Goodmorning to all on this Memorial Day. I'm new here but have been reading treads for some time. I have a 2001 F250 SD 7.3 4x4 automatic trans. with 164,731 miles on it. My problem is that when I'm pulling my 22,000 lb horse trailer up a steep grade it starts leaking fluid in a steady stream out of the front. It only does it when it is under a lot of strain though. it doesn't do it when pulling on level ground. I've been told (by a deisel mechanic) that the front seal is weak and when there is high pressure it lets fluid past. I was also told that it is a easy fix that takes about 45 minutes to correct. I was told that i would have to pull the pan and the valve body to replace it. My question is if this is correct then what seal is it that I need to get and where would I get it from?

 

The pressure doesn't increase with extra strain. It is probably collecting somewhere and then spilling it on the steep grade. The front pump seal is behind the torque converter and you would have to take the tranny out to get at it. At that point they will probably suggest that you rebuild the whole thing. Hope I didn't put a damper on your Memorial day.
Extra oil or air pressure isn't built up excessively anywhere inside the tranny from an increase in torque from the engine under normal conditions. The converter will have a higher internal PSI but that has no effect on the tranny. Heat build up on the grade could play a role in the front pump seal leakage (between the converter and the tranny) if the seal is old and brittle. There are no seals behind the valve body that would cause a leakage.

 

If trans. fluid is leaking out the FRONT of the transmission when pulling UP a steep grade, I would suspect it is coming out of the torque converter somewhere/somehow.

 

You're pulling a 22,000 lb trailer with a 250? Does the fluid smell burnt? I've heard if it overheats too much, the fluid can actually boil out of the fill tube. I've also heard lubrication properties of the fluid when this hot is pretty much worthless. Do you have an auxiliary or replacement tranny cooler since the stock one is too small?

 

No, the torque converter itself is a sealed unit, and grades have no effect on them. The seal around the hub of the converter (in the front pump) can leak moreso in extreme heat if it is old and brittle. Do you have a good trans cooler?

 

This may not be relevant and I'm by no means an expert but my 2004 F250 was leaking transmission fluid when I first bought it used. The Ford dealership that checked the truck out prior to purchase said it was a simple fix. A seal somewhere had to be replaced. I later took it to a transmission shop closer to home to have it taken care of and they advised me that the fluid was coming out of the vent on top of the transmission because it was overfilled. The seal was fine. I had them change the filter and fluid (to the proper level) and haven't experienced any leaks since. I'm still a little confused though. The Ford dealership should have known better and the shop that subsequently gave me an oil change and checked all fluids should have picked up on the transmission fluid overfill.

 

If you over fill them they will usually shoot out the top vent or the dipstick.. If they charged you I would demand my money back!

 

The fluid seemed to be coming out of the torque convertor bottom cover. If it was comming out of the overfill tube on top then where would it be flowing down to? I am planning on installing a larger cooler but haven't yet. As for pulling the trailer it does great. I have installed an ARE Airade stage 2 cold air intake and Silverline 4'' exhaust. I have also installed a Bullydog 6 position 4 bank chip that I turn down to 50 HP increase when pulling the trailer( as the instructions said to when hauling over 7500 lb's). I am planning on a transmission upgrade aswell but haven't decided on which one yet. I've narrowed it down to either the ATS with the torque lock convertor or the one from BTS. The BTS has a 2 year warrenty and the ATS has a 5 year 500,000 mile warrenty. Does anyone have a prefference.

 

BTS is the favorite around here. If you're running a bullydog, do you have a set of gauges where you can monitor your tranny temp? EGT's & boost level would be other good things to keep an eye on.

 

It wouldn't be coming out of the dip tube unless it was overfilled.