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Ford F-Series Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • kspksp Member Posts: 3
    is it possible to put 300 6 cylinder 4speed transmission to
    a 351w
  • mabrant61mabrant61 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 03 F150 4.6 2WD ... a little over 29K on it. Which route should I go .. a Trans Flush and don't touch the pan at this time or just go "old school" and drop the pan / change filter / refill 5 qts or so ??

    The truck has not done any hard towing / racing /etc. The fluid seems ok, but I guess Ford recommends a 30K service. I called the dealer where I bought the truck .... said they don't have the flush machine yet, but still will do the pan option. Although, he was not against doing a flush. They just don't have a machine to do it. Plus, on a 03 the torque converter does not have a drain plug any longer.

    I went to another Ford dealer today and they push the flush for $139. That is the only thing they do. Told me Ford recommends this and the pan should not be removed. They warranty it ( I guess the flush process from any damage incurred by this process) ... plus they said (who knows if this is true) that it will benefit my extended warranty by having this done. I have the 6yr/75000 mile extended warranty and by following this type of trans service, if I ever have trans issues the extended warranty should never be questioned because I followed the Ford recommended service.

    Just for the heck of it ... I called two trans shops in town and they both said just drop pan/filter/refill. One for $85 & one for $110.

    Now if that doesn't make things more confusing. I agree with the drop pan method because that is what I have always done in the past and have always had good trans life with doing that at regular intervals.

    I am really confused .... seems you can find a different opinion at every turn!! I guess I'm not "sold" on this flush process, but then again I am not that familiar with it. I would greatly appreciate your advice!! Thank You.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Always drop the pan.

    I made that mistake of going through the fill tube once, and only once. 1990 F-150, quick lube place did the fluid via the tube. Tranny grenaded a few months later (thank goodness for extended warranties). Dealer's transmission master tech was baffled because the fluid was still red, but the tranny only had 1st and reverse.

    Dropping the pan lets you see problems before they get ugly.

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    I totally agree with kcram.

    Always drop the pan and replace the filter/screen.
    I don't like the flush machines, because of 2 reasons.
    One, they back flush. Meaning the fluid goes in the oposite direction than it is supposed to.

    The other, because you don't see any debris that gets flushed into the pan.
  • snwbrd2snwbrd2 Member Posts: 2
  • snwbrd2snwbrd2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 f150 xlt supercab with a 4.2L v6 and manual transmission. The other day when i was driving my truck i took off fast from a stop and got the wheels spinning but when i went to shift to 2nd gear the clutch pedal was on the ground and everytime i would shift the rpms would stay high and wheels kept spinning, i knew i would burn out the clutch if i tried to go so i just stopped but at the time of this the battery light was flashing also. i had the battery and alternator tested and they both checked out fine. i don't know why the battery light was flashing or why the pedal wouldn't come up because i was under the impression that the clutch is all hydralic and i don't have any problems when i am just driving but it seems that it is missing some power because if i push to put both windows up at the same time the lights will flicker also. i was told my belt could be the problem so i replaced that and still same problem my second problem is when the brakes are applied the truck will shudder and when applied very hard it feels as if the brakes just lock up any help would be great thanks
  • puddlejumper4puddlejumper4 Member Posts: 3
    MY 99 AUTO F-350 WILL ONLY MOVE IN REVERSE AND LOW 1. JUST CAME BACK FROM VACATION WITH NO PROBLEMS. BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVE AND IT WOULD NOT GO. 130,000 MILES AND 4 TORQUE CONVERTERS LATER, THIS. HAVE NEVER TOWED WITH THIS VEHICLE.
    ANY IDEAS??
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    More than likely you are going to the dealer or some shop for your Parts, where do you live ?

    Tony Prater
  • puddlejumper4puddlejumper4 Member Posts: 3
    I live in Cleveland, Tennessee.
  • puddlejumper4puddlejumper4 Member Posts: 3
    My 99 F-350 crew 4x4 only works in reverse and low 1. The local transmission shop says its the planetary gears. Acts
    electrical to me. Any ideas?? Shifter feel different. It is an auto.
  • tenscotttenscott Member Posts: 1
    i have rec. baught a 1994 automatic with o/d well here is my problem if you get in it and drive it like you stole it or the check engine light comes on you can drive it normal but if not and you drive it normal it seems to kick in and out of neutral like it is sliping until about 30 or 40 mph at high speeds it works normally does anyone have a clue whats going on please help
  • harley2007harley2007 Member Posts: 1
    Sounds like you had the same pblm I am having, did you ever find a solution to your tranny prblms? email me at [email protected] thanks vic
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    today i noticed a grinding noise coming from the tranny when I engage the truck in drive. :sick:

    the first post I come to incedentally is yours.

