I am not familiar with the gearbox in my 55 Bird. I got the car partially frame off in September and I am almost finished with the resto. I spoke with the shop and they told me the driveline was rebuilt about 7 years back and it does run perfectly. The car had drips when i got it and i dont think its anything to worry about but now it got worse. I drove the car in October before paint 700 miles and everything was perfect. The car has not been driven since. Car was started 3 times during this time mov ing in and out of shop. Today i let it idle for 15 minutes and smelled fluid burning. There was a large red puddle under the car more toward the p***enger side. The fluid got on to my exhaust somehow and smoked. I got under the car but i cant see where this trans fluid is coming from and why its leaking on the p***enger side to the point it got on my exhaust downpipe. Anyone here know this old slushbox and what to check?
cool thanks for the reply. I got to get it up on the lift to really go over it. I clearly hope I dont have to pull the ****** out to fis this after my car is almost finished.
I need Shop Manual for FORDOMATIC all of mine dont have a Fordomatic section uggggggggg. Time to hit Ebay looking And being in the NYC Metro nobody around here has a clue on these cars or rebuilds so I do and learn everything myself.
I feel sorry for you if you have to pull it out, 'cause I'm pretty sure they have like a few thousand torque convertor bolts. Seriously, over twenty if I remember correctly. You never know, lift it up it might just be something stupid.
You can get a reprint of the Ford-o-matic manual from any of the early Thunderbird suppliers (Larry's T-birds, Nation Parts Depot, etc). The bad news is the Ford-o-matic won't come out of the early Thunderbirds without pulling the motor!
Leak on the psg side hitting exhaust is most likely due to blowing out the fill pipe/dipstick tube. It's been a long time but I seem to recall a problem with these after sitting a long time would leak all the fluid from the torque converter back to the trans. Resulting is an overfill condition and would blow fluid out for a few seconds or minutes until converter refilled. If it stopped and is not now leaking that may be it.
talk to a guy on here is his screen name Fatsco he will know for shure and they do have a **** load of bolts that hold the ring gear to the torque converter but only like four that hold the torque converter to the flywheel and they realy are a slush box
Mine leaks like crazy too on my 53 Merc. It could very well be converter leakback to main box and out the dipstick. But that would mean that the whole transmission is full since the dipstick is much higher than top of box. It could also mean that if it did leak back, it could be coming out of top vent. Guess the easiest thing is to drive it for awhile, let the oil burn off the exhaust, then get under the car and wipe off any excess still down there. Then let it sit overnight and see what happens the next day.
I don't know that much about the ford-o internals, but I have an original 56-57 ford-o service manual if you want me to look anything up or scan an image.
MS please scan a photo of the gearbox that would be on the p***enger side where it meets the convertor. I ordered the manual but it wont come until late next week. Thanks this forum is great. All the T Bird forums have no activity, I guess the 90 year olds are on dial up ha ha ha
The only image in there that shows the p*** side is for the converter housing (bell housing) removal. is that the area you need? Everything else looks to be circuit diagrams, cutaways, and internal parts. If it's getting up on the exhaust manifold bolts, could it be coming out the dipstick tube due to overfill? Have you tried the guys at http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/ Lot's of good minds there. I'll post the shot I have in a bit. Let me know if you need more.
Here you go. The max image size for the site is smaller than what I scanned at, I can email it larger.
MS Thanks ,other guy above mentioned front pump seal? I wonder where thats located? Does the shop manual mention any troubleshooting for the leaking fluid? I agree I think its the overfill however i didnt put any fluid in the car EVER. Dipstick was always at a good level. KenC seems to have experienced this his description seems to make sense. I just wonder what the remedy is. I also wonder if my fluid is the correct type. Thunderbird guys say I need type F and its hard to find today. they say Dextron is too thin and can leak. All I know is my fluid is deep red and it looks like Dextron. I had this issue 10 years back on a 65 Mustang I had.
It does not address leaking anywhere that I can find. The front pump is located behind the torque converter and is hidden in the pic I posted. I use FA in mine, it is the same color as Dexron. I am definitely not a trans expert, but I have heard that the clutch packs can be adversely affected by the wrong fluid. I have also heard that ford-o's having recent rebuilds can run Dexron. Having the wrong fluid should not be causing the leak but could cause it not to operate as it should. The only reason I mention overfill is the fluid being expelled out the dipstick tube like KenC said.
