I’ve got a 99 Ford Taurus, automatic. Recently, I had a transmission line go… I had replaced a rusted line a couple of years ago with high pressure hose, and the hose clamp gave way. I realized the transmission was slipping, and being a mile from home, I tried to turn around and make it back. I made it part way before I couldn’t go any further.
I repaired the line, and filled it back up with Mercon V (as recommended). I drove about a mile with no problem, but after that the car will not move at all. It seems to work fine if the car is cold, but after a minute or two of operation, the transmission slips and will not move the car. When the car does move, there is a slight whining noise coming from the transmission.
Is this transmission blown? Is there anything I can do short of replacing the transmission? I really don’t think the car is worth it.
Thanks much in advance for your replies.
It’s fried. The part about being a mile away, turning around, and trying to make it back home is what did it in.
Why does it function if the car has not been run for a while, and then stop working?
I drove it about a mile before I realized the transmission was slipping. I was going down a hill and basically coasting so I didn’t notice right away. Perhaps the damage had been done before I tried to make it back home? (the damage is done, but it would make me feel better 
Well, if you want, you could say that the root cause of the problem was the line giving way, because had it not given way, you wouldn’t have had to try and limp the car home. How’s that? But… well, like ok4450 said, the transmission is toast. The tolerances are probably tight enough when the tranny is cold that the clutches can hold the car, but when it starts warming up a little (which probably comes pretty quickly because they’re probably slipping more and more as it warms), things loosen up and it can’t hold. Rebuild time. 
The transmission will work for a short time because when the oil is cold the pump can develop enough pressure to activate the clutch packs. As the oil heats up due to the friction of the slipping clutch pack (probably only one) it gets thin and the pressure starts dropping until there is no ‘drive’ left. One problem with an overheated clutch pack is that it cooks that clutch’s piston seals making them hard and brittle (prone to cracking) so you might have a leak at one of these seals further reducing the ablity of the pump to keep the pressure up. If you put a pressure gauge on the line pressure tap, you could see this happening.
It doesn’t matter when the damage occurred it most like has occurred. A transmission technician can do some diagnosis but he is probably going to come to the same conclusion, i.e. a transmission overhaul is needed.
When you first noticed the trans slipping is where the transmission started overheating. By the time the trans completely stopped working, it was so hot, the clutches were charred. If you would have stopped immediately when you first felt the slipping, you might have had a chance after repairing the leak… Time for a new trans.
transman