My experience with a 4R100 is that is a good transmission. I run a HyperTech programmer. I have run it normally on the 100HP setting. Runs good. Most of my driving is Daily, but I do pull a 5th wheel and the additional power helps. As to the transmission, it held up well. I've had the truck 17 years, 282k. @275k, I had to have the original trans rebuilt. That was after running the programmer most of those 17 years. After a 1000 mile break-in, I reprogrammed the truck and it's been fine as well. I AM 66 - so I don't romp on it - although once-in-awhile, some of my younger years come out and I mash the pedal. All has been good.

 

I am a bit more in the tooth than you, my days of swinging the rear end of my '65 330hp 4 speed, posi tract around corners are now 60 years behind me

I am very comfortable with just pushing it to 2,000 RPM, and waiting for the truck to catch up to 'me'...

I get my jollies from grinning each time the 4R100 goes to the next gear.... and hits OD about a mile down the road.

So, from your Experience then, I should not have to hit my Savings Account for a Rebuild any time soon. I might make 5,000 miles a year, just 2 or 3 trips a year of about 1800 miles out and back.

 

a 100% stock 7.3 motor doesn't produce enough hp/tq to kill a 4r without the aid of extremely terrible tunes (old Edge/Dp-tuner).
1 of our farm trucks is a 00 F450 is stock except for exhaust/ old Superchip tuner on tow setting. Been that way for 20 years, tows minimal 10K every week for that 20 years. Stock 4R has only had fluid/filter changes.
Back in the day before i went for hp, i put over 100k miles on my stock 4R with vast majority of those miles in the highest hp setting Tony Wildman could go for stock fuel/air

 

greenskeeper -- Recently bought 1997 F350

Said:
If you want it to last, keep it stock. Any chip will kill the E4OD transmission unless upgraded (assuming it's an automatic?)


I'm curious if the same Caveat is true for the '02 4R100 in the Excursions?

I bought the PHP Hydra, but have not got it installed.
My only interest is as a Daily Driver, with just a bit more MPG, and some extra oomph uphill while towing my 9,000 lb RV

The biggest killer of the E4OD and 4R100 is the way undersized transmission coolers. E4OD is even significantly smaller than the 4R100. The E4OD also only had a single disk converter. It wasn't until the later years of the 4R they went to a multi-disk.

A good tune will add line pressure to help hold the clutches better from slipping, causing heat.

Having a gauge or monitor is best when adding a tuner so you can keep an eye on your transmission temps.

03-10 6.0L Ford OEM 26 Row Transmission Cooler - 5C3Z7A095CA

DIRECT REPLACEMENT FOR 04-07 MODELS FITS 99-03 THAT CAME WITH SMALLER TRANSMISSION COOLERS. SOME MODIFICATIONS WILL BE REQUIRED TO TIE IN THE LINES FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THIS COOLER. DRAMATICALLY REDUCES TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE THE LIFE OF YOUR CLUTCHES, TORQUE CONVERTER, AND...

cncfab.us

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The biggest killer of the E4OD and 4R100 is the way undersized transmission coolers. E4OD is even significantly smaller than the 4R100. The E4OD also only had a single disk converter. It wasn't until the later years of the 4R they went to a multi-disk.

A good tune will add line pressure to help hold the clutches better from slipping, causing heat.

Having a gauge or monitor is best when adding a tuner so you can keep an eye on your transmission temps.

03-10 6.0L Ford OEM 26 Row Transmission Cooler - 5C3Z7A095CA

DIRECT REPLACEMENT FOR 04-07 MODELS FITS 99-03 THAT CAME WITH SMALLER TRANSMISSION COOLERS. SOME MODIFICATIONS WILL BE REQUIRED TO TIE IN THE LINES FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THIS COOLER. DRAMATICALLY REDUCES TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE THE LIFE OF YOUR CLUTCHES, TORQUE CONVERTER, AND...

cncfab.us

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That is one of the best mods I did. Significantly dropped trans temps.

 

Okay,
got the upgraded cooler ordered,
am I going to have to remove this front Grill bumper / winch to install it?

I have the Edge CTS-3 Monitor, so will be able to keep an eye on Transmission and Engine and EGT temps.

 

Okay,
got the upgraded cooler ordered,
am I going to have to remove this front Grill bumper / winch to install it?

You will have to drop the factory crash bar to reach the lines going up into the core support area. As for your bumper, that just depends on how much it covers underneath. I also highly suggest that you bypass the radiator if it is hooked up to it. My son's new transmission failed due to the cavity in the radiator let loose where the transmission lines go and filled the trans with antifreeze. It wiped out everything including the converter.

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-Drain the pan and replace the fluid regularly. Some do it 20k, some do it 30-50k, some do it never
-You'll like the larger trans cooler but that bumper is blocking a ton of air to it. Not sure though. My temps dropped 25+ degrees after empty and towing.
-Shift kit (modified valvebody) I personally liked this. You can get them customized (harder nowadays) but John Woods built mine and refined the shifting with quicker/firmer shifts.
*oem wants nice and soft heat building shifts, but little firmer/quicker is less wear n tear, you just "feel" it more.

