[69mach1377]

Show of hands...how many here that don't drive your truck everyday have wet pan syndrome?
Under the truck the other day and I had to wipe down pretty much every pan bolt and the surface of the pan from 'seepage'?
I'm told it's normal as fluid leaks down out of the converter to above the pan level and there are many seals that get covered by fluid and the longer the truck sits, the more likely seepage will occur...not just from the pan gasket.

 

[Tparker]

I'm retired, drive truck maybe, 1 or 2 times a week, not experiencing any "seepage".

 

[jleedog]

I drive my truck mostly for towing a 5th wheel 12+ times a year. Dry as a popcorn fart after sitting for weeks on end.

 

[69mach1377]

I would not have noticed unless I crawled under recently as it is parked on dirt. Has anyone here inspected theirs recently?
My 10 and 6 year old other vehicles don't do it and this trans is less than 2 years old, so I am not convinced it is 'normal' either.
I don't mind a little seepage really, as long as I don't have to add fluid all the time and have a mess where I park. I think any seepage gets blown off on highway drives, which also makes it hard to detect.
I was hoping Mark K (?) would chime in...

 

[69mach1377]

I drive my truck mostly for towing a 5th wheel 12+ times a year. Dry as a popcorn fart after sitting for weeks on end.

You know what they say...never trust a fart, lol

 

[Big Horn]

Mine is dry as well and it sits more than it’s driven.....have added 10k to it over the course of four years.

 

[Maryland dieselnick]

Is the converter inspection cover dry?
Is it a Ford rubber pan gasket or aftermarket cork?
How was it torqued up as in what tightening pattern sequence used and to what torque?

 

[69mach1377]

All good questions!
Not sure about any of them. I will take a closer look soon for the 1st one.
As far as the last 2, it is a reman going on 3 years and almost 20k miles, so I don't know those answers.
I was thinking of retorquing the pan bolts also. Low hanging fruit.
Do you know the correct sequence and torque? I usually do a cross pattern...

 

[Maryland dieselnick]

Peek in at the seam,looking inward. A lot of rebuilders use the cork gasket that comes in a rebuild kit they use. They are junk.
Tighten to 75 inch pound from center crisscrossing and going side to side and alternating from center. Repeat to 120 inch pounds.

 

[Mark Kovalsky]

No, that is not normal. If the original gasket has been replaced by a cork gasket, then yes, leakage is expected.

 

[69mach1377]

Thanks guys, I might be able to check it out tomorrow.

 

[69mach1377]

Crawled under again today and it appears to me the gasket has no cork, see attached pic.
A couple of the screws were slightly loose of 120 in-lb.
The inspection plate is not dry, but not 'red' either, kind of oily looking but not slimy.
Not sure there is a smoking gun here.

 

[Maryland dieselnick]

That’s a rubber pan gasket. It has sticky goo coming out of it? If so, the tech probably used some type of gasket dressing that is oozing from heat, out of ignorance or is trying to seal some issue.
inspection cover that I was referring to is forward of the transmission covering the bottom of the torque converter. You can getfluid up in that area from leaks from the engine and or trans.

 

[69mach1377]

So that is the better gasket, right?
Sorry, the goo is my bad. I sprayed brake cleaner on that area to get a good shot of the gasket. It also removed some of the gray paint on the pan, it peeled off in small sheets and made that goo spot. Not sure if I have to repaint the areas that paint came off of...
I think I have a small oil leak also in the rear of the engine, much less than trans fluid though.
I am suspecting the filler tube might be the source of the trans fluid, so I cleaned that area real good to inspect later. IDK

 

[Maryland dieselnick]

The pan is galvanized if factory so no need to repaint. Yes, you have the better gasket.

 

[gamewarden3006]

So I had this issue years ago. Finally broke down about 7-8 years ago and dropped the pan, cleaned everything, and replaced with a Motorcraft gasket (I remember it was $$ just for a rubber gasket) Sealed everything back up and torqued bolts, and been dry as a bone ever since.

 

[69mach1377]

FYI update
We found a possible source around the solenoid pack electrical connector so I dropped the pan and replaced the trans solenoid pack o-ring & gasket, pan gasket, line filter and 9+ quarts of fluid.
Hopefully that does the trick...
The old pan gasket looked fine, btw.

 

[69mach1377]

Bad news...still leaking. I was not impressed with the bore hole that the solenoied pack connector went thru. Not very smooth and uniform. I tried to smooth it out with some scotch brite, but either that is the problem, or something else entirely.
As long as it stays a slow leak, I can deal with it. But I don't want a gusher on my next fishing trip with the 5W...

 

[Big Horn]

Hate that - Irritating nonetheless, is there anyway possible to dry it off, put a powder medium on and around the gasketed area to see where the seepage actually starts?

 

[69mach1377]

Thanks Big Horn,
The only way to even see the area is with a mirror and flashlight and getting fingers in there? Might not get them back, lol
It takes a small screwdriver to get the connecter off and that is only because the catch feature is already broken off. Getting it back on is quite tricky.
Funny thing is the trans went in in 2019 and I didn't notice a leak until last year. So it would seem to have been leak free for maybe a year or two. It's been a great trans except now for the leaking.