OK I don't have a Freestar, but I didn't see a place for WINDSTARs so I hope you don't mind. I have a problem with my van that's a hair puller. It makes NO sense to me at all. Please bear with me and I'll try to explain. What I am about to describe, was the beginning of these events, and we had had NO prior problems with the Tranny leaking before. So with that said, here goes.

My wife and I had to go out of town for her job. We were to be traveling about 200 to 225 miles approx. After we'd traveled about 60 miles, we decide to swing through and grab some fast food. When I got in the turnig lane I smelled burning tranny fluid coming through the vents. I pulled up to the speaker to order and rolled down the window, I indeed saw smoke and pulled over to the side of the lot. Upon inspection I noticed a steady leak. It was kind of late but there was a Wal-Mart close by. We drove there and the tire and lube guys were kind enough to put it over their pit and allow me to look. The tranny pan was covered in fluid and I saw where it had been blowing on the exhaust. They told me the gasket was probably bad and I agreed. I felt as long as I kept an eye on the fluid levels I'd be OK. I wasn't sure what type of fluid I needed, but the guy sold me TYPE F (I know now that's the wrong stuff). I was about a quart low so topped it off and went on our merry way. I had NO PROBLEMS driving the rest of the 150 or some odd miles.

Now, here's the odd part. we were on our way back. We had traveled about 120 miles, when I saw white smoke in my rear view mirror. I was thinking perhaps I needed to pull over and check the fluid. A very few seconds later the smoke intensified to something that looked like it came from a Bond movie. I looked at the guages to check temp, and oil pressure and all that and everything looked normal, except for that the oil light was flashing. Flickering irradically. I pulled over, and I was trying to turn everything off, and I yelled for the wife to get out and see if we were on fire because our two year old was in the car too. She said, this thing is just pouring fluid or oil out. I figured she was exaggeration. Couldn't be that bad, but it was. Looked like someonewas pouring oil out of a can from under thevan. This stuff was as black as night, smelled like oil and I would have bet my last nickel that it was oil. Two guys stopped to check on us. They'd brought an extinguisher cause they thought we were on fire too. They said it was oil as well. Then a deputy Sheriff happened along, and he said it was oil too. The cop took us to a hotel because it was getting bitterly cold and we were expecting an ice storm. We called family for help, and my bro-in-law who is a mechanic as well, looked at it and he too said it was oil.

Now here comes the funny part. I get the thing towed to my cousin's garage. He is a master mechanic. Now the puddle, or POND I should say, under my Van was staggering!! But he checks the oil and calls me. It was full of oil. BUTthree quarts low of tranny fluid Guys, I know oil when I see it. It's reddish looking. this stuff looked and smelled like oil. Me, My wife, two good Samaritans, and a cop, Plus my mechanic bro-in-law all said it was oil. But it wasn't oil!! It was tranny fluid. He refilled it, with the right type, (Mercon V) and drove it about 40 miles and had no trouble. I picked it up and I have been driving it locally here for about two months. I am afraid to take it out far, but I'm gonna have to go 200 miles to an airport soon for a trip, and I can't have it messing up on me cause I'll miss my plane.

Does anyone have any suggestions?? Would the wrong type of tranny fluid cause it to build up back pressure enough to blow fluid out the seals? Would the tranny fluid turn jet black. Someone told me these models have some sort of valve that when the engine or tranny overheats it throws out enough fluid to stop the van so you don't blow an engine. Is that true?? I've never heard of that before. I'm no dummy myself when it comes to autos, but this has me buggered!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for rambling, it's late and my eyes are burning. LOL

Oh BTW!! The Van is a 98 Windstar, with the big engine of the t

This will just be my personal opinion...

Since you're apparently having no adverse affects, I would have the transmission flushed of all fluid. Who ever performs the flush, have them run a cleaner thru it first (BG makes a good product and is sold/used by most Dealerships). This will help clean any varnish that was created by using the TYPE F fluid. Then drop the pan and change the filter and clean all the crud that's setting in the pan and on the magnet. Yes, you'll loose some nice new tranny fluid, but it's cheaper than a tranny.

Good luck.

