a screwdriver and tap the new one in with a hammer. The only thing I would check is make sure there isn’t any damage to the snout of the torque converter, but based on how much is leaking out, I suspect the seal will be obviously torn once you get the converter out.