Transmission leaking fluid

1977 FORD E-SERIES VAN
130,000 MILES • 5.8L • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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MARKTHEICEMAN
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i have the van listed above and it has been sitting for about a year. i notice that i have a bad transmission leak going on. could it be that the pan gasket rotted away or a front main seal? i need to get under it and see where the leak is coming from. Help!
Oct 3, 2021 at 9:10 AM
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KASEKENNY
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This is most likely a pan gasket, but most all these seals will start to leak after sitting for a while. However, if the vehicle is sitting on a slant, then the pan gasket is most likely as the pump/converter seal normally doesn't leak if it is just sitting still. Normally when these are leaking, it requires moving the vehicle to get the fluid to move around and then when you park it again, they start dripping.

The pan seal will leak if there is fluid just resting against it.

Either way, I would suggest checking the fluid and changing it if needed then address a different leak if the pan gasket was not it.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

Below is the process from the manual for the pan but it is pretty straight forward.
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Oct 3, 2021 at 2:36 PM
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MARKTHEICEMAN
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thank you KaseKenny 1. You were right on target. i raised van and the trans pan gasket was rotting away. I put a new one on and no problem. I cannot thank you enough for your time and knowledge.
Oct 4, 2021 at 7:35 AM
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KASEKENNY
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 18,907 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
That is great. Thanks for coming back to let us know what it turned out to be.

Thanks for using 2CarPros and please come back again in the future.
Oct 5, 2021 at 6:53 AM
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