E40D puking fluid

[sootman73]

first off a good tranny shop wont tell you that flushing is a good thing(except maybe on a regular basis as before the detergent wears out) but still better to replace filter more often also. i would find a reputable tranny rebuilder shop and get a can off their cooler flush also. its best to get as much of the burnt fluid out of there and the cooler can really hold on to some gunk. the cooler flush will blast all the crud out pretty good.

 

[BKahler]

the trans was replaced at 153,000. it now has 322,8?? on the truck. and i havent changed the fluid either--still nice and red--and no burnt smell-----

Interesting, my transmission has 154,000 on it right now.

I'm going to top off the fluid tonight and tomorrow I'll take it to a service shop to have them pull the pan and check it out.

Out of curiosity how do you drain the oil from the torque converter without pulling the transmission? Or can you?

I didn't really run it long after it started to overheat, probably 2 minutes max. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed on this one, don't need two IDIs sitting in the yard with bad transmissions .

Brad

 

[BKahler]

Next time try backing in low range in transfer case.

Russ, unfortunately this was our 2-wheel drive F350.

 

[BKahler]

first off a good tranny shop wont tell you that flushing is a good thing(except maybe on a regular basis as before the detergent wears out) but still better to replace filter more often also. i would find a reputable tranny rebuilder shop and get a can off their cooler flush also. its best to get as much of the burnt fluid out of there and the cooler can really hold on to some gunk. the cooler flush will blast all the crud out pretty good.

Just prior to this trip we had the truck in to have the transmission flushed. The truck is new to us and it had been acting slightly funning on some shifts. After the flush those problems went away. It had actually been behaving quite well. I'm really hoping that other than having to replace the fluid nothing else is wrong. The last thing I need right now is to have to have tranny work done in the middle of our move.

I'm not familiar with "cooler flush". Is this something a service shop performs?

Brad

 

[BKahler]

Ok, finally got the truck into a shop to have them check it out. First thing I noticed while driving to the shop is the OD light is blinking on and off continuously. After searching the forum it would appear this is alerting me to the fact there is an error code(s) stored waiting to be read. Also the shifts are rather abrupt right now which seems to be a symptom of being in "limp" mode, right? Other than the hard shifts and blinking Od indicator the truck seemed about normal.

Anyway the shop called me back a couple hours later and told me they thought the transmission was toast and suggested I replace it. I told them to "hold on" lets pull the pan and have a look before going any farther. So they pulled the pan and found a "bunch" of metal shavings by the magnet and the oil smelled burnt. Again the reiterated that they felt the transmission was bad. I asked them to drain all the fluid, replace the filter and see how it drove. I also asked about the blinking light and what code did they find and surprisingly they had no clue that the blinking light meant anything. They then again suggested that the transmission need to be replaced. I asked how much a rebuild would cost and they told me they don't rebuild them they would just get a replacement from Jasper for around $3000 to $4000. At that point I decided to just get the truck away from them and find another shop.

So next Wednesday we have an appointment with a local Transmission shop. I talked with the owner for a while and he was asking all the right questions and told me NOT to clear the blinking light (as if I could!) so he could see what it said. He said it would take about 2 hours to diagnose what is wrong but its free. He also suggested that once the code is resolved its possible that having replaced the filter might be all that it needed. However he said that's not necessarily the most likely out come.

Anyway I had a much better feel for this guy than I did at the first shop (general repair place).

Assuming it needs clutches and a rebuild, what would a reasonable price be for them to pull the transmission, rebuild and reinstall? My main concern is its done right. In this instance I'm more concerned with getting it done right than pinching pennies. I've always believed that you get what you pay for.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks,

Brad

 

[david85]

First of all I want to commend you with how you delt with the situation (and in particular that first shop!!). You would not believe how much money is made by replacing E4OD transmissions. Were you able to personally see the shavings that were near the magnet? If they are larger pieces and if there is a lot of aluminum, then your transmission is on borrowed time. If its just a well covered magnet with very fine steel shavings (looks more like sludge), then its normal.

$3000 is the going rate for an E4OD replacement, but you can expect to pay more in some cases. If you have internal hard parts broken, then the cost will likely be higher, but it shouldn't be obscene. E4OD parts have gotten cheap over the years.

I'm impressed that he would offer a free diagnosis. Keep us posted.

 

[BKahler]

David, I did not get a chance to see anything from when they pulled the pan.

