Does my torque converter have a drain plug?
 

I just purchased a 2001 F-350 crew cab 4x4 7.3 diesel, it was built in 2-01. I want to get the transmission serviced, does the torque converter have a drain plug? Also I have heard some 2001 transmissions have had some problems, does anyone know if mine is one of these according to the build date?
Thanks

Nope

Josh

All 2001 torque converters had a drain plug when they left the factory. Ford stopped installing drain plugs early in the 2002 model year.
The problem that the 2001 transmissions had was a mechanical diode. It was installed only in the diesel trucks from the start of the 2001 model year until March, 2001. So yes, yours had the bad part when it was built.

YES, you do have the Diode in your trans. If the trans has been rebuilt before you bought the truck, that part has been replaced. From the start of the '01 build till March of '01 the Diode will be in all Diesel 4r100 trans.

As far as changing the fluid in the trans, follow these instructions from Mark K. Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles

Ok, I know the transmission has not been rebuilt, I purchased it off the original owner with 28,000 original miles. Can this diode be replaced so it does not ruin my whole transmission? I was going to install the 6.0 tranny cooler, would this help? Also was going to have the tranny flush using sythetic flud, would this help? Any other ideas or help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Thing is, if you take the trans apart to peplace the Diode, you just as well rebuild the whole thing. Some people go over 200k miles or more with the Diode still in there. Some people didn't get 100k before it let go. I would do the flush and keep on keeping on. I had BTS rebuild my trans with somewhere around 120k miles and they found nothing wrong with my trans and I had the Diode in it.

With my mods, I didn't want to take the chance of it leaving me on the road. If my truck was still stock, I wouldn't worry about it.

EDIT: The 6.0 cooler will help to keep the trans cooler.

Ok sounds good, I will do the above mentioned things and see what happens. The truck is totally stock
Thanks

Yes it can, it involves a complete rebuild and replacing several hard parts inside the transmission that normally are not replaced during a rebuild.
It will help the trans, but it will not extend the life of the mechanical diode. When it breaks it breaks. It does not appear to be temperature dependent.
No, that won't help the mechanical diode, either. It will help the rest of the trans.

Mark, thanks for all your help, the truck has 28,000 miles, so I had to pay the big bucks. I will be towing a 22'' enclosed car hauler, when loaded it should weigh around 8,000 lbs. I will be pulling with the bumper hitch. I will be getting the transmission serviced next week. I know its hard to predict but have you seen the 2001 trannys go over 100k before they break? I hope and pray I have some more miles left in this tranny. It seems to shift fine with no issues. What kind of symptoms does the truck have when the diode fails?
Thanks

A 22 inch trailer shouldn't be any problem at all. Now if it were a 22' trailer, that would be different. }> (22" means 22inches, 22' means 22 feet.)

Yes, I've seen 2001 trucks go over 100,000 miles. I've seen them fail before that, too.

If the mechanical diode fails the 1-2 shift will only happen at maximum RPM, and only after you lift off the go pedal. Once metal parts that come off of it start circulating through the transmission anything else can go wrong with the transmission, too.

Ok Mark you got me on that one haha, I must have been sleep walking when I posted last night. I would like to ask you one more question, if and when this tranny fails, any recommendations of who should do the rebuild? Should I go with ford? or aftermarket?
Thanks

I was watching horsepower tv on spike from a week or two ago and they drained the tranny then said the torque converter holds a lot of fluid wich I know. They then drilled a hole in the tc and drained it as well then put a rivet with some sealant on it . Anyone see this? Btw I know how to flush one I was just curious of people's thoughts on this. :-drink

I can only recommend a couple shops that I know personally. Both of them are in Ocala, FL. You would need to get the truck to them. PM me if you want their contact info.

I read about several places on this and other forums that have great reputations. I'm sure they do outstanding work, but I have never used them or even met them, so I can't recommend them. Others can and will.

I also have never used a Ford reman. I have read that people are happy with them.

Now that's some redneck engineering! What do you do next time? Drill out that rivet? Where does the part of the rivet inside the torque converter go? Does it get imbedded in the converter clutch, preventing lockup? Do you leave that rivet and drill a new hole next time? This is one of the stupidest ideas I have heard of in a long time.

Mark, I clicked on your name and my computer does not give me an option to send you a pm, I will keep trying

You can keep trying for awhile, but until you make an attempt after you hit 25 posts on FTE you will not have success. PMs are disabled until then.

:-X22