Oily fluid drip

[herothedog]

My Powerboost is starting to have an oily drip. The drip is coming down some tubing, driver's side about 12 inches back from the door hinge.

Kinda red in color... could this be transmission fluid (having the startup noise)?
Photos are taken from driver-side door area.

I'll be taking it in... assume I won't get in for many weeks though.

Sponsored

 

[Snakebitten]

Certainly looks like transmission fluid.

 

[UGADawg96]

Certainly looks like transmission fluid.

Agree. You could also do the sniff test. Tranny fluid has a unique smell.

 

[Snakebitten]

It's a little confusing because the transmission cooler is a liquid/liquid heat exchanger. And it's supposedly located adjacent to the 10r80 transmission housing which would imply that the 2 lines that run from the front of the truck back to the transmission would be carrying coolant rather then transmission fluid.

(if the transmission cooler was the traditional type installed at the front of the truck, then the lines would be carrying transmission fluid TO the radiator or air cooled heat exchanger)

So it's ironic that transmission fluid would be making its way down a coolant line.

I need to climb under my truck and get a better look.

 

[Paul Neubauer]

Definitely ATF fluid.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

My Powerboost is starting to have an oily drip. The drip is coming down some tubing, driver's side about 12 inches back from the door hinge.

Kinda red in color... could this be transmission fluid (having the startup noise)?
Photos are taken from driver-side door area.

I'll be taking it in... assume I won't get in for many weeks though.

Good morning! Could you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name/location of your local Ford dealer? I would like to look into fluid drip concern on my end.

 

[2drunk2]

I had a leak that looked exactly like this but only started dripping after the truck sat for 48 hours; drip got worse the longer it sat. After multiple service attempts, they replaced the trans pan gasket. I thought leak was above the trans pan but haven't had a leak since.

 

[herothedog]

So far it seems it will drip once or twice after the engine is shut off. I have a pan under it now.

I wonder though while running down the road how much might be leaking. Shifting has started to get clunky... between some gears engine revs and the thunks into gear...

I had a leak that looked exactly like this but only started dripping after the truck sat for 48 hours; drip got worse the longer it sat. After multiple service attempts, they replaced the trans pan gasket. I thought leak was above the trans pan but haven't had a leak since.

 

[herothedog]

Well as I thought, the soonest available scheduled time was one month out! The Ford tried to help... Ford even offered to check a couple of other dealers for a better schedule and it came back that the original dealer had the earliest slot available.

The dealer literally said the Ford case number meant nothing to them!

The other option was to leave the truck and they would try to work it in, so this is what I did (as far as I am concerned the clock is ticking now, Co has a 90-day lemon law).

So I'm stuck driving a POS compact car that I'm renting out of pocket.

The upside, the service person that checked me in was the most helpful out of everyone. He said he would try to have me back in my truck by the weekend, but parts might be an issue if it is more than a gasket.

 

[herothedog]

So my truck has been sitting at the dealer since Tuesday. Finally, I was able to get the word back today that the fluid leak is coming from the transmission selector (I'm not really sure what that means). They do not know if that is the root cause. They are replacing the gasket there first. If it continues to leak, then it is a problem inside the transmission... the transmission repair lead time is more than a month.

 

[CalebRides]

Did you get a resolution to this leak? I just had a very similar leak show up and am contacting my dealer. This is after I've already been without the truck to have the AUX transmission pump changed on my Powerboost. I love the ProPower features for my camper, but these transmission issues are making me question if the Hybrid was worth it.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Did you get a resolution to this leak? I just had a very similar leak show up and am contacting my dealer. This is after I've already been without the truck to have the AUX transmission pump changed on my Powerboost. I love the ProPower features for my camper, but these transmission issues are making me question if the Hybrid was worth it.

Good morning, Caleb! I would be glad to help you out with fluid leak concern if you'd like. Just shoot us a PM with your VIN and dealer name/location, and I'll get right on it. To send a private message, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation". Thank you!

Sponsored