Hello all, I'm kinda new to the forum, so please don't think I'm trolling or anything.

At work I drive a 2010 F150 - 5.4 2wd. Of course it has the 6sp auto, and, quite frankly, I'm a little discouraged. It sees like the trans is always shifting up or down, and goes into far high of a gear for city driving. Using tow/haul mode helps a little, but has some draw backs with harsher shifting and trying to grab lower gears when taking off from a rolling start.

Also, it seems like the adaptive shift strategy does not work for me. Apparently, I never drive the same twice and it confuses the trans.

So really, my question is, am I the only one annoyed by the constant shifting?

The 2011's have the "select shift" which seems promising. I have not driven an '11, so I don't know how the select shift works. Do you need to be in tow/haul to use it? Or can it be used in normal drive?

I guess what i'm getting at, i live on gravel and on those roads at 35mph, the 2010 downshifts at every little hill, and upshifts on the backside of every hill ... this annoys me to no end and I don't think I could handle owning it for the next 15 years. Being able to lock out the OD's at low speeds with the select shift would be very attractive if that is how it works.

My honest impression of the 2010 is that it is not a 200,000 mi drivetrain. the motor, maybe, but the trans just seems like a weak link.

are the -11's any better?

thanks for the input!
Mike

 

Well since it's a work truck I won't suggest clearing the codes and breaking in the transmission properly. I have a 2010 and the 6 speed is great. I was looking at 2011 models after driving the EB, but frankly the bad pumps and failures make mine look all the better for the moment.

Key thing is to break these transmissions in aggressively. By that I mean full throttle starts and rigorous acceleration runs. I did that after clearing my codes at the dealer and now it's absolutely perfect.

 

Search for a TSB on your truck (see the pull-down at the top of the page). If there is one, go to the dealer and complain, citing the specific 'issues' noted in the TSB.

Do not walk into the dealer and demand "TSB-XXX be performed". TSBs are issued to resolve specific complaints and are not warranty or recall.

BTW, my 09 transmission (with almost 30k) is perfect. I love the 6-speed, especially when towing.

 

I have the baby V-8... the 4.6L, and I gotta say, it is a beast. I've outrun several cars without even a gasp - very smooth shifting (seems like some other cars I have had, need to take a deep breath when shifting) - so I'm wondering if there is something more to your truck. If anything, my gears shift a little rougher at very slow speeds - or coasting to a stop but when gunning it, it just flies right through 'em. I wouldn't know where to start outside of having 'em crack open the tranny and checking it out?

 

I'm not trying to be a smart "a" but I'm 70 years old, have had more vehicles than I can count and I've never heard about " breaking in a transmission" What have I missed all these years?

 

Yeah, I don't know what it is ... maybe I'm old for my age, but this adaptive shift stuff just doesn't seem to make sense to me. It just seems like if I don't drive it the way I did the last time it just stumbles all over itself trying to figgure out what I want it to do.

What does it do if your wife or brother or kid drives it? I dunno, it just seems like it should just do the best it can all the time no matter what. I know ford has been doing this for a while, but i've never noticed ill effects until this one. My Exploder seems to pull it off pretty well and it is sorted out in the first couple shifts. The first shift after droping a trailer is unduly harsh, but after that it softens up, and likewise the first shift after hooking up seems to slide a little more than it should, but it firms up right away.

more than anything it is the constant shifting I can't stand. the 6-5-4-5-6 shuffle at 55mph on county roads is for the birds! Maybe it is just me, but at least with the 4spd you could lock out OD if it was shifting. That's why I was wondering about the select shift on the '11's. If i could lock out 6th it would never need 4th.

Just wondering if the 11's are any better. I'm hoping to be in the 1 to 2 year old market a year from now. Based on this truck alone, I can't see myself buying a '10, but maybe I'm all wet too ... who knows!

Mike

 

yeah, I tried driving it hard today and all it did was use more gas. I know he said to clear the memory, but that wasn't really an option.

It does go like stink though .. getting to 75mph by the end of the ramp isn't a problem. Thing pulls like a freight train when you step into it.

mike

 

2010 5.4 2WD checking in and my trans is flawless 24k miles so far...

 

I don't know about breaking in a transmission and the adaptive concept... never really heard that before... wonder what that means if you trade it in and the next owner doesn't use it the way the previous owner did? Weird. I'm going to have to look into that more.

But, my dad used to always say "Take it out and burn the carbon off" - and that meant a vehicle that wasn't used too hard needs to be taken out and run... gas on it, let it go fast, etc. He always said it wasn't good for a vehicle to never be let run wild. He'll be 60 next year. Not sure if what he says is true but I swear it works. Maybe it is wishful thinking. My husband does a lot of short commuting, a mile here, a mile there since we live on base and he works on base and every so often we take his explorer down the hwy to "burn the carbon off" - it is getting ready to roll over to 150k and has never had a hiccup *knock on wood* - not sure if that is just a quality vehicle, luck, or maybe my dad was right ;-)

But it seems like every time we take it out and "Burn the carbon off", it runs a little better afterwards... a little smoother. Who knows.

 

How do you know if your vehicle is equipped with the adaptive transmission control? Is it standard on all these vehicles?

 

Yes- standard.

 

Interesting. Seriously learn something new every day in these forums. lol.

 

The 11's do have a manual mode so you can shift yourself. I think tow / haul only locks out the OD gears and changes the shift points to a more aggressive feel.

These transmissions are designed to shift to find the most economical and comfortable gear for the truck.

 

Tim - T/H mode for the 09+ does not lock out 6th gear. It merely changes the shift points, TC lock points, and delays between upshifts.

 

The '10 works the same in T/H. It does help around town to keep the rpm's up, but has some side effects.

If I could have my way, I would have the trans act completely different between normal and T/H. The two things I would like to change (for me) would be to lock out 1st in normal mode and lock out 6th in T/H.

At least on mine, and for me, 1st gear is far too low to be useful unless you are trying to get a load going. The spread between 1st and 2nd is so great that it makes for an clumbsy shift between the two. What I've noticed is that when you make a rolling start (2 or 3 mph) the truck starts out in 2nd and does it as smooth as butter, and I don't get that clumbsy 1-2 shift.

I guess a lot of the shift strategy on this trans reminds me of my 95 tbird. those 4R70W's were a mess when they came out too, and once Ford nailed down a good shift strategy they became a very reliable unit. Maybe this 6sp is the same.

I know the select shift allows the user to lock out top gears in a progressive shift mode, so maybe that is the answer to my woes.

I guess i'm disappointed becase I'm a ford guy through and through, but this trans is enough to keep me from buying one.