Tuning.... Well you have people that follow all the above or none and tune and some get 200k some get 100k.... Im on the oem original 156k now and my truck tows regularly. I have all the above and I don't abuse the truck at all. Yet my friend had to get a new trans at 100k miles with the splines on the input shaft stripped. (hes no goof either... he helped me a lot when I left the 6.0 world and went back to street legal tractors like the 7.3l).

Do your part for maintenance and enjoy the truck. No one can predict what will happen. Its all an odds game with some random crap for fun.

 

-Drain the pan and replace the fluid regularly. Some do it 20k, some do it 30-50k, some do it never
-You'll like the larger trans cooler but that bumper is blocking a ton of air to it. Not sure though. My temps dropped 25+ degrees after empty and towing.
-Shift kit (modified valve body) I personally liked this. You can get them customized (harder nowadays) but John Woods built mine and refined the shifting with quicker/firmer shifts.
*oem wants nice and soft heat building shifts, but little firmer/quicker is less wear n tear, you just "feel" it more.
------

Do your part for maintenance and enjoy the truck. No one can predict what will happen. Its all an odds game with some random crap for fun.

I most likely do fluid changes at 25k miles on the tranny, like I do with my other vehicles. I have always added coolers, the K1500 Suburban has a Mishimoto with Fan cooler on it. that 5.3L and 4LE60 has pulled the 9,000 lb RV to Florida, NC, SD, IL, several times.... slow it is, but it gets there.

My brother, back in the 70s was into racing, he changed his Chevy 1 ton tranny fluid on every trip, because he pulled a 40' car hauler with his rail dragster and tools and spares, at 80 mph plus.

 

The bumper has two big openings for Air Flow to the radiator, that concerned me also.

But, the 7.3 fan shroud ducts a LOT of air through all of those fins, I feel like the extra transmission cooler will get a good bit of that air flow, but at speed, there will be the two openings in the 4" bumper tube.

Those things protect the truck from Elk and Horses, but is a big Air Dam at the same time.

for those worried about the license plate numbers?
not to worry, I bought the truck in Montana, it is now registered in Oklahoma
.

My son in Dawsonville, Georgia wants me to just stuff everything in the truck, and come down to visit him for an extended stay when it warms up next spring .... he is a Diesel Mechanic from back in the 90s, owns a '06 3/4 ton RAM Cummins since new. He has a 3 car shop for us to work out of, and more tools than most professional mechanics own.

Corey:
Tnx for the tip on bypassing the Intercooler in the Radiator... will definitely do that.

 

Removing your bumper and grille would help getting in there easier. The trans cooler is between the A/C condenser and the engine radiator. You'll also need some 1/2" hose (for the 6.0L cooler) and some adapter connectors to go from the 1/2" hose to the 3/8" hose that goes to the transmission.

 

I put a Mishimoto cooler on mine a couple years ago, and I don’t remember too much difficulty, but I DO remember being surprised at how sharp and fragile the fins on the CAC and AC condenser are. Also, I strongly believe that my EGTs went up a little. I assume it’s from the new cooler’s larger area impeding airflow to the CAC. But could also be from the slight damage done to its fins during install. If doing this again, I might try a piece of cardboard or Formica front and back during install to protect the other coolers and my forearms.

 

greenskeeper -- Recently bought 1997 F350

Said:
If you want it to last, keep it stock. Any chip will kill the E4OD transmission unless upgraded (assuming it's an automatic?)


I'm curious if the same Caveat is true for the '02 4R100 in the Excursions?

I bought the PHP Hydra, but have not got it installed.
My only interest is as a Daily Driver, with just a bit more MPG, and some extra oomph uphill while towing my 9,000 lb RV

My 02 F350 with the 4R100 did fine towing heavy and chipped. When I say heavy I mean HEAVY (28,000 bumper to bumper). When it went down it was the torque converter clutchs that went south and put a lot of trash material throughout the trans. I had it rebuilt by John Woods transmissions down in Holtville, Ca. I'd have to dig out the paper work to fine out the mileage but it had 56K and 5 years old when I bought it from the original own who got it to tow a horse trailer and reportly only did that once. Anyway, it has 237K on it now and has tow HEAVY for more than 15 years without breaking a sweat. A note here is that the truck stays in the garage and only gets fired up to "work" (it's not a daily driver/grocery getter) (unless there's a LOT of groceries to get) John Wood also used and recommended replacement oil made by Synclair. After 10 years, the oil came out looking pretty much like it went in. I'd say the oil is also the MAJOR part of keeping the trans up and running. Trans gauge and oil testing will help in determining when to do an oil change.

 

We had a ‘99…. with a chip. Pulled super heavy. Close to mid 40’s on weight. I toasted transmission one time on a hill when I tried to leave a light in second. We ruined one other one but sold that pickup with over 300,000 IIRC. We didn’t pull all the time but I wasn’t always real easy on it when we did.


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