Our old mechanical diode trany is hanging in there at 222k

 

At 114,000 miles, after tranny warmed up it was slow to engage first gear. The feed bolts came loose. With Roland and Mark K's knowledge, they walked me through the fix (thanks again guys).

I made the 600 mile trip to Holtville for a John Wood Towmaster.
Transmissions good to go, now.

 

Is there a thread on this fix?
Thanks.

 

Lisa's (Smokin) tranny just croaked at 300K miles. It's safe to say, if properly taken care of, and a little bit of preventative measures (Valve body) these 4R100's will stand the test of time. Mine made it to 182K before giving up the ghost! Almost all of those miles were tuned, and using a JWVB.....and towing 70% of the time.

 

These are my threads regarding my 4r100 issue:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-my-4r100.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...remove-it.html.

But with the numerous other threads on here from the brotherhood, the direct PM's, and the ATSG Manual, I was able to tackle the job.

 

SO how does one find or check said feed bolt to make sure its not backing out before it makes a mess of the trans. any pictures of how and where..

should it be taken out and lock washer installed to prevent back or thread loc??

 

Feed Bolts are above the Valve bodies. The VB's, Separator Plate and Gaskets need to be removed to access them. Care must be taken to get all the check ***** and EPC blow-off valve back into place before the Separator Plate is reinstalled. Over tightening the feed bolts can warp the Trans Case and create problems with VB worm track sealing. Sonnax makes a kit with spring loaded tubes that are inserted in the Feed Bolt passages to aid in sealing against the Center Support to prevent pressure loss. The Center Support can wear against the Case and "walk back and forth" within the Case. The movement can cause the Feed Bolts to loosen. Tightening the bolts does not remedy this. A new Center Support, or machined upgraded one with spacer, is the cure. The head of the Feed Bolt seals against the Case. No washer should be used. I would clean and apply Loctite 620 to bolt face and threads if they were removed.

 

What temps are you guys seeing in your transmission fluid?

 

I had to replace my 4r100 out of my 7.3 when it only had 150000 miles. come to find out that the torque converter failed and threw up metal shaving in my tranny. it embedded metal into all my clutches. so they put in a double clutch tc and replaced all the clutches in the tranny. also had the tugger shift kit put in it and i love it. the weakness of the 4r100 is the TC and can cause a very expensive rebuild. wish i wouldve just put a better TC in it when i got it.

 

Shortly after I reinstalled my rebuilt trans I broke my brand new converter.... Like 5 miles into it. It may have been some of my fault but I did everything I was told by my transmission guy. One foot to the floor and I trashed it.... It was an upgraded one too I don't recall what kind. I went billet after that incident.

 

While the stock 4R100 torque converter may be less than perfect, replacing it will not insure protection from the other internal problems that can plague it, i.e. dislodged snap rings, sticking accumulator regulators, and worn center supports. These are problems that the aftermarket industry have recognized and developed solutions to them. Depending on how it's used, or abused, a stock 4R100 will hold up well with routine maintenance. But, you still can't factor out parts failure. I managed to take out a billet triple disc torque converter, dual load center support, and 300 M input shaft. All of which did not live up to their expected potential and were considered defective.

Yes, there are fractures in the shaft.

Bushing seized to Center shaft

 

230k on mine, towing 11k camper lots. I have a JW valve body, diesel site filter and use synthetic fluid flushed every 30-40k. Still like new. Also an after market tranny cooler I got from RiffRaff a while back.

 

I run the stock cooler...I have never seen trans temp over 205...never.

 

That was about typical for me also when towing a 10k fiver when everything was stock, except for a tuner and Accumulator VB spring kit w/ Line Pressure regulator.

 

roland,
thanks for that.. Would it be worth while, while the valve bodies are down and the center support is exposed, to do the upgraded center support?? I see you reference a kit at Sonnax can you provide parts numbers for that.

Also where did you get the nice diaphragms.. must be a repair manual you have there.. any chance of getting more info and copies of that part.. Would be nice to see how the stuff comes down in sequence as this will be done from under the trans

would the feed bolt be the three shown with torque values of 12 ft lbs??

thank a million man....