    I'd sure like to know if you were able to get it taken care of by the dealer.

    I have one day left on my warranty and this problem popped up.

    I get no rental with this problem - they want $50 per day for a loaner and I rely on a truck for work. :sick: :cry:
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    No thing I noticed way back when joining this group is that no one ever says where they are, lol. Little hard to recommend someone or a dealer if we dont know where you guys are that need help. So write back and tell us where you are so hopefully someone in here can tell you which dealer is good in your area if under wannarty or shop if not under wannarty.

    Cowboy, denver colorado
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    hey Cowboy,
    I live near San Jose, Calif.
    Dropped the Truck off today (Sat) and won't know untill Monday how bad it is.

    I did learn that my Warranty ran out 6 days ago!! :cry:
    They said it's possible Ford might provide some assistance.

    My 3 year, 6 day old F150 has only 28k miles on it and I might be looking at a $4,000 tranny repair :surprise:

    I think I'm going to be sick :sick:
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    So my tranny in my F150 4x2 is shot after less than 29k miles. :sick:

    I'm 6 days past the expiration of the factory warranty, have always had it serviced at Ford, never towed anything big with this truck and really driven it pretty conservatively.

    Cost to replace tranny....$4,600 :surprise:
    Ford has offered $2,600 towards my predicament.

    Anyone care to provide an opinion if this is fair?
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Had a Taurus with 22K on the Odometer, 37 months old, and the transmission would only do reverse, 1rst, & 2nd.

    They offered nothing when I asked for consideration. Consider yourself lucky.
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    The next question would be to ask how much they would give you toward the purchase of an 07...

    Right now there is 0.0% If they gave you 2600 on top of that, you could get brand new truck for a sweet deal.

    Mark.

    PS. If you were in a Toyota and had this trans problem, they would be laughing at you, not offering $2,600.
  • 2cajun2cajun Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1997 Ford F-250. Powerstroke 7.3 automatic. A year ago I had the transmission rebuilt. I think I got ripped of in that job. 5 months ago the throttle sensor had to be replaced. 3 months ago the cam sensor had to be replaced. Last week the truck started dying. It would normally crank back up but when you put it in gear it would die (forward or reverse). I put a code reader on the truck when it messed up and it read a PCM memory problem and a cam sensor problem, which I told the dealer about. Took it to the ford dealer (because there is no one else to trust) they kept it 3 days replaced the cam sensor again and told me to come pick it up. I was a happy camper. When I got to the repair shop they couldn't drive it out of the shop. It kept dying. They kept it 3 more days and said it was the torque converter shutting the engine down. The torque converter would have to be replaced along with the front end pump (what ever that is). Some other mechanics have said it was unlikely the torque convert is bad that it is probably the PCM. Now I'm really confused. Any input?
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    the thought of a trade did cross my mind, but when you have a transmission failure at 29k miles :lemon: it doesn't exactly make you brand loyal.
  • apinkstonapinkston Member Posts: 4
    After stopping at a light. On acceleration it feels like there is a bunch of slack in the drive train and a definite
    clunk as the slack catches up. There is no obivous problems with u-joints or anything like that It also seems to get worse as the trans gets hotter. I have a trans temp guage and indications are normal
    Any help wii be appreaciated
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    Dude without knowing the year of it I can pretty much tell ya the tranny is going out. You can have the BG Flush done on it and it may buy you some time but that tranny is going out. When ever asking for help in here you guys need to tell us where you are City/ State at least so someone might be able to tell you where a good place is to go for Repairs. Reply back with Year, 4x4 Y or N , Diesel, City and State and we can go from there.

    Cowboy
  • apinkstonapinkston Member Posts: 4
    cowboy the truck is a 04 superduty 4x4, 6.0 and I live in Amarillo Tx.
    Thanks for the reply
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    Your kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Take it it's out of warranty or you wouldn't be on here. You can check your local Tranny places for a price one to replace it. If they are over 3300.00 for a new install of one it would be cheaper for you to come to Denver and get one on a weekend. Have to double check on that with Dwayne the guy that does my tranny work, but for a 7.3 he is only 2200 plus 500 for a new torque converter and they sucker will at least any bodies tranny out there. I was going to see him today anyway on another tranny for a friend so I will check with him on yours.

