damn tranny

[Andylad13]

ok i was at a stop light that was slightly uphill. i was stopped but didnt have the brake on becaue the torque converter holds the truck from going backwards on smaller hills. when it turned green i tried to go and it felt like i was on ice! the rpms went up to 2,000 and i didnt go anywhere for a second, then i let off the throttle as a reaction to the "not going" thing, and i started to go after a good "slam" of the gears.

also, the od light blinks from time to time.

now i've drivin a vehicle with a junk tranny before and that was exactly what happened.

my question is...is there a slight chance that the torque converter is tired enough to do this??? i dont want to buy a tranny, when i bought the truck the guy said it was rebuilt 50,000 ago. dont know what to do but love the idea of a 5 speed, i had the itch with my rangers with 5 speeds and i miss it.

 

[Ironman03R]

Ok, lets just say you have a bad TC...and you replace it. In a few months any metal or clutch particals that came out of it are going to, plug your valvebody, filter, and any other orifices and then you'll be out a tranny and another $500. torque converter. Why risk it? I was in the same boat in Oct, when my TC failed. When we pulled out the trans I had it freshened up. The 2nd clutches were almost burnt out, and OD was starting to burn. My trans had 40K on it. There are l lot of upgrades internally on the early E4od's so your best bet is to have the one you have rebuilt and upgraded.
Also you can convert it to ZF5 for about the same price as a GOOD rebuild.

 

[Andylad13]

ok, have an update

i periodically check all fluid levels at least once a week. i've never had a definitive line to go by from the tranny level, it's real hard to read. well i got to the bottom of it tonight with my dad, and a lot of light.

i couldn't see the level because it's way high. like maybe quart(s) somewhere in the 4 range. you can start seeing air bubbles on the stick because of how much is in there.

the good news is its clean. more good news is im going to drain the pan soon, and check the level and go from there.

thanks for the info ironman. im not trying to avoid rebuilding...id rather have it rebuilt than get towed...but easiest and cheapest ways first.

 

[JPR]

also disconnect the ground on both batteries for about a minute to reset the computer.

 

[trackspeeder]

Foam or bubble indicate the tranny is over filled. Correct the level and it should be ok.

Follow what JPR said in his post. to reset the computer.

If you still get a flashing OD light. Have it checked for codes.

 

[Andylad13]

ok fluid is good now, ill let you know if it pans out good.

 

[JPR]

as far as the slamming gears, it will do that when it goes into "safe" or limp mode and does not indicate that the transmission is gone. It means the computer thinks there is a problem and would like you to have your truck towed to the nearest dealership and spend some cash.