I just went to the site I listed above and did a search for "ford o matic" ( you might also try "FOM") and there were a couple posts about leaking. One mentioned the front pump seal as a common cause. Unfortunately, getting to the front pump on an FOM in a 'bird requires engine removal. I have heard that it's possible to remove the trans w/o removing the engine, but you need to partially dis***emble the trans to get it out of there. Once you take a look under there at the way it sits in the X member you'll see why.
Guys heres the lowdown I got under the ride today for a few minitutes. I could not get the entire car up because its too close to my wall and i got no steering wheel yet on the ride and the old lady *****ed about shopping. Here is what i noticed. 1. dipstick tube was covered in fluid from where it screws into the trans pan to the top where the dipstick slides in. It almost looks like its leaking right from the threads where it screws in but i cant get it any tighter, i may remove and put some thread compound on there. 2. The trans pan bolts only on the p***nger side has residue of Dextron on the heads which can indicate a pan gasket leak. 3. Just dead center below the bell housing there seems to be an inspection cover, mine is stamped, painted black with a single screw on each end. There is no gasket on this part and I see residue on the edges. Maybe there needs to be a gasket here? 4. There is some sort of a vent in the bell housing part on the p***enger side facing the rear of the car, for sure to dissapate heat since mine is air cooled. I stuck my fingers inside it had some dried residue but nothing wet and fresh so that may eliminate convertor backup from sitting i am not sure yet. So as of now I am buying some gaskets this week until my Fordomatic manual shows up. Then Il get her up on stands and go through the entire lower half. I dont think this is serious and removal will not be required. Also today there was not a single drop of fluid on my garage floor. I cleaned up the bottom and will check again Sunday for drips.
Sounds like you are tracking it down to the dipstick area. If the dipstick tube screws into the pan, then it probably has an o-ring for sealing to the pan. You may want to look at the manual and see if it shows that. Also don't overtighten the pan bolts. Use a quarter inch drive ratchet and tighten till contact then just a tweek. Then go back over each bolt repeating the previous step till the bolts are snugged up.
The Cl***ic Chevrolet guys also deal with this sort of problem with the old cast iron Powerglides. They refer to it as "burping"; the car sits, the converter drains back, fluid goes up the fill/check tube, and it burps, thereby spilling ****** fluid all over. And the resulting "leak", can't be found. Part of the problem with the Powerglides, is they have a very short fill/check tube. The aftermarket cl***ic vendors sell a one way valve that goes into the cooler lines; it helps keep the converter from draining back. You might check into those one way valves. Butch/56sedandelivery.
Well guys I got the car up on stands just now because i am planning to get under it over the weekend. I have not started the engine since Friday last week. I just checked my dipstick and now the fluid is showing 1.25 inches above the F mark. I checked a few days ago and it was about .25 above the F mark. Can someone explain that?
I no longer have an fom in my 55 bird, it is sitting on the garage floor. But when I did it almost always leaked after it had been sitting for a day or two. BUT when I drove it regularly, it didn't leak a drop even on a 1600m roundtrip. didn't use it either and shifted great. (for what it was) They inherently leak without use, because the seal get flattened out on the bottom from sitting. It's an old car-get used to it. It'll be ok. Bet the power steering leaks too. hehe. I still like 'em an I'm not a 90 year oldtbird geezer.
btw, those couple of areas you mentioned where it was leaking from are just an inspection plate and the exit air duct. Just places for the fluid to ac***ulate. Same goes for the dipstick housing, Snug it ***e and your done, don't overdo it and sealer isn't necessary. pretty good old trannies really. I have a complete rebuild kit i'm not going to use?
My first thought, KenC, also.......because if it's draining back (draining back from converter is caused by wear in valving/front pump,)when car sits idle, sometimes they get so bad it only takes a couple of days. Along the way it's probably been OVERFILLED so I would drain it, and measure the refill, being reluctant to ever add any until I was convinced it needed it........Like in a year of two, when it starts moaning, indicating low fluid supply to the pump, cavitating........
I wonder if it's a problem with the air-cooled ******'s. My '56 sat for a LONG time, and didn't experience this at all. Fluid level is always normal, never "burps" even after intervals of up to a month... Sounds like you have a great excuse for driving it more... Also, you should join us HERE at the Thunderbird owners group if you haven't already. I know I have had a lot of good tips and advice there...
There is a vent on the right side just behind the fill tube. Usually the convertor leaks down after sitting a while and overfills the pan when started. I added a one inch extension to the vent (1/8" pipe). Seems to work OK.
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