'99 F350 - Tranny Problem??

[Du510]

Hey,

New posting here, but have been reading since I bought my truck a few weeks back. You all seem to have good info, so I am coming to you for some help.

Truck is a '99 F350, automatic. Has a 6 position Bullydog, plus a BD Outlook monitor. When I bought the truck, I was told its got a ATS 5star TC, and a Pheonix HS Street/Strip trans. Its definitely got an ATS deep pan with a cooler running up front.

Anyways, when I test drove the truck everything was great, shifted easily, no issues. That was about a 5 min drive. Now that Ive got some time on it, its definitely got a tranny issue, and its getting noticably worse.

It shifts hard from 1st into 2nd. I am talking about so hard that it bucks, slams into gear. It has a tough time getting into OD too, but not as rough. And just this past week, the OD light has started blinking for about a minute after startup.

Any guesses as to what it could be? Trans shot, or could it be much easier than that?

I appreciate the feedback.... thanks fellas.

[Du510]

In any case, my first go will be at the Vehicle Speed Sensor. I know its shot, judging by the ABS light & lack of reply on the speedo. Maybe that'll help some.

[sirnunya]

if the VSS is messed up, the tranny won't shift right. Is it an aftermarket cooler, or stock? What is your trans temp reading? Blinking o/d light is usually never good, but it could just be the VSS. I would get it scanned for codes as well whenever you change the sensor

[alabamafrog]

Should be able to get the codes read if the OD light is flashing that means there is a tranny trouble code stored in the computer.
What is the tanny temp and how is the tranny temp acting?

[Dirk]

I don't think the VSS will flash the OD light. OSS would.

Flashing OD light is usually a bad thing. Check codes ASAP.

[Du510]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

I'm going to do my best to get under there tonight, albeit in the pouring rain, to change out the VSS. We'll see where that takes me.

The cooler is aftermarket, ATS. Real pretty looking thing, was on there when I bought it. There is no trans temp gauge, although I agree there should be. The guy who built it up put a few gauges on (through the outlook) but trans temp isnt there. As you can see, I've got some work to do to get it up to par.

[Du510]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your help on this one... I got to changing out the VSS tonight, took all of 3 minutes. The ABS light is gone, speedo is perfect. The trans shifts smoother, but its still got a kick to it 1-2.

Maybe its in my head, but it doesn't seem that its as bad as it was. But its definite there, and more than noticeable. Flashing OD light is gone, too.

Any thoughts on it?

[ipz2222]

The front v/body,( accumulator ), has springs that get broken. If the 1-2 accumulator is broken, the acc bottoms out and causes a hard shift, sometimes with a slide bump shift.

[Du510]

Originally Posted by ipz2222

The front v/body,( accumulator ), has springs that get broken. If the 1-2 accumulator is broken, the acc bottoms out and causes a hard shift, sometimes with a slide bump shift.

Wow, thanks for that info. Is that a DIY job? I am very new to automatic transmissions (7 vehicles owned so far, my first automatic) -- how much would a fix like that run me?

Thanks man

[ipz2222]

A DIY (if) you know what your'e doing. If not , you can destroy your trans.