Hey, I found this somewhere and wondered if maybe it could have something to do with it. This article was discussing recalls.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bm/95-98windstar.htm

1997/98 - (10,607 vehicles)
- The AX4S transaxle has low/intermediate servo covers that can separate and leak transmission fluid onto the catalytic converter.

Are you the original owener? That particular recall was back in June 1997. I would suspect that the recall on your van was completed by now. However, that doensn't rule out it having the same problem since the recall is for "DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACE THESE SERVO COVERS". If not leaking when inspected, they probably just let em' go.

Just a follow up here. Took the van to my cousin who is a master mechanic, and he checked the fluid levels...everything is perfect even after all this time?? I was shocked. It hasn't leaked a drop since. That night it was getting low, that Wal-Mart tech told me to put in the WRONG fluid (Type F). I had NO IDEA what it took and he actually went and got this stuff off the shelf and brought it to me. He should have known better than that. My cousin told me that the wrong fluid might have made it get HOt and build up pressure and might have made it blow past the seal. I didn't think a seal would ever leak that way, but something did!! We checked the valve on top of the tranny, and it was clean and dry, so it didn't come out of there, nor did it come out of the servo covers. Nothing coming off the pan gasket, so I am perplexed to say the least. We drove it home from Memphis airport (118 miles) the other day in 90 degree weather, and we drove it pretty hard, but still not a drop lost. Wife drove it to and from and around Nashville (420 miles round trip) again in hot weather, and still not a drop leaked. Just wanting to let folks know, if your tranny gets low of fluid and you put in the wrong fluid type, it can cause a major leak. Guys, when I say major, I'm not exagerating. It poured out from the van like you were pouring fluid right out of the bottle right onto the ground. Three quarts worth in less than a minute. I thought it was oil because the stuff was black as night. I know oil from tranny fluid. I asked several people who happened by and they all thought it was oil. anyway, I had the thing towed 90 miles to the house, and turns out, all I had to do was replace the friggin fluid!! LOL
remember that if it ever happens to you.

Glad to hear your tranny made it with no ill effects. Got to love them there store mechanics. I've seen too many stripped and cross threaded oil pain drain plugs (Gotta try real hard to do that?), brake jobs (Shoes not adjusted properly after install)and work that was never performed but charged for (Adjusted cambers, but strut towers never touched) and so on. Heck, I even had a friend that had 4 new tires put on that weren't even the ones he purchased and had in the back of his truck. Time is money and you get what you pay for.

Oh man let me tell ya....I am soooo mad right now I could spit!!! I am working on my ac in my Windstar right? Here's the problem. OK problem one, was the airflow coming through defroster instead of vents. Problem Two, rear air is coming out in the floor instead of top vents, and air is hot instead of cold. OK Had this problem last year with the front air right. I had a broken leg and was laid up so the wife took it to what I thought was a respectible service station, QUALITY TIRE, in SAVANNAH, TENNESSEE!!!:DGuy said we needed a part, and it would be $150.00 for parts and labor. I was at his mercy. He worked on the van and got the air coming out as it was supposed to. It lasted for a few months and then stopped again right as summer was ending. So now that it's really roasting I decided to make the time to look at it. Doing research told me I could probably fix it myself. Ok I remove the six MASSIVE SCREWS and the ENORMOUS PANEL to get to the switch, you know the one the dude replaced??? YEAH....found a spliced vaccuum line on a switch that did NOT look as though it was changed. He used an oversized piece of vac line that was very loose. Sometimes we could turn the AC off, then back on and it would work correctly for a about twenty to thirty seconds before switching back out the defrost vents. I guess the pressure was building inside the lines enough to open the flap a little, then loose pressuse and close back. Anyway, my cousin gave me a piece of vac hose that fit right over the ones I had and it's blowing snowballs at me now. LOL I really want to go back over to QUALITY TIRE in SAVANNAH TENNESSEE!!!:D(god.. that's fun!!) and take $150.00 out of his A$$!!! we just got a new jail in our town and I might have to check it out a night or two!![:-]Anyway I have the front air problem solved.

The rear air, I am still trying to figure out.
Check out this pic.
Any Ideas?

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk13/Wild_Starchilds_Pics/Forum%20pictures/acvaclines.jpg