Tranny Puking Fluid

[Stroked7.3]

I just bought a filter kit as well as the TC seal and the front pump seal. Going to start on it tomorrow. I'm also ordering the cooler as well hopefully that fixes it all.

I just need to know of there is a way to check the TC to see if its still good

[alabamafrog]

Only way I know of to know if the TC is bad is to listen to it to see if it makes bad sounds and drive it to see if it slips and to watch the temps to see if it is creating too much heat which would be due to slipping.
I actually had my first one rebuilt by a local tranny shop for around $100, that and the extra cooler got me another 60K miles before the first tranny gave up at 198K.

[Stroked7.3]

thanks alabamafrog you've been a lot of help. Did you know what that DTC code means I posted? Im wondering if that stupid check valve line is stuck closed. But I'm sure the seals are gone as well.

The tranny doesnt slip at all until it starts losing fluid from being hot.

[Raul@Stealth Automotive]

you have a problem if its getting that hot and pushing out fluid... my guess is your TC is gone... replace it and stick a larger 6.0L trans cooler in it and it should be fine.... heat is the number 1 killer of a transmission and sustained temps of over 200 will only shorten the life of the whole transmission.... my guess is your prob looking at rebuilding the trans from the ground up....

let me know if you have any questions

-Raul

[Stroked7.3]

Originally Posted by Raul@Stealth Automotive

you have a problem if its getting that hot and pushing out fluid... my guess is your TC is gone... replace it and stick a larger 6.0L trans cooler in it and it should be fine.... heat is the number 1 killer of a transmission and sustained temps of over 200 will only shorten the life of the whole transmission.... my guess is your prob looking at rebuilding the trans from the ground up....

let me know if you have any questions

-Raul

We have a winner. The TC was a can of marbles, shrapnel and the input shaft was all twisted up. Also had burnout marks all on the friction plates of the trans. Output shaft had no damage.

Full Rebuild here I come. Getting a Precision Multi-disc Converter, Tru Cool 40K add-on cooler, TransGo Shift Kit and all new bushings,bearings etc...

[BruceM]

WHere does one find this "updated" torque converter seal? I thought I had a pump seal leak, turns out to be a bad leak at the torque converter hub, and I want to make sure I am putting the best seal in there so I'm not back in the tranny again anytime soon.

Sorry to dig up a 3 month old thread.

[Tech5]

^^ glad you posted this helped me out thanks!!!

[mikelee]

hello i have a 01 7.3 tunner intake 5in exhaust and that just happen to my on my way to the sand dunes friday pulling a 25' deck over the tranny seems fine i happen to catch it early. the tranny fluid was red and didn't seem to smell burnt. now is there any up grades i should do wile the tranny is out thanks for the help

[BruceM]

Originally Posted by mikelee

hello i have a 01 7.3 tunner intake 5in exhaust and that just happen to my on my way to the sand dunes friday pulling a 25' deck over the tranny seems fine i happen to catch it early. the tranny fluid was red and didn't seem to smell burnt. now is there any up grades i should do wile the tranny is out thanks for the help

I'll give one major word of advice. If you are comfortable digging down into the guts of your tranny, do it. Buy an overhaul kit and do the basics. I thought my tranny was fine other than the leak, but when I started digging into the internals to install the full Transgo Tugger2 kit I found that I had a number of frictions and steels that were toast. Ended up running to a local tranny shop to buy a number of steels, and a bunch of frictions, all OEM ones since I read somewhere that John Wood uses OEM frictions. When all was said and done I ended up spending an extra $140 on buying individual frictions and steels for OD, Forward, and direct clutch packs (it may have been forward and intermediate I don't recall right now) Mind you had I spent $270ish on a kit from bulkparts.com or transmssionpartsusa.com I would have gotten everything to rebuild refresh the whole tranny.

In true hindsight I would have just spent the $500 or so to buy the Red Eagle kit from racerxautomotive and put in the good stuff. I can't afford a BTS now or anytime soon, so I suppose this was a good stopgap for me. As it is I want to find an 03 CC LB 7.3 from the south and sell my truck. So I guess not spending more on my tranny right now is a good thing.

Stuff I did is as follows

Transgo Tugger 2 shift kit
Transgo TC lockup mod
Sonnax Converter Drainback valve replacement (metal vs plastic)
new TC bushing
pump gasket
valve body gaskets
outer pump o-ring seal
TC to Pump seal (The updated one not the grey one)
Teflon Sealing rings (Came in a pack for $10)
Billet Triple Disc TC - in hindsight I should have just bought a Ford one for $170 vs the $450 I spent
10 micron filter with 25psi internal bypass when plugged
a number of steels and frictions for all the ones that were cooked or even discolored (one of the packs was so shot that the friction meaterial was flaking off the frictions, but I forget which one)

I would recommend to anyone if they are capable of pulling their own tranny, they should go thru the internals while it is out and replace what needs to be fixed.

Other than the leak at the TC seal i didn't feel that there was anything wrong with my tranny. It shifted great, didn't get really hot (even towing) and my MPG was right where most people's seem to be. Course now I know I was on very borrowed time on that one clutch pack, and two others were not that great. Truck pulled 9k up and down mountains on I81 from Albany, NY to GA, all the while I guess my tranny was in tired shape inside. Now that I think of it my MPG on that trip was abysmal.