Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum banner

trans is dead?

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  jngreen 
#1 ·
I have a 2002 F350 Dually. My problem started about three weeks ago. Going up a slight grade the trans would shift from overdrive to the next lowest gear and back and forth. Thought maybe the button switch in the shift handle went bad. Drove to work this morning and lost virtually all power to the rear wheels. I think that if the switch is bad that it is probably the least of my worries. I had to limp it to a parking lot and park it. Is this a consistent problem with the trans (4R100)? I have 136,000 on this truck. Want some advice on what to do here. Could this be something as simple as a torque converter or am I looking at a complete rebuild? Is there a performace trans that I can buy that will last longer than a stock unit without killing the wallet too much? How hard is it to rebuild one of these? It has been 20 years since I worked on a trans. I wrench on bikes regularly and have plenty of tools. Help.:confused:
 
#2 ·
Im assuming you checked your fluid level to make sure it isnt low or burnt....

Honestly taking it to a good trans shop for diag would probably be a good idea to be safe...but yea...sounds like the trans may have issues. There are better options...like BTS, suncoast, ATS, etc....but i honestly dont know the prices. You might want to PM the user EricB, hes a pretty knolegable tranny guy and could probably steer you better than me
 
#3 ·
got trans fixed...got questions

okay...after looking at rebuilding the trans myself I determined that it was a little out of my capabilities. Took it to AAMCO and had them rebuild it with a heavy duty billet torque converter and also put in the heavy duty valves for better shifting. The guy at AAMCO said the the fact that I had been running a Superchip caused the line pressures to be too high and that is what caused my torque converter to fail. I am now running on the stock settings and really miss the throttle response of the Superchip. But I do not want to program it again and get the same trans problems. I am considering stacking the Superchip with a Trans Commander. Has anyone done this? Should I just go with a better programmer?

I have the following mods:
Cold air intake
dual boost relief valve
Map sensor mod (so i do not blow codes)
Straight exhaust no cat
billet torque converter
heavy duty trans valves
Pyro and boost guages on the pillar
Airaid throttle body spacer
 
#5 ·
not DACCO

I cannot remember what brand it was. I remember standing there at the shop comparing the old one with this new billet one and thinking "who would put such a POS Torque Converter in such a big truck". The difference was significant. I do not think it was DACCO though. I just looked it up on there website and could not find a billet TC on there. What do you think about stacking a Trans Commander on there to make sure the trans operates at it's best?
 
#6 ·
If aamco rebuilt the trans with all the upgrade and heavy duty aftermarket parts like they did with mine. They used all SunCoast parts in my trans when they rebuilt it. You should be fine, How long ago was the tranny rebuilt you know you have 12,000 or 1 year to get another trans free from aamco right. That is there nationwide warranty.
 
#7 ·
trans

big country...thanks for the response. I got it back two weeks ago. Probably 1000 miles on it so far. Missed driving it cause I had to drive the wifes car. SATURN VUE:mad:
 
#8 ·
if you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost you for AAMCO to do the rebuild? My tranny shifts fine now, but I think that I am already running on borrowed time cause I have a broken thrust washer that I found laying in my tranny pan the last time I changed my filter.
 
#9 ·
if you take it in before it self destructs it will be much cheaper. When mine blew it clogged my trans cooler and sent shavings though the trans screwing up alot of other parts. I had them put many upgraded parts in there while they had it apart. Heavy duty valves, billet torque converter, swapped some aluminum parts for steel, ect. It cost me a little over $3000.00. :yikes: Had I taken it in when it first started acting up they could have just swapped out the torque converter and it would have stayed under $1000.00. I can assure you that if my trans was acting funny I would just take it in and have it checked. The stock Torque Converters on these trucks are junk. When they fail they screw up alot of other things in the process. If I had known that I would have changed the torque converter not long after buying this truck. Hope this helps. By the way the AAMCO guys were great.:bluewink:
 
#10 ·
thanks for your help, I am still unsure what to do about my tranny. I'll probably just let it die or at least wait until it starts acting funny. I haven't been able to find a decent tranny shop around here that is interested in doing a rebuild. Most shops just want to swap in either a Ford or Jasper rebuilt unit. And they want to charge over 3000 for a factory rebuilt unit, heck I can do that for cheaper. I haven't looked into AAMCO though, I might look for one local and see what they have to say.

I'll probably just push my luck and when she goes buy a built up 4r100 and converter and install it myself along with new lines and cooler.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top