Hi guys,
so today I was hauling a pretty good amount of dirt, I'm thinking upwards of 10,000 lbs, probably more like 8500 or 9000 lbs. We were using a hydraulic dump trailer and the dirt wouldn't slide out. So My Dad got in and started to try and pull ahead. The problem was that the rear wheels had sunk a few inches in the somewhat moist ground and it wouldn't pull it out. I couldn't seem to get it into 4 LO so we were trying to wiggle back and forth to get this thing out but it was a no go. I looked under the truck to see ATF dripping quite fast from the bell housing. This got me quite shook up as I don't need any more big projects to work on. So we pulled it out with my Dad's Explorer and we were talking about it. He was telling me that he noticed that I was really pushing the engine too hard while towing the trailer and dirt, and that I would just floor it when accelerating. Now, I told him that I had heard somewhere in the internet that V10's love to work in high RPM's, but I wasn't sure so I took it easy on the last load, keeping it under 2500 RPM's. He explained that it's no different than other engines, and it CAN work at high RPM's, but it really wears on engine and trans and that I shouldn't be pushing it over 2500. So that brings me to a couple questions:

What will high RPM's do to a V10 while towing, to engine and transmission?

What kind of problem am I looking at with this dripping ATF? It was coming pretty good right after trying to get out but then it slowed and eventually stopped. I wiped the oily area off and took it to town and back to get out skid loader and when i got back looked at it and it didn't look wet. Is that just a blow off valve or something?

Sorry for the long post!

 

High RPM's won't hurt a V10, It will limit itself with programming.
The seal went out of the trans. Common on them trucks. They get hot, brittle, and eventually leak.
It should be repaired soon as possible.

 

Torque converter seal needs replaced. Make sure to use the Viton seal.

Your Engine will be fine with the high RPM's these were made to work like that.

 

High RPM won't hurt the V10 much. It has a limiter for a reason. As for the leaking ATF, you likely overheated the transmission, as a symptom of it is a leaking torque converter seal. If you are going to tear it down to replace the seal, you might as well install this


Not only will this kit alleviate the high temp leak from the converter seal, but it will address many other problems and give you the option to have hard or soft shifts. It will require you to remove the transmission and disassemble the pump, but all you need to do to reassemble the pump is etch a line on the exterior of the case to align the two halves and acquire a 12" hose clamp to perfectly align the two halves before torquing.

This kit also has you enlarge the drain passage in the pump (near the converter seal) from 1/4" to 3/8" so that the excess fluid drains away from the seal instead of pushing through it.

 

Your Dad's logic is the reason that people don't like the 4.6L/5.4L/6.8L Triton engines. They are afraid to work them above 2500 RPM. It doesn't hurt anything. Let them sing, they will reward you.

 

do you know the same engine is used in the F53 motorhome units... 25,000 pounds of motorhome , EVERYDAY ...


Gas engines loves rpm's. and a computer keeps it in check.


sounds like you overheated the transmission. let it cool, check/add fluid.. test drive.

 

Your Dad's logic is the reason that people don't like the 4.6L/5.4L/6.8L Triton engines. They are afraid to work them above 2500 RPM. It doesn't hurt anything. Let them sing, they will reward you.

^^^^^^^


I agree although I have an 02 5.4 with 3.73's and when Im pulling my car trailer she is the happiest between 2500 rpm and 3500 rpm and it does a fine job not a fast job but she does fine

 

You overheated the torque converter doing this. Chances are once it cooled down the seal worked again and the leak stopped. If you don't overheat it again chances are it will last a long time. There is a better aftermarket seal available, it's made from a material called Viton.

Check the trans fluid level, refill it wil MERCON V, and you'll be fine.

Plain and simple, he's wrong.

 

Thanks for all the responses! That's good to know, as I cringe when it gets above 3000. Now I won't anymore.

Now to replace the seal, what kind of a job am I looking at doing to replace it? Do I have to pull the tranny or engine?

 

The easier way is to pull the trans, though you can do it either way. It's just a lot harder to do with the trans in the truck.

 

Ok, I'll see what I can do. Thanks!

 

Heated my transmission once several years ago trying to back a 33' camper uphill into a very steep site. Puked tranny fluid out on the exhaust pipe. Looked like I blew something up. After it cooled I wiped everything off, never leaked another drop. That was at least 30,000 miles ago. I've made four 1200 mile pulls with out stopping the last two years, still dry.

 

I am really hoping and praying that I am in the same shoes as you. It's not like sopping wet, which I am thankful for. But I have seen one or two drops on there today.


I have another question that I have been wondering about. Is it hard on engine/tranny to accelerate with high RPM's?

 

its computer controlled... it will not let you do major damage.. by driving it.


I mean.. do not have the engine at 5,000 rpm's for an hour...
but minutes are no issue.


keep an eye on the gauges... stay out of the RED...

 

So much easier on the equipment to go into low range prior to getting into that kind of a situation. One of the things I had drummed into my head when I was first behind the wheel of a larger truck.
The tranny may or may not have been damaged.