Leaking red fluid

[Shawn51fla]

Headed to go pick car up, ive missed it greatly. Asked what was culprit, he 1st said converter then pump seal.

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[whitehorse5.0]

Headed to go pick car up, ive missed it greatly. Asked what was culprit, he 1st said converter then pump seal.

Was it covered under warranty?

 

[Shawn51fla]

Was it covered under warranty?

Yes, wheeew!
So far so good and it certainly shifts smoother and feels stronger, was loving the new pull so drove around for 50 miles or so like its a new car.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Now that you have dodged the first big problem, would it be of any value to you to hear some suggestions about the care of your car?
There are things I do when working on a used car which is new to me. I am not trying to imply you need help, just asking.
Glad you came away "nice' on the trans problem.

 

[Shawn51fla]

Hello; Now that you have dodged the first big problem, would it be of any value to you to hear some suggestions about the care of your car?
There are things I do when working on a used car which is new to me. I am not trying to imply you need help, just asking.
Glad you came away "nice' on the trans problem.

Sure, always can learn something even at 51.

My mistake was i read reviews here about the car being a great option in sports cars and for little investment being able to add power if wanting it bad enough. The COBB tune a very affordable nice upgrade.
So i went shopping wanting the digital gauge cluster was my must have, color not important and convertible was preferred. So i almost bought a Yellow one with Vroom to get the cluster i wanted, luckily found a Red one a day later here in Spring Hill. only to find they sold it 10 minutes before i called. Then i found the Silver one and at $21,400 with 32k i was signing without even test driving car.
I drove home not pushing the car at all but shifting felt cluncky but i was moving from a 2003 Z4 so figured im adjusting. As days went on and i did push it i felt it was under powered so i added the Cobb tune and felt very little difference. So i thought yall was crazy my Z4 was faster. Then the fluid leak and dealership. But i tell ya after the repair the car is bad fast, it even sounds angrier under the hood at 3/4 throttle. But i didnt cause the tranny issues, they were there when i bought it as a certified preowned. Im debating demanding they pay the wrecker fee atleast since they wouldnt do anything to help me on a 10day old car.

 

[Shawn51fla]

Hello; Now that you have dodged the first big problem, would it be of any value to you to hear some suggestions about the care of your car?
There are things I do when working on a used car which is new to me. I am not trying to imply you need help, just asking.
Glad you came away "nice' on the trans problem.

By all means, if theres something i should be checking im appreciative to hear it. Im not a mechanic is why i needed to upgrade from the Z4. It was nearing 100K and needing lots of maintenance like new shocks. I did change the plugs on it.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Among the things I do for a used vehicle when I first get it is to check and/or change all the fluids. Check for sure. I even do a check of fluids on a brand new vehicle. By fluids I mean the common stuff such as oil and antifreeze, but all the rest. Transmission, differential(s) (rear end), brake fluid in both the brake system and the hydraulic clutch if it has one. ( yours will not), power steering fluid if it has such and so on.
After a check and if all fluids seem ok, then do a visual around and under the vehicle. Look for leaks which you already have had. I look at shocks for leaks.
I look for signs of damage and for signs of mud in places where it ought not be. Sad thing is a lot of flood cars get cleaned up and put back on the road. In some states a flood car has to have some sort of statement on the title. Let us hope your used car is not one of those.

With the miles and age of your car I would likely change out all the fluids including having the brake fluid changed out with fresh. I do this on my vehicles every two to four years. I know some folks never change brake fluid nor differential fluid, but I do. You can get away without doing so, a lot of people do. That you are not doing your own such work means it will cost a lot more. Much will depend on how long you tend to keep a vehicle.

You need to find a mechanic you have confidence in. I do not know how to do this. I go to shops for things like new tires or an alignment but tend to do everything else myself. I did have to have a car towed to a dealers shop in January for an antitheft system repair. First time in around 30 years I could not fix something myself. (Of course I have been lucky in that somethings I cannot fix did not break, an automatic trans for example. Long ago I worked as a helper in a shop which fixed automatics but am not sure I could fix one myself.)

Oh yeah, keep an eye on the alignment by watching the tire wear or just have the alignment checked. I had a new car which did not drive to suit. Had the alignment checked and it was out a bit from the factory. Had it aligned and it drove much better. I drove my brothers new car and felt the same thing, but he did not take my suggestion.

Last thing for now. While the car still has some warranty left test every function. Run the windows up and down. Turn on and off everything. I do not know what sort of tech your car has but put it thru it's paces, even things you do not plan to use.

If you can spare any of that luck you have had so far, send some my way.

 

[Shawn51fla]

Hello; Among the things I do for a used vehicle when I first get it is to check and/or change all the fluids. Check for sure. I even do a check of fluids on a brand new vehicle. By fluids I mean the common stuff such as oil and antifreeze, but all the rest. Transmission, differential(s) (rear end), brake fluid in both the brake system and the hydraulic clutch if it has one. ( yours will not), power steering fluid if it has such and so on.
After a check and if all fluids seem ok, then do a visual around and under the vehicle. Look for leaks which you already have had. I look at shocks for leaks.
I look for signs of damage and for signs of mud in places where it ought not be. Sad thing is a lot of flood cars get cleaned up and put back on the road. In some states a flood car has to have some sort of statement on the title. Let us hope your used car is not one of those.

