Here's the history: all work done by diesel mechanic guy but 'driven' by you guys! HPOP leaking.. @ a yr.. got worse.. ordered kit from Bob & got that fixed. While in, mechanic changed FILTHY fuel filter. Then it was "starved for fuel" lagging under pressure going up hills, etc, Ford said fuel pump was failing, my mechanic replaced it. Same symptoms. FTE suggested Hutch mod.. did that.. also 'serviced' tranny (hadn't been done in 9 yrs!) Truck ran fine for @ 300 miles (all towing horse trailer) and then yesterday: DRAT! Truck HAS been doing great... ran like a beast up the mtn (and down) pulling two horses Fri & up on Saturday... coming home Saturday... had been sitting @ 2 hrs, left to go home (pulling horse trailer & two horses) went @ 3 miles & then stopped to ck something, left it running, got back in the truck, put into drive (auto) and engin revved but truck didn't "engage" (not sure that's the right word) and then it "caught" and we went on.. next stop light.. it sorta slipped, then went forward. Once on the hwy.. it ran along fine. Up & down hills.. didn't seem to notice any issues. Went down the Saluda grade.. shifted manually to 2nd to let the tranny slow her down (@ 4 mile of 6-7% grade) sounded "different" but not really sure how. Also, while it was coasting (no foot on accelerator) I noticed RPM's not constant.. little "surge" in 'em, just a tiny tick up. Off the highway.. to the next stop light.. had to sit for a red light.. green light came.. accelerated & we rolled backward! Shifted manually down to 1st & we went just fine. Limped home that way.. (@20 more miles of back roads) shifting manually into 1st at stops, 2nd if I needed to climb a hill. Got to my girl friend's house to drop her & her horse off, her hubby cked the transmission ck stick & said its smelt "burnt". Truck has 145k miles on it... almost all of 'em hauling medium sized horse trailer and lots on gravel roads. What do you think...??

 

I want to know about your girlfriend who has a husband. What's up with that?

My 2001 73 was having trouble shifting from first to second for a few weeks now. No climbing, no pulling, flat Houston driving. She'd kind of half shift, sit there for a few seconds and then shift. The other night she had finally had it, I lost second gear. Took off from a light, tried that half shifting thing and then she fell backwards and hard into first.

What she will do is take off in first and well after she should've shifted, in the 2500-3000 rpm range, she'll skip second and go directly to third. After that it's all normal driving, overdrive and all works, overdrive button engages and disengages overdrive normally. Still have reverse too. Full on clean fluid.

Diesel performance shop and I test drove her with a scan gauge. Nothing, no codes. Solenoids are ON which means they are engaging but she won't shift into second.

Verdict: New transmission. Taking her in tomorrow or Tuesday, getting a bigger, beefier torque converter (possible triple disc but not if that's slower which I've heard it is) and a performance valve body, new solenoid pack, new gears, seals, fluid, filter, flush and whatnot. Supposed to be good for up to 400hp to the wheels.

Good luck!

 

Wait, you're a female with a female friend who's married. Whoops! I thought, well, you know.

Good luck!

 

Deirdre 0414

I want this to be a valve body issue for you since you already did a (auto) trans fluid and filter change. Transmission folks will respond soon who know more about them (than i do).

BTW-i like the link to here as a way to end the fuel starvation (Hutch) thread.

 

Texas, bless your heart (as they say here in the South!) yes, we call our female friends "girl friends"... not like "gurlfriends" ha... I'm married, too.. !!
So... my truck's symptoms don't sound exactly like yours, but you think my prob is tranny, too??
I just know the "old ball & chain" who pays the bills is gonna try to get out as cheap as possible on this, like rebuild old transmission.. ?!

 

David, I've gone so far as to stop random guys in the Wal-mart parking lot & tell 'em about the Hutch Mod when I see they have a 7.3! It sure does make sense! Of course, I still have problems but I don't think they're related..

 

Whoops.. sorry guys... I've reposted in the correct (f250 PSD, I hope) thread!

 

No one, not any single person no matter their profession as in if they are actual transmission experts or yard mowers, can tell on the forum, sitting behind a computer. Why? Because the transmission absolutely has to be dropped and then taken apart to get to the inside to see. I took my truck to a diesel specific performance shop and they did hook up a scan gauge to the truck computer and test drove her. It read that the electronics were receiving voltage which means they were working (telling the tranny to shift) but that since the actual gears weren't catching that it was a mechanical failure. I agree.

They said they could guess at all of the possibilities of the causing malfunction, the possible combinations and resulting domino effect, for days on end but they wouldn't exactly know until they opened her up. I agree with that as well.

My guess, and this is based on having many vehicles before with tranny issues BUT WITHOUT BEING A PROFESSIONAL AUTO MECHANIC OF ANY SORT, is that your transmission needs to be rebuilt. Mine is going to cost me just over 3k and that is with the triple disc clutch assembly which for what you do would be best as well, heavy pulling. This is what I also might believe is going on in your truck, the torque converter and from what I've come to understand since researching my own truck, this is one of the weakest links in our model truck's transmission and for technicality's sake, it sounds as if this is what has gone out in yours. Slipping usually means torque converter issue. The missing second and shifting into third on my truck is possibly the sprag, another known issue with these model trucks and again, I get that from recent inquiry into my own matter.

Keep that term in mind and research it as well: triple disc torque converter clutch assembly.

Got pictures of you and your friend? Ha!!

 

You can take it to a transmission shop (preferably diesel specific) and they can hook up a scan gauge and see if it throws codes. Then you may know a bit more but mostly likely even with just a new converter needed they'll push for a complete tranny overhaul. It's best anyways. From what I undersand no one likes to simply patch these trannies back together with a part or two, they'll fail again. They want to make 'em brand new all over again, better than brand new actually seeing as how they know the common issues with these things and can then avoid them altogether.

They are rebuilt stronger than what comes from the factory. Good luck!

 

ha... no... Us girls usually ride alone & there's no one to take pics of the TWO of us!

 

thats a bumma Deidre specially after sorting out ya last hiccup. Unfortunately the trans is the weakest link on these trucks. Theres nothing wrong with rebuilding your trans as long as it done by a reputable shop.
Feel like a trip to Holtville CA ??

 

Update needed.