I need help with my truck

[Diamondpilot]

The total cost was $500. $200 for transmission cooler, $100 for installation and $200 for the transmission service, which included all new fluid, pan gasket and filter.

By popular demand I will get a gauge installed before I make the next loaded run.

Well, hopefully this will keep you running cool. Can't hurt.

Chris

 

[CurlyDave]

Just an update. I successfully drove the truck & trailer from Grants Pass, OR to Woodside, CA. Just under 500 miles, although I did detour around San Francisco at rush hour, which added miles but reduced the possibility for an accident.

The truck has an outside thermometer and the highest it read was 109 degrees, although a bank sign said 110 degrees when the truck said 104.

The trailer weighs ~ 2250 lbs, and the nursery guy estimated the trees at 4200 lbs.

I kept the speed to 55 when the temperature was in the 90s and 50 mph when the outside temp got over 100.

Not too shabby for that truck & trailer.

Now I need to unload in the morning.

 

[CurlyDave]

Well, hopefully this will keep you running cool. Can't hurt.

Chris

Are you sure it can't hurt? One of the misgivings I had was what happens in winter? Can the extra cooling make the transmission run too cold? The lowest temps I see are in the 10-20 range, maybe getting down to 0 on a hunting trip.

I have always read that the transmission oil, just like the engine oil, had to warm up enough to evaporate condensate or it would be bad for the internal components.

 

[Sackett2]

Just watch it close. the Ford e4od trans can leak from the front seal; one service center says this is a reseal of the front of the trans, another says this is a failing transmission. Dad's trans started leaking from the front and it requires a rebuild. (did it really??) Father-in-law also had his rebuilt for trans issues. I've seen a lot of e4od's get rebuilds, so just pay attention to it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Are you sure it can't hurt? One of the misgivings I had was what happens in winter? Can the extra cooling make the transmission run too cold? The lowest temps I see are in the 10-20 range, maybe getting down to 0 on a hunting trip.

I have always read that the transmission oil, just like the engine oil, had to warm up enough to evaporate condensate or it would be bad for the internal components.

I really think it will not be a issue. It will heat up if driven long enough.

Chris

 

[Josh61513]

Just a bit of an FYI at this point-many automatic transmissions, likely the 4R70W in your F-150 as well (although I cannot say for certain), do not lock the torque converter in 1st gear. You mentioned that you held the truck in manual 1 for some time. An unlocked torque converter creates a tremendous amount of heat from the constant slip and shearing of transmission fluid. This is why many trucks are now equipped with a "tow/haul" button to change the shift strategy and also lock the torque converter whenever possible.

I suspect that the heat created from the unlocked torque converter caused the fluid to overheat, expand, and relieve itself all over your driveway once gravity helped it escape from being reversed on the incline of your driveway.

-Josh

 

[Brahmus]

Well I'm a little late to this party, but you have the 4R70W, I have much experience with this tranny. In stock form they are mearly adequate, but a rebuild by a good shop can make them plenty strong. The larger cooler was a good move and no need to worry about overcooling it, there is a thermo in the 4R70W and 4R100 that will not circulate all the fluid to the cooler before it warms up. Not sure about other models. You have a plug/port on the drivers side for installing the tranny temp gauge. Great investment! Try to keep the temps below 180F and your tranny will last much longer. Once you get the gauge you'll be amazed at how quickly she warms up even with the cooler. I have completely bypassed my radiator cooler and my temps stay around 140 on average. If you see over 200F temps, replace your fluid ASAP as it cuts the fluid life down drastically.

 

[mattman]

Why they don't build transmissions a little stouter is a good question. If people had a trans that shifted with a quick firm snap they woulb be back at the dealer saying the trans ****fs to hard. So the manufactures make the trans shift as smmoth as they can to keep folks happy. For the people that work a truck we have a trans built to provide comfront and piece of mind instead of a workhorse trans.

It helps with tow haul to raise the pressure of the fluid to apply more force on the clutch packs to keep the clutches from slipping. Also helps to have a quicker firmer shift. Tow haul is a good thing on a truck, really helps the trans stay together.

 

[dodge man]

In the old days you could add a shift kit to the valve body to firm up the shifts, which was also good for a tire chirp at full throttle on the 1-2 shift. I assume you can still get shift kits and install them today.

 

[Brahmus]

Yes, there are several available for the 4R70W and they do the above w/o having to bump pressure. I can suggest the best option for anyone interested.

 

[Hematite]

While it's true that not every transmission built by every manufacturer is perfect, the Ford 4R70W and 4R75W is really a rather good transmission. How many hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles do these transmissions last in taxi service? Mustangs, until 2004, used this trans, which is rated for more horsepower than the 5 speeds. Performance transmission rebuilders can build these transmissions to hold up to 1700 plus horsepower with a warranty.

