My plan had been to check my transmission fluid at the first stop for gas but with smoke coming from behind my car and no response at all from my transmission (silly automatic thing that never should have been invented) I had reason to check sooner.
When I coasted into a providentially placed rest area and opened my hood there were smoking puddles of ATF (automatic transmission fluid) on the engine and everything under the hood was drenched. I began contemplating whether it would be wiser to replace the transmission or go shopping for a southern (salt free) vehicle and praying that neither would be necessary.
I quickly located the problem: I’d had a leak fixed last fall and the mechanic who did the work had not done a good job. A hose carrying transmission fluid to the radiator had enough slack that it could wear against the fan. When it wore through, it sprayed its contents all across the inside of the engine compartment and left the transmission without enough fluid to perform.
The wear was in such a place that, within minutes I was able to cut off the damaged part of the hose and clamp it back again with the only side effect being that it was adjusted properly away from the fan (hopefully).
The security guard at the rest area alerted one of the hostesses to my plight and she offered to go get me some ATF if I sent her with some money. I had one quart with me and with two quarts from her the level of ATF came above the bottom of the dipstick. I thanked the security guard and hostess profusely and proceeded to see if I still had a transmission. The transmission worked without any signs of damage and got me a few tentative miles to a car wash where $3 of soap and water on the inside of the engine compartment seemed a wise investment against flames blocking my visibility farther down the highway. I then purchased three more quarts, two of which brought the level above the “add 1 pt.” line. I was finally able to proceed on my way praising the amazing God I serve who saves a college student the cost of a new transmission.
4 comments:
PTL! Glad you had safe travels. Was good seeing you for a few minutes while you were here. :)
I seem to remember a certain conversation on Sabbath about the reliability of your car. ...such adventures you seem to have when you visit Southern! Glad you made it :)
Flames blocking visibility doesn't sound particularly desirable.
woa Alex you won't believe it but the same thing pretty much happened to me this weekend...my transmission line came off, the hole smoke and transmission fluid every was the same as your car. lol...I am kinda embarrassed to but yeah I didn't really know that much about engines so I had to wait till my uncle came and fixed if for me...lol and those same thoughts of whether i would be needing a new car ran through my head. thank goodness for the both of us we didn't have to do that. ;-)
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