I have 1998 Ford Taurus that had 157,000+ miles on it. A week ago my car broke down on the road due to a leak in the transmission. I had it towed to a local mechanic who then flushed my transmission, and replaced both the gasket and the filter in the transmission. This past Monday when I came home from work I noticed a new line in the road from the leaking transmission. I talked to my mechanic here at home and he said it was just the ?bell housing? leaking the left over fluid from when it broke down. My mechanic said that if I should loose all the transmission fluid again he can replace the ?front pump seal? for about $800. My father has since advised me that I should just keep some bottles of transmission fluid in the trunk and check the levels periodically. If it?s getting low then just add more oil.
Here is my question- Is this advice correct? Good to follow? Should I invest $800 in an already 12 year old car? Or should I just take the money and but it towards a newer car?
Any and all advice would be most appreciated.
the problem seems to be a leaking seal. Which one it is is the question as far as repairs are concerned. If the transmission is working well otherwise, and if the fluid is not burning, you may be able to find a mechanic who will pull the tranny, and put in new seals all around for a good deal less than 800 bucks.
If the car broke down due to a loss of transmission fluid, there may have been damage to internal components of the transmission. If that’s the case, nothing will fix it except a transmission overhaul or replacement.
I’d seriously consider shopping for another car if that’s the case. You could spend $800 and still have transmission trouble shortly thereafter.
I’m not a transmission expert. If I were in you situation I’d want to find and consult one, then weigh what the expert says against what I know about the car.