The soft shift strategy of these and all other transmissions is what basically does them in. "Shift Kits" are not recommended for this trans but the "Jerry Mod" is. For those who are interested in the facts about this trans, I'm adding a link with information from the Ford engineer that designed this transmission: Jerry W.
TCCoA Tech Articles

 

[Brahmus]

While it's true that not every transmission built by every manufacturer is perfect, the Ford 4R70W and 4R75W is really a rather good transmission. How many hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles do these transmissions last in taxi service? Mustangs, until 2004, used this trans, which is rated for more horsepower than the 5 speeds. Performance transmission rebuilders can build these transmissions to hold up to 1700 plus horsepower with a warranty.

The soft shift strategy of these and all other transmissions is what basically does them in. "Shift Kits" are not recommended for this trans but the "Jerry Mod" is. For those who are interested in the facts about this trans, I'm adding a link with information from the Ford engineer that designed this transmission: Jerry W.
TCCoA Tech Articles

We are getting off a bit here but what is said above is mostly true. Yes they are fine in the cars, but it's the extra weight and torque that kills them in the trucks. And as I said before, they can be built plenty strong. I've heard of Jerry's Mod but mostly for the passenger car units, a Factory Tech Valve Body or Shift Plate is much more perfered by the numerious Ford Truck boards I frequent. Gregg Evans is strictly a ford tranny tech and has lots of info on the web. I've run 38" tall, 15.50" wide tires through 4.56 gears with over 450 crank hp and 550 crank torque for 50K miles now with NO issues since I've rebuilt my tranny. I can count 10-15 stock 4r70w trannies that have gone south at about 100K in stock form and another dozen or so that have gone south earlier with larger tires. I think they would have lasted longer if someone was watching the temps.

 

[crashz]

Dave,

I had a 2001 and had very good luck with the truck. Made it past 130K without any major issues. Just a few annoying ones.

One thing I did early in its life was add an additional cooler and temp guage. Summit sells a little pod that can be mounted to the A pillar, and makes the guage look like a factory option with a little interior matched paint. One surprising thing was that even just commuting, the temp would skyrocket to 180 degrees on days when ambient temps were above 90. The old rule that tranny temps are generally about 90 degrees above ambient temps seems to apply.

Sounds like you should be all set now. Just keep an eye on the temps and you'll be fine.

 

[Builder]

Just watch it close. the Ford e4od trans can leak from the front seal; one service center says this is a reseal of the front of the trans, another says this is a failing transmission. Dad's trans started leaking from the front and it requires a rebuild. (did it really??) Father-in-law also had his rebuilt for trans issues. I've seen a lot of e4od's get rebuilds, so just pay attention to it.

Please don't write "e4od" anymore. I must have rebuilt 10 of those POS. The 4R100 wasn't much better. They all required a complete rebuild with a quality TC, shift kit and other harder internals to last any decent length of time. My buddy Art owns a Cottman transmission shop in PA and I remember he always used to say "if it wasn't for Ford, I wouldn't be in business". I was a great customer of his.

 

[Chuck K.]

Like others have mentioned when going slow up long grade using 4 low will make life much easier on your trans. Once you have your trans temp gauge installed you will notice considerably lower temp while using low range.

Good luck and hope ya dont have anymore problems..

 

[Builder]

I beg to differ. Another friend of mine has a 2000 F150 that blew its tranny too.

Ours is a 2003 that never sees much hauling besides atv's and trips to the dump. A couple times a year it may haul a B26 or a Pop up trailer, but thats the most that this truck sees. And it has the towing package.

Oh.. and its also on its 2nd rear end. and maybe 10th ball joint.

Look, i used to be a Ford guy, to the core. Ive had 4 from a '78 F250 to this one, but this will be the ABSOLUTE last ford i buy.

Dont get me started on the bubbling paint on the door bottoms and sills that ford wont warranty on a $55000 truck. Or the rusted "stainless" running boards that they wont do a thing about either. Ford blamed this on "enviromental causes" that were outside the scope of the rust warranty or that the running boards were aftermarket, they weren't, they are part of the king ranch package that this truck has, to me this is a ford defect, not a Lund or what ever OEM made them problem...... Of course all this all took place before the warranty was up.

And before the warranty was up, this truck was only serviced at the dealer, so all repairs were done by the book.

Pure Junk.

What I have found is running my previous ford's transmissions in reverse would cause them to heat up in a matter of 15-30 seconds while backing a trailer against any kind of resistance. With my F-350, I would back my trailers into jobsites through mud or back my trailer to the refuse pile at the landfill to unload and the tranny would shoot up from 180 to 220+ degrees.
One of my friends has a large travel trailer and a slight grade up his driveway. He likes to back his trailer up the driveway to store it. Whenever he does, the trans temp gauge shoots up really high.

I think another contributor to the thread said the same thing about the TC being unlocked at low speeds creates a LOT of heat. Without proper cooling to compensate for this, it's bound to happen.

Here's some great reading on what a Ford owner can do to help with overheating ford transmissions: http://www.roscommonequipmentcenter.com/news_notes/nn15.pdf