With the miles and age of your car I would likely change out all the fluids including having the brake fluid changed out with fresh. I do this on my vehicles every two to four years. I know some folks never change brake fluid nor differential fluid, but I do. You can get away without doing so, a lot of people do. That you are not doing your own such work means it will cost a lot more. Much will depend on how long you tend to keep a vehicle.

You need to find a mechanic you have confidence in. I do not know how to do this. I go to shops for things like new tires or an alignment but tend to do everything else myself. I did have to have a car towed to a dealers shop in January for an antitheft system repair. First time in around 30 years I could not fix something myself. (Of course I have been lucky in that somethings I cannot fix did not break, an automatic trans for example. Long ago I worked as a helper in a shop which fixed automatics but am not sure I could fix one myself.)

Oh yeah, keep an eye on the alignment by watching the tire wear or just have the alignment checked. I had a new car which did not drive to suit. Had the alignment checked and it was out a bit from the factory. Had it aligned and it drove much better. I drove my brothers new car and felt the same thing, but he did not take my suggestion.

Last thing for now. While the car still has some warranty left test every function. Run the windows up and down. Turn on and off everything. I do not know what sort of tech your car has but put it thru it's paces, even things you do not plan to use.

If you can spare any of that luck you have had so far, send some my way.

Thats why im still ticked at dealership, being this was a CPO car all fluids all points of car should have been tested per CPO standards. Clearly they did not do this or i wouldnt have had to have a wrecker come get the car 200 miles later. Now you are right, i should take it somewhere to have it gone over real good. It was a fleet use rental car. While under warranty i made sure to run the car hard yesterday to make sure that tranny is good to go and not leaking. I was planning to do an oil change and plug change. One thing i paid attention too was tranny temps barely moved when running hard. Before dealership idling i could watch temps go up to 200

 

[sk47]

One thing i paid attention too was tranny temps barely moved when running hard. Before dealership idling i could watch temps go up to 200

Hello; Don't intend to be a wet blanket, but this raises a question, maybe two questions. We know you drove the car with a trans leak. Not clear how low the fluid level got to before you parked it and had the repair. I would have guessed at the possibility of the trans running hot, but now we know for sure it did. Thing could be some of the internals of the trans were heat stressed. Maybe low fluid might have had other negative effects. May not be enough to do damage which will shorten component life, but the possibility may exist.

You still have time and mileage on the powertrain warranty, so that is good. No need to panic or start a new round of worry. Might be a good idea to check the trans fluid level often for a while. Get an idea of what good trans fluid looks and smells like. Use a new bottle of the correct fluid as a standard to compare. Good fluid will be brite red and have a smell. Fluid which is very dark or has an odd smell can be a clue. Note: all fluid will darken a bit with time and miles and such is normal, so a little color change is not bad. Might even keep a quart or two handy for a while.
Also in a few months have the trans fluid changed along with the trans filter. Have a good look see at the old fluid and filter. It should not be very loaded with junk.

The second question is about the tune. I may be wrong about these tunes but think they can change the way some things in an automatic trans work. For example in a transmission which has a lockup feature this can be done with fluid pressure. The way a trans changes gears can be made to be more sudden and sharp or less. I do not have a clue if the tune you used does anything to the trans at all, but this may be something worth a check. I get the impression those who add aftermarket tunes are willing to take a chance on voiding the factory warranty. Personally I have not yet installed a tune so have no personal experience. I do wonder if a tune can change the fluid pressures in a transmission.

 

[Shawn51fla]

Hello; Don't intend to be a wet blanket, but this raises a question, maybe two questions. We know you drove the car with a trans leak. Not clear how low the fluid level got to before you parked it and had the repair. I would have guessed at the possibility of the trans running hot, but now we know for sure it did. Thing could be some of the internals of the trans were heat stressed. Maybe low fluid might have had other negative effects. May not be enough to do damage which will shorten component life, but the possibility may exist.

You still have time and mileage on the powertrain warranty, so that is good. No need to panic or start a new round of worry. Might be a good idea to check the trans fluid level often for a while. Get an idea of what good trans fluid looks and smells like. Use a new bottle of the correct fluid as a standard to compare. Good fluid will be brite red and have a smell. Fluid which is very dark or has an odd smell can be a clue. Note: all fluid will darken a bit with time and miles and such is normal, so a little color change is not bad. Might even keep a quart or two handy for a while.
Also in a few months have the trans fluid changed along with the trans filter. Have a good look see at the old fluid and filter. It should not be very loaded with junk.

The second question is about the tune. I may be wrong about these tunes but think they can change the way some things in an automatic trans work. For example in a transmission which has a lockup feature this can be done with fluid pressure. The way a trans changes gears can be made to be more sudden and sharp or less. I do not have a clue if the tune you used does anything to the trans at all, but this may be something worth a check. I get the impression those who add aftermarket tunes are willing to take a chance on voiding the factory warranty. Personally I have not yet installed a tune so have no personal experience. I do wonder if a tune can change the fluid pressures in a transmission.

