2004 Ford Taurus Leakage

What is the leaking fluid?

The leakage does not seem to be engine oil level seems to be ok and it is not coming from the oil pan. There is a black color pan looking piece that is right behind the oil pan (closer to the driver) and the leakage is from behind this pan. How can I know if this is transmission or any other type of fluid?

Transmission fluid is reddish in color. Engine oil is black/tan/dark brown. Check your engine oil and check your transmission fluid (with the dip stick). Take two seperate white tissues or paper towels and wipe off each dip stick. Observe what color the engine oil is and what color the trannsmission fluid is. Then wipe up the leak with a clean white towel or tissue and compair the color of the fluid leaking against the results of the dip stick fluids..keep me posted...

the fluid is transmission fluid and is coming from the side of the transmission pan on the driver side. I also noticed that there is a sign of something hitting the pan close to that spot. Should I change the pan too? The car is at 54,000 miles. Is it a good idea to do the transmission service : flushing the fluid, and changing the transmission fluid filter as well as change of pan and gasket? How much should this cost?

It sounds like something hit the pan and caused your leak, as I am sure you observed. Check with your local dealer for a price on a new pan, or call your local junk yard for a used pan. A new pan is not availible from the aftermarket. I would go with a good junk yard pan myself, the difference in price may be shocking.. Transmissions can be very tempermental. When you go flushing them out, they can act up. Removing the pan, installing a transmission filter kit (which will include the pan gasket), and adding replacing the transmission fluid will be fine. Unless you have been having mechanical trouble with the transmission, do not mess with it by flushing it out. You can open up a bad can of worms...Also, check the level of the fluid now; make sure the fluid is not too low as you are riding around getting parts. Low transmission fluid will destroy any transmission in no time at all.