uh oh

[kumar]

So I just went out to the garage and I see a huge puddle of oil behind the GT. :frown The oil is coming from the right rear side of the car next to the wheel. Im assuming its transaxle oil since this is the same area the oil came out when I had the stock washers break.

I start digging around in there and I find a stray nut and bolt just sitting there in the undertray inside a pool of oil. :ack

Can anyone confirm this is an axle bolt? If so, can you tell if this is an upgraded bolt or orignal one? There is no writing on it anywhere.

Trying to figure out whether to get the car towed to another dealer or the one that did the recall; car is out of warranty. Im kinda freaking out.

Kumar

 

[Not 4N]

Definately not an axle bolt, looks to be a belly pan bolt and if it has a torx head I would say that is where it is from. Can't tell you where the nut is from though. Do you have a transaxle cooler? If so it is possble one of the fittings could have worked loose.

 

[kumar]

Yep it has a torx head.

I do not have a transaxle cooler.

The car is lowered and has scraped at times. I guess one good hit could have caused this thing to come out. I hope the belly pan isnt cracked.

 

[BlackICE]

Just a guess, but the nut looks about the right size for the exhaust manifolds, but it could be something else.

 

[Not 4N]

Definately need to do a little more "CSI" on where the leak is coming from. Check all of the lines above the area where the oil is to see if there are any telltale signs of a leak. If the oil migrated from another area, try to follow the marks on the inside of the belly pan.
If there is this much fluid there should be a visible sign as to where it is coming from.
If it is coming from beside the wheel then it could be a brake line so you may want to check for damage there as well. Check the fittings where the lines attach to the caliper.
I wouldn't drive the car until you get a better picture of the source of the leak.

Trent

 

[kumar]

Im pretty sure its transaxle oil as the only places I can find the oil are in the undertray underneath the transaxle. 85% of the oil is on the passenger side but there is a good amount on the driver's side. I think its just dripping onto the undertray and then going out over to the sides. Since its a torx head, it should be the bellypan bolt.

Either way, getting it on a flatbed in the morning; shall be a sleepless night.

The only thing I noticed is that the axles on the passenger and driver sides are not inserted into the transaxle equally. Pics below will show what I mean. Is that normal?

a) driver's side

b) passenger side

 

[kumar]

ugh just got done rolling the car back and forth about 6 times out of the garage to get it facing the right way for the flatbed...is it 9am yet?

 

[Neilda]

That gap is normal - same on mine.

I can't offer any advice on your leak, keep us posted - and good luck...

 

[Derry]

Check the fittings on the small loop installed where the tranny cooler would connect if you had one. Is on top of the tranny best viewed from the passenger side. A long shot but mine started leaking and just had to be snugged up.

Derry

 

[Empty Pockets]

W/O being able to see the oil to either rule this in or out, I wonder if you have an engine oil leak ...like from a leaking oil pump for instance. Or maybe from the reservoir lines (fittings/lines/tank plug).

If the oil is coming from a 1/2 shaft bolt pblm, you ought to be able to FEEL oil clinging to the underside of the tranny case in the axle area (where the bolts actually are).

 

[soroush]

if you drive the car hard it could just be burrping trans oil out of the vent, someone came up with a fix to this problem contact shadowman.

 

[nota4re]

Kumar,

It is admittedly hard to diagnose from pictures, but here's my guess from your description and pics.

1) The nut that you found is not part of the axle assembly, so this is unrelated. As a rust-colored flanged nut, it looks to be one of the 6 nuts that secure the output of the cat pipes to the muffler. If my memory is right, I think this is a 15mm nut.

2) The torx screw is the most common fastener on the GT. There are many of these that secure the pans on the car. How it came to rest on the top of the pan is a good mystery. (There are some silver-colored versions of this screw that secure the cat head shieds to the frame..... but they are silver and not black.)

3) The coupler gap on the driver's side looks too big..... like the axle bolts could be broken and the hub has backed out a bit. Further, there is distinct evidence of transaxle fluid leaking which can be seen on the top of the axle heat shield. You should have the axle bolt replacement done (assuming you haven't), and they also need to perform the TSB to address this leaking.

As ominous as a pool of oil might look, please don't worry. This is a GT, not a friggen' F-Car and I'm sure that whatever the cause it is NO BIG DEAL.

 

[AJK]

"Im pretty sure its transaxle oil". If you know the difference between the smell of engine oil, trans oil, and brake fluid you will know right away what it is. Follow your nose.

AJK

 

[kumar]

Haha its definitely transaxle oil.

Waiting on AAA now. I need to buy a trailer for problems like these.

 

[Not 4N]

I agree with Kendall that that gap looks to be a little wide. My car has a different gap on each side but not as much as your pic shows.
Check to see if you have any play in the 1/2 shaft by trying to push the collar and 1/2 shaft toward the transaxle. Do not pull it outboard or you will end up with even more oil in the pan.
Of course if you have movement here you found your problem - 2 little bolts.

:cheers
Trent

 

[fjpikul]

Dear Trent, how would you like to become a Pathologist? Sounds like you have good pattern recognition skills. FJP

 

[Gimbal]

I also agree the gap on the driver side looks way too much. In fact so much that I wonder if the hub is engaging with the oil seal. Seems something is wrong there and needs to be looked at. If you do have broken bolts and the hub is slipping off you have caught it at a good time. Replacing the bolts is not a difficult thing to do and would confirm if that is the problem of the leak. You may also want to replace that seal too since it might have been damaged. I believe a special seal tool would be required.

 

[fjpikul]

No, the seal is made with Ford compound. There is a TSB about this, leaking half-shafts. This was the original way to get your bolts replaced under warranty.

 

[paul b]

I think you had better bring it to a different dealer, looks like the last repair wasn't even close. I don't think you should give him a second shot.

 

[kumar]

Well I took it to a different dealer although they scared me. The tech told me he was going to bring his special jack from home to jack up the car. :lol I was too tired to care at that point and just hope he doesnt break anything; I told the service advisor where the jacking points are just in case.

Ill update this tommorrow if I hear from them. Took 4 flatbeds to finally get one that wanted to tow the GT.