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OT ford pickup transmission woes

swellwelder

Stainless
Joined
Sep 21, 2002
Location
Valley City, ND USA
First off I will ask what the best Ford question and answer website might be? My problem started a few days ago, when out of a clear blue sky, my 2001 F350 automatic tranny acted like it was popping out of gear! I should have stated right away it is a four wheel drive with the electric selector for 2 wheel, and 4 wheel high and low range.
My initial thought was some short in the wiring that was making the electric motor on the transfer case somehow trying to put it in low range, because it was making one hell of a noise coming from below the seat. But I found out later, that the noise continued even after the automatic transmission was in park. So there should be nothing happening in the transfer case, right?
If I shut off the engine, and let it sit for a few minutes, up to ten minutes, it would start up and work normally for a few miles and then the racket started again, and the tach would wind up, just like it had popped out of gear.
If it sits over night, it will work normally for the distance I drive it to town, about 12 miles, and in town it works fine, but I have to drive up a hill to leave town, and it acted like I have described earlier. I finally had to call my cousin to pull the pickup home.
Any suggestions on the problem, or like I asked first, the best forum to ask these questions in?

Dale Nelson
 
..like I asked first, the best forum to ask these questions in?

Well at the very least 4WD /AWD related if not also "Ford-specific" [1]

The "major makers" DO tend - and for long years, already - to buy-in transmissions and transfer cases, modified "custom" or not-even - from specialist third-parties, some of them HUGE biznesses and fully or partly owned by ... each other.. "competitor" otherwise or never! An example is Aisen/New Process, a crossbreed between old MOPAR, new Toyota... and some figure a bit of the Devil as well.

Job One - from VIN etc. is to ID just which you HAVE. Search on that ID once clear, you'll find a short TON of shared experience, woes, brags, and fixes.

[1] Some Ford-built, not just Ford-bought tranmissions get high marks. Dig as to why, find the key features were licensed from other makers who actually knew what they were doing!
 
If you repair or replace your transmission, be sure to do a thorough flush of any external lines and heat exchangers. Too many times people forget this step and pump crap back into the new box.
 
Ford used parts guaranteed to fail related to the 1/2 shift in the 2001 vehicle. I had 5 transmissions in the first 100K miles. Stop messing with it and spend the $2k or so and rebuild it. Most good transmission shops can do it in a day or so. Mine is still running (F250 diesel) at my brothers place in South Texas.
 
First off I will ask what the best Ford question and answer website might be? My problem started a few days ago, when out of a clear blue sky, my 2001 F350 automatic tranny acted like it was popping out of gear! I should have stated right away it is a four wheel drive with the electric selector for 2 wheel, and 4 wheel high and low range.
My initial thought was some short in the wiring that was making the electric motor on the transfer case somehow trying to put it in low range, because it was making one hell of a noise coming from below the seat. But I found out later, that the noise continued even after the automatic transmission was in park. So there should be nothing happening in the transfer case, right?
If I shut off the engine, and let it sit for a few minutes, up to ten minutes, it would start up and work normally for a few miles and then the racket started again, and the tach would wind up, just like it had popped out of gear.
If it sits over night, it will work normally for the distance I drive it to town, about 12 miles, and in town it works fine, but I have to drive up a hill to leave town, and it acted like I have described earlier. I finally had to call my cousin to pull the pickup home.
Any suggestions on the problem, or like I asked first, the best forum to ask these questions in?

Dale Nelson

There are a couple Ford Forums out there. Search for "Ford Forum" and pick of the lot.
I cannot recall having run in to one that required you to be a logged in member to read, just to post, so you can look about and see if the guys seem to know what they are about, vs, say, being a bunch of yahoos more concerned with Punisher decals and swinging rubber testicles...
Two I have been on, are Fordforum, and F150 Forum. Check out the stickies in both.

I had the guts fall right out of my F150 tranny, ended up rounding up a used pull from a wrecker, that had less than a quarter the miles on it that the original had.
So that is also an option.

If you have a transmission shop anywhere nearby, it'd be a good time to talk to them.
 
This thread reminds me why I no longer own something I have to Fix Or Repair Daily.

If my experience with Ford is any indication they use many parts barely able to make it past warranty.

Not trying to be obnoxious but any time you hear a horrible noise from the driveline it's time to call a tow truck.
 
The 4R100 is pretty solid as autos go.

Best of like trying to find a trans shop that doesn't fuck you over. Those businesses don't typically operate on integrity.
 
This thread reminds me why I no longer own something I have to Fix Or Repair Daily.

If my experience with Ford is any indication they use many parts barely able to make it past warranty.

Not trying to be obnoxious but any time you hear a horrible noise from the driveline it's time to call a tow truck.

Have not heard of or owned a make that did not come complete with horror stories attached.

Given that the OP's truck is a 2001, so, 19 years old, I dunno that we can reasonably hack on Ford for stuff wearing out on it.
 
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I was surprised to find my 2000 Ford ranger automatic transmission was made in France by a independent company who has made them under contract for decades.
Bil lD.
 
I was surprised to find my 2000 Ford ranger automatic transmission was made in France by a independent company who has made them under contract for decades.
Bil lD.

I was surprised to find out that Jaguar was using a ford engine grafted on to a GM 4L80E, which is a pretty common tranny in GM trucks.
Of course, they had to get custom bell housings made...

All sorts of jiggery-pokery goes on. I worked on a 20mm cannon that was made in IIRC, GM's Saginaw Michigan transmission plant, too.
 








 
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