    Cowboy
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    got my "new" tranny.
    it's a rebuilt - the only thing under the truck that looks rusty. After $2,600 in "assistance" from Ford, I was left with a $2,000 bill.

    no, I don't feel lucky having to replace a transmission 6 days after the warranty expired.

    Ford built tough :confuse:
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    You are telling me that Ford or someone else wants 4600 for a tranny on a 04 ?
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    yes
    $4,600 for a rebuilt transmission!
    and it's guaranteed to last 3 years or 36,000 miles
    not a day longer

    can you believe it?
  • piolinpiolin Member Posts: 1
    ok this truck when start driving gets neutral by 3-5 seconds when it shift to 2nd gear and then runs good .ohhh the O/D switch light is blinking too . thanks for the space
  • dddddddddd Member Posts: 5
    Please help! We got our transmission re-built 1 year ago. It is still acting up. It shift great on a day-to-day basis. When we pull our camper for about 2 hours at 60-65 mph the transmission fluid leaks and does not shift correctly. It only does this on 2 hour camping trips. The cooler has been replace, the computer has been reset. It is under transmission warranty, but they are running out of ideas. Truck is a 1998 and has less than 120,000 miles.
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    Well who actually rebuilt it, what kind of Torgue Converter did they give and where are you at ?

    Cowboy
  • dddddddddd Member Posts: 5
    Cottman's rebuilt it. I am in Breaux Bridge, LA. Suppost to be a heavy duty torgue converter. They referred to it as a billit(excuse the spelling). Lafayette Cottman's just said heavy duty torgue converter. We are getting very frustrated. It has been back to the shop at least 5 times.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    cowboy,

    the way you ask "where you at" cracks me up.

    what do you think the chances are that your transmission buddy is going to be able to help out anyone on this thread?
    it's not called the www for nothing
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    Well first of all I would never take it to a place that mainly does Car trannys and second Billet is about the biggest joke of Converter like you are dude. Know you may have to look way back to one of my post to get a hold of someone here in Colorado that actually knows are trucks Tranny as I have tried to post it again and it got erased by the forum owner because he only wants you to go to the dealer and pay there high prices for even bigger junk trannys. On the his tranny over heating thats pretty simple and that 99 times out of 100 when it's doing that it's the Converter, having it done by Cottman doesn't help as they used cheap rebuild kits. That guy only has 1 option and that is to make them take it out and pull it apart if they don't think it's the Converter as I am sure it is. Now I don't know who you are but I am pretty sure you only bought a Diesel to look cool and you are insercure in your man hood and think you know everything, so from us that acutually know what we are talking about pissoff.

    COWBOY
  • dddddddddd Member Posts: 5
    OK! That was an un-called for way of replying to me. Message 89 was not from me. We are a family of five who needed a bigger truck to pull our camper. This is a base model truck with 3 car seats. Not what most people call cool. By the way I am the wife and mother in this family (not dude). Why Cottman's? We were stranded on the side of the road with 3 kids on our so called vacation. Ford dealership did not have a diesel mechanic on duty. Other transmission shops were closed on Saturday. Found Cottman's they were open and we took what we could get. Oh and by the way we did have our camper on the back of the truck. We did not have a lot of options.
    Thank you for your opinion and your insults.

    WIFE AND MOM
  • dddddddddd Member Posts: 5
    Correction to year model. It is a 1997 F-350.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    I think it's pretty evident that Cowboy hangs out here to help his tranny buddy in his Colorado hood.

    kind a surprised his post hasn't got a stern reply from the "camp" host.

    You're right, you didn't deserved to be insulted like that.
  • dddddddddd Member Posts: 5
    Thanks. Despite his insults, I do hope that his diagnoses is correct. They decided to change the converter and the pump. Here we go again. We have 1 more year of warranty. I hope that they get it right. They have already changed the transmission cooler that didn't work. We'll see.

    Wish us luck!
  • 3hallz3hallz Member Posts: 2
    First time on this site. I am from Rocky Mount VA and it seems that you have the same problem that I have. I have a 2003 F350 powerstroke crewcab dually. Last week I left a parking lot and when the truck changed gears it felt like someone hit us in the rearend it changed so hard. Since then the O/D light is blinking and it goes into nuetral for a few seconds when you first put it in gear. On the highway it changes fine. I am putting it in the shop this week to get it checked out. I have no warranty left so I hope it is not the transmission itself. What did you find out?
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    You are the cry baby in this matter dude and trying to put it on me just show that you wish you knew as much about Trannys as I do.

    I Simply asked in the begining is who built it, what kind of Converter is was and where they where living ?

