Transmission quits pulling

[bruce0777]

Hello All , I have read many stories on this site and have learned a lot along the way. I have a 1983 Ford 540 A industrial 3 cylinder diesel with a 4 speed transmission with the shuttle shift. I have changed the outer transmission filter coming off the radiator cooler and the transmission fluid was very milky nasty. Even though I drained it out good the new fluid added now looks slightly milky off color some. Is there a way to clean out the trany before adding new fluid ? When I first start using it will run and pull strong like a freight train can push or pull anything . Then in a hour or so the transmission will start to pull and go slower. In a minute or two it will stop pulling altogether in forward and normally I can switch to reverse and sometimes it'll run in reverse for 3 to 5 minutes enough to get back to the barn that is then it'll quit pulling too. Turn it off and Let it sit for a couple hours and it'll drive once again like a freight train if need this happens all the time whether I work it hard or like normally I work it lightly. I always check the transmission to see if it is hot it's normally just barely warm. I now keep the transmission filler cap off and I see the trany fluid circulating around inside the trany when I am moving and when it is doing right. But when it quits pulling the transmission fluid inside the transmission does not move or circulate at all. But if I keep it in gear and let the motor idle in a minute or two the trans fluid will start to move again in the trany case and the tractor will again start going. But at this point it is pulling but it is weak to work.
Hope to hear from you all to clue me in to what it needs done. Thanks Bruce N.C.

 

[TractorTech]

Welcome Bruce. You still have water in the oil which causes the milky color. Even though you drained the transmission, there is a considerable amount of oil in the torque converter and oil cooler that you can't simply drain. You will have to drain again and change the filter. This will help, but you will probably have to repeat. This is one way to do this, but someone else may gave a better idea for flushing.
The problem you are having started after you discovered the milky oil? I am thinking that is what is causing your problem.

 

[bruce0777]

I went ahead as You said and drained the transmission again. But this time I removed the top of the trans cover and shifter. It was pretty clean but ever thing had a water residue on it so I blew out everything really good. I then took both ends of the radiator cooling lines from the transmission and tried to blow them out but nothing came out the lines. So I took each line apart till I was able to feel air and hear air coming out of the cooling lines and radiator. I was able to remove a lot of nasty junk water and nasty trany fluid. It seemed to be the return line that was clogged coming from the radiator the the filter just before returning to trany. I was super glad to find that to maybe keep the trany as cool as possible. I put on a new filter and fluid and and drove it around in first gear like 3 minutes all was great, then second gear was skippy at first then it leveled out after a minute or so. Later I had to do the same to 3rd gear it never did really clear up so I just used 1 st and 2nd that test run. The weather has been nasty but I did take it back out for a ten minute run and all seems good in 1 st 2nd and 3rd did not feel froggy enough to try 4th. Supposed to be nasty around here so who knows when I will get a chance to give it a real good test and work out. Oh yeah I also added to cans of that sea foam for tranys. Thanks for your help TractorTech and hope this cures it for good. All of this seems as though it was caused by a bad leaking cracked shifter boot, Which I just bought on ebay for a cost of $5.00 delivered. and I keep it inside in the barn anyways. Love this tractor Forum and you guys.....

 

[TractorTech]

Glad to hear you were able to get it cleared up. The Seafoam should help clean it out as well with another filter and oil change down the road. I have a forklift on a 420 chassis with the same problem if I don't keep it under cover.