Got the truck over to the transmission shop this morning and the error code came back as "pressure loss" which makes sense considering I overheated it and it dumped so much fluid out on our driveway.

When I drove it this morning the shifts were extremely harsh and there was definite slippage during shifts. Also noted the engine seemed to run a little hotter than normal as well. I'm assuming that might be from the slipping of the clutch plates.

He said it should have new clutches, torque converter and seals, etc. Total price for pulling rebuilding with above listed parts and reinstalling is going to be $1200. Warranty is for 30 days. When I asked why so short he said that if anything is going to go wrong with one after a rebuild it usually happens within the first week.

I felt comfortable enough with this guy to have him go ahead and do the work. With luck I should get the truck back by the weekend.

 

[david85]

Thats a very good price, but I wouldn't expect it to hold true when all is said and done. There could be other internal parts that are damaged and need to be replaced. At this point, all you can really do is trust him.

Good luck.

 

[Andylad13]

BK, if your trans isnt going into OD, then it is in limp mode. Your engine could be running hotter because your at higher rpm's, 1:1 isnt very fuel efficient either. That seems like a good price for a rebuild, but its times like these that i wish you could have seen what was looked at. like stated before, you may just need fluid and filter depending on the shavings. good luck with everything, and if your always backing up that much all the time, you should mount a reese hitch in the front, hook up, and push the damn trailer!!!

 

[BKahler]

I agree with both of you as to the possibility there may be further charges. Lets just say I'm keeping everything I have crossed in the hopes it will help .

The only reason I had to back up that far was because we currently don't have a turn around for a large pickup/trailer rig. Where we would normally turn around is soggy enough I didn't want to risk it. I'm having work done on one of the pastures to allow for large rigs to circle around, just don't have it done yet. We just bought the property and are still waiting to have the new shop built which is when the new circular road bed will go in. Just waiting on the weather.

Good idea about the front hitch, hope it doesn't come to that though!

Brad

 

[IHdieselfan]

Check out derale.com they have some big coolers and a replacement pan that has cooling tubes running through the pan and hold 3 more qts. of oil. they also have filter bases for adding spin on filters in the cooling line, this adds about another qt. helps cool a little and keep the fluid cleaner for longer drain intervals. and longer tranny life.

 

[sootman73]

okay i just recently had mine rebuilt. toasted it really bad. like no forward or backwards motion at any rpm! i paid just under 1700 for a very heavy duty rebuild. my guy told me he was going to build it so that i could pull anything, anywhere. and he backs it with a full one year warranty with unlimited mileage. 1200 for a regular rebuild? and only a 30 day warranty? you can get a new tranny from autozone for 1800 with a three year unlimited mileage warranty... i was going to go this way but i figured id toast a stock one too easy with how i use my truck.

go ahead and get a new cooler. the biggest one you can get! mine is rated for a 30,000lb vehicle. kinda thought it'd be bigger... i might add another right next to it this summer though.

 

[Optikalillushun]

i know these E4ODs like to puke fluid out of the front pump seal when they get hot. BTDT. sometimes u can get away with just replacing the front pump seal and flushing the converter and cooler out.

i have a 30,000 GVRW cooler for my 93 F-150 and its pretty big. its a derale unit and its top notch, stacked plate design which is what i recommened over the tube style.

 

[BKahler]

Well I got the truck back today, total cost was $1200 as quoted. The hand written work order was very difficult to read but here is the price break down as best I could make out:

Work or parts (?) $345.00
Overhall kit $244.10
Solinoid pack (?) $120.00
Up date (?) $60.40
Reverse drum $45.00
Fluid $50.00
Bench labor $150.00
total $1214.50

He charged me $1200 which is what he quoted. Oh yeah, the warranty went from 30 days to 90 days. Not sure why he changed it but I'm not complaining.

The truck seems to run just fine. I pulled my Mazda B2200 pickup behind the F350 with a tow bar and it didn't even know the Mazda was back there. Temperature ran cooler than when I took the truck over to them and it stayed consistent as well.

Wednesday night I'm heading to Missouri to pickup a 24' gooseneck trailer and will be returning with a couple of cars on it so I guess I'll be getting a feel for how well it works real soon.

I am going to add an inline transmission filter next week and also another inline cooler as well. Unfortunately I haven't got time to do this work before I leave to pickup the trailer.

I'll post an update next week as to how the trip went.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and tips. Very much appreciated!

Brad

 

[david85]

If it holds up, that would be a very good deal. I think you may have found a good transmission man.