    Then you came back with the smartass comment below

    cowboy,

    the way you ask "where you at" cracks me up.

    what do you think the chances are that your transmission buddy is going to be able to help out anyone on this thread?
    it's not called the www for nothing

    So as I told you already butthead go back and pretend you know what you are talking about as not once though this all have you told her what is wrong. How come that is and if you don't know what you are doing with trannys how come you are even in here making rude comments to someone that was only trying to help ?

    Cowboy

    Oh and by the way the same tranny they want over at ATS with the High Performance Converter an sells for 5K total my friend can do for 2500 you moron.
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    That big pop was your last warning to the tranny going out, if with in 3K miles you are still driving it feel very lucky and know that at anytime soon that tranny will completely stop working.

    Not sure if you read the other post as to what trannys run but the price I said was for 7.3 diesel tranny. I can how ever find out how much different it is if you have the 6.0 Diesel. The Shipping cost are usually around 100.00 each way and anyone with half a brain can change the Automatic tranny out which yes leaves out the other guy that only knows how to cry.

    Cowboy
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    ...or things will get very quiet here.

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • 3hallz3hallz Member Posts: 2
    we have a guy here in town that took the transmission apart and replaced the OD parts. He said that they were burnt up. He replaced the filter and fluid and put a shift kit in it. It seems to be working ok for now, still may trade it in. The bill on the transmission was 1679.00. Not as bad as we thought.
  • redbud2redbud2 Member Posts: 3
    I have a well cared for Ford HD F-250. With the E4Od and a 7.3 Diesel with Hypertech programming. I have faithfully had it flushed and filled with Redline tranny fluid. The color has always looked good. I haul 2 horse with living quarters from Cinci through the hills to the east coast about 3 times a year. I have had NO problems to date but, I was wondering what I should be looking for and doing to prevent problems? I have a diesel shop that inspects and maintains the truck twice a year, adjusting bearings, and oil. Do you have any suggestions?
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    How about a supplemental transmission cooler, and transmission temperature gauge.
  • redbud2redbud2 Member Posts: 3
    Have the cooler but not the temp gauge. Have heard pros and cons on the extra cooler. I have the camper package which already has one. I don't seem to be cooking my fluid. I will look into maybe a temp gauge and a electric fan.
  • cowboy9cowboy9 Member Posts: 161
    Thats really all you can do if you don't know how to work on them yourself. Nice thing about shops that tailor to Diesels and that most are very honest about it.

    Yes from time to time the truck is going to need repairs and like anything the will usually give you signs of going and if you fix them then you will save yourself a headache of breaking down on the road somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

    Cowboy
  • dragsdaledragsdale Member Posts: 2
    You know i had the same thing happen to me replaced the PCM and that took care of if. Also check all of your connectors on top of the motor i have had problems with them to i would check them first. it makes it act like the problem your having . Hope it works for you
  • ironsportyironsporty Member Posts: 8
    I have a '95 F250 with an E4OD trans. It has worked flawlessly for 76,000 miles. The trans recently started to vibrate at 35mph before shifting into 3rd and stopped vibrating around 50mph. The vibration would disappear if i shifed the trans into neutral or backed off the throttle. The fluid level was fine and the color of the fluid was equal to that of new fluid...clear and bright red. Not burned or awkward in smell. Curiosity got the best of me so I dropped the pan to inspect for damage.
    I found a good amount of fine metal particles attached to the donut shaped magnet at the bottom of the pan. No large chunks of any other debris was found. Cleaned up the pan and magnet and installed a new filter with a new pan gasket. Got the pan installed and topped off with fluid. Started engine and noiced that the motor idled much smoother than before. Went for a test ride and noticed much smoother shifting but still had some vibration but way less than before. Added more fluid after test run and went out again and vibration was nearly gone.
    Common sense states that the bebris in the pan is a warning that the trans has a few miles before it lunches for good. I'm wanting to know if anyone out here in cyber space has seen this in an E4OD before and are my instincts correct by lining up a spare trans/converter for swapping out?
  • mh550mh550 Member Posts: 2
  • mh550mh550 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 03 F-250 with 6.0 diesel. I pull a 30ft flatbed gooseneck. Always run in tow/haul. In overdrive about 65 or 70 when getting in a little pull it starts (i guess) shuttering. If I push down on it, and she downshifts it stops doing it. It only does it in overdrive. I've put in new torque converter, cleaned the turbo, had it to Ford dealers, still does it. No Codes, no check engine light on. What can it be???? I have 205,000 miles on it. It also shifts fine and pulls fine, no slippage.

    Thanks Jr
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