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Pat
06-11-2012, 07:10 AM
I post this for info.

The wife was driving along the boulevard Saturday night and noticed smoke in the rear view mirror. Thinking it was the car behind her, she then noted smoke boiling up from under the hood. Car continued to run OK, engine temp normal.

She quickly pulled over to a fast food joint and shut off the motor. Opened hood and found RED fluid all over the space and associated components in front of the engine. She called for help. My Son-in-Law came over and checked the tranny fluid, none showing on the dip stick.

It's night time and with little lighting. He didn't see any hoses dangling or fluid running out of the two oil coolers, WTF. Called tow truck.

Sunday morning James79stang came in (thank goodness) and we looked the situation over but didn't start the car because we had no idea if there was any fluid in the system. Cut off the ends of the tyranny's cooling hoses where it's clamped to the hard lines. They looked OK but one was a bit softer than the other. Redressed the ends and attached them back on the hard lines. Refilled tranny, didn't take but 4.5 quarts from start thru warm up an few round the block driving cycles. No more leakage. Shifts OK.

Conclusion: one of the clamps was not tight enough, is my best guess.

Regards,

Pat

Pat
06-14-2012, 07:49 PM
Update, It was too much to hope for that the hose clamps may have been loose. I took the MM to work and it wasn't but five miles when smoke was coming from the hood area. Looked under the car and opened the hood and tranny fluid was all over the front. Took a quart of fluid to fill it back up (kept three quarts in the trunk)

Went to the dealer and they will trouble shoot it and call me. The service writer said he see's this problem on Panther cars from time to time and it's always a cracked tranny cooler (which is part of the radiator. Prolly a big expense.

One interesting thing the service writer said is that the tranny oil temp has to reach it's operating range before the circuit for fluid is complete. That's why I didn't see any leaks when I went around the block a couple of times after changing the clamps.

Pat
06-15-2012, 01:16 PM
Final update. Radiator was fine, problem broken hose, (hard to see). Replaced -$15.00 part, $144.00 labor. All fixed.