I havent seen any post on negative effects of the COBB tune. Like i said my trans temp barely changes if running it hard or normal now. It moved a good bit before the failure and quickly. Being new to the car thought it was normal. The fluid was very Red that was leaking so that's good. And yes luckily have 2 years warranty on the power train left. Ford also make their own tune upgrade for these cars. Most say it didnt add much. Im confident the COBB didnt cause this, the car felt weak from the drive home. I think when i ran it hard it got hot and wore a seal that uncovered a problem.
Should be good to go now. It sure feels so much stronger, like they added 2 cylinders. Really that big a difference from prefailure to now. The tranny stays around 180-190 now. Before idling in driveway it was going as high as 200. Its 80ish in FL these days. I was thinking of getting it pro tuned to this specific car would add confidence in reliability of the tune, and more power.

 

[CJJon]

I wouldn't go tune crazy until you have your trans issues sorted and you are sure your loss of power due to fluid loss didn't damage your trans.

 

[Shawn51fla]

I havent seen any post on negative effects of the COBB tune. Like i said my trans temp barely changes if running it hard or normal now. It moved a good bit before the failure and quickly. Being new to the car thought it was normal. The fluid was very Red that was leaking so that's good. And yes luckily have 2 years warranty on the power train left. Ford also make their own tune upgrade for these cars. Most say it didnt add much. Im confident the COBB didnt cause this, the car felt weak from the drive home. I think when i ran it hard it got hot and wore a seal that uncovered a problem.
Should be good to go now. It sure feels so much stronger, like they added 2 cylinders. Really that big a difference from prefailure to now. The tranny stays around 180-190 now. Before idling in driveway it was going as high as 200. Its 80ish in FL these days. I was thinking of getting it pro tuned to this specific car would add confidence in reliability of the tune, and more power.

One thing stands out suddenly is vin search i found same car was for sale at $24,700 back in September with same miles on it when i bought it at different dealership 200 miles away for $21,400. Why the sudden move and price drop. Maybe surplus of them for sale in area. But i do believe they did nothing at dealership i bought it at they just slapped a CPO on it and priced to sell. Makes me ponder did they know there was a problem but then why not just get it fixed under warranty. Could there be a reason they could not get warranty repair?

 

[Shawn51fla]

I wouldn't go tune crazy until you have your trans issues sorted and you are sure your loss of power due to fluid loss didn't damage your trans.

Yeah i was talking 6 months from now or so. Need work on paying down the balance to cut that $7k in interest 1st. Only thing i dont like about car is i had 4.9% finance with Vroom then after inquiry hits got 10.87% here local. Yeah they screwed me there but i figured sell my Z4 and i can pay it off in a year or so. I planed to let them buy my Z4 but they only offered $2800 for a car is worth easily $6K. Its an iconic 2003 Z4 with no mechanical issues and the roof operates with key fob and that's rare on these.

 

[sk47]

One thing stands out suddenly is vin search i found same car was for sale at $24,700 back in September with same miles on it when i bought it at different dealership 200 miles away for $21,400. Why the sudden move and price drop. Maybe surplus of them for sale in area. But i do believe they did nothing at dealership i bought it at they just slapped a CPO on it and priced to sell. Makes me ponder did they know there was a problem but then why not just get it fixed under warranty. Could there be a reason they could not get warranty repair?

Hello; Dealers do new car trades from time to time, not sure about used cars. One thing can be is a single owner can have several dealerships spread around an area. There is a fellow named Tim Short in my area who has at least five dealerships. I do know used cars will be moved around from one shop to another at times. My guess includes to see if a particular car which has not sold in one place may do better in another.

Again I am guessing but I think there may be restrictions on warranty repairs by a dealership. May be something such as a rule that some private owner has to apply for the warranty coverage. I could be way wrong. I do think a dealer will do recall or TSB work. It may have something to do with how a repair is billed to Ford.

If you trans is the newer ten speed automatic may I suggest you do a search on this site about them. Some threads and many posts about them, not all good news sort.

I hope you are correct about the tunes and the warranty questions. You might get a car fax sort of repair history on that car. When I look at a used car I ask the dealer if they have one. A while before the virus struck I was about to buy a low mileage 2019 Bullitt for a fair price. I asked for the repair report and found it had "minor collision" damage before it was first titled to an individual. My guess is a test drive went wrong. It was a good enough deal for a clean car, but not one with a wreck on it's history.

Let me say again your car has experienced one of the worst things an engine or transmission can endure. That is running low on a vital lubricant and running hot. The degree of potential damage is difficult to know. Maybe very little negative impact over time or maybe will shorten the life of transmission components significantly.
If you like the car enough to be willing to face the potential expense of repairs after the warranties expire, that is one thing. If you are not willing to pay the freight then consider getting out of the car before the warranties are gone.

 

[sk47]

Hello; I could not make out the repair sheet you posted. It was sideways on my screen and some was cut off. Have a look to see what parts were replaced. This might tell you how far they went into the transmission.

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