1989 F350 transmission failure?

[aofarrell2]

Was driving the truck, heard a clunk clunk rattle, then no more noise. 1/2hr later the truck started smelling bad and then the truck had to be revved up to 2000RPM to get it to move, even downhill. No brakes are sticking. Then I realized I was smelling burning ATF, I looked underneath and ATF was coming out of the T/C inspection hole and dripping on the exhaust manifolds. I know my T/C does not have a drain bolt, I believe the T/C blew up? Am I right? Could it have harmed the tranny too? It's the 1989 listed in my sig. Thanks!

 

[mohavewolfpup]

towcat should be along soon to help you. he knows these transmissions like the back of his hand! hope it's a easy fix for you

 

[towcat]

with the provided information....front pump no good.

 

[aofarrell2]

So I need to rebuild the tranny or just replace the front pump?

 

[towcat]

So I need to rebuild the tranny or just replace the front pump?

are the miles on the trans known?
how frequently has it been serviced?
have you dropped the pan and inspected for debris/shrapnel?

 

[aofarrell2]

Total miles on the truck are 125K. Total miles on tranny are unknown. It has had a shift kit put in it, I would venture to guess it was rebuilt at the same time too, mileage when that happened is unknown though. It was at least back before 100K though.

I just got the truck in February this year, I serviced it right away, clean fluid, Ford filter, etc. There was some dirt in the pan, I figured it just came in through the overflow/vent tube. Tranny fluid wasn't burned either.

I didn't see any metal shavings either, but I do know the fluid is burned as of this morning.

 

[towcat]

the call is yours at this point.
pump failure could be due to excessive wear in the torque convertor neck bushing or blocked cooling.
what is your time worth? you will have to drop the trans to pull the front pump. check the convertor neck carefully to make sure it is not scored/damaged.
if the fluid is burned, you may have damaged the rest of the trans. it is a gamble to put it back in and run it or a complete rebuild.

 

[aofarrell2]

I don't have alot of time but cannot afford to have a tranny shop do it - and most likely mess up on me. I'm planning to drop the tranny, when I have the other truck and the van running, and check it out. I'm pretty sure the tranny needs a rebuild since the fluid is burned.

I have a hunch, that maybe a line somewhere got plugged? Maybe a cooler line? IDK if they have a bypass valve on these Fords or not.

 

[stumiister]

I had towcat do my C6 and it came out great
I had the very same problem happen to me when I was driving home, I wouldnt take any chances have the trans completly rebuilt and get a new T/C.

 

[towcat]

I had towcat do my C6 and it came out great
I had the very same problem happen to me when I was driving home, I wouldnt take any chances have the trans completly rebuilt and get a new T/C.

Stumiister's trans internals was baked to the point I had to completely replace the steels in the clutch packs.
a improprely adjusted VRV or bad vac modulator would destroy a C6 in little time.

 

[aofarrell2]

Well I've decided I'm gonna pull the tranny and rebuild it entirely. No ifs and or buts or shortcuts. IMO we ought to just pull the engine and rebuild it good and strong while we are at it. I am going to do a comp check and verify that the engine is good - it staggers at idle and can be very hard to start when hot. I'm also certain now that the tranny WAS going bad and put the ECU into limp mode to preserve it.

So since this is no longer emergency, mods can close it

Here's my build thread, input appreciated:

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?64016-1989-Ford-F350-Build-Thread