Well the title about covers our weekend.
Have an X with 173K on it. Bought with 165K and don't know the "real" maintenance performed by previous owner. So finally got around to flushing the tranny per the site method and filled up with Valvoline Mercron V. New filter put in at the time as well.
I haven't had a lick of trouble with the tranny and then Friday after the fluid change I took her for a spin. Got 2 miles down the road and at the stop sign, smoke boiling out from the truck. Pulled off, inspected and WHEW!.......the dipstick tube had seperated where the joint is underneath. So, while burning my arm three friggin times and got it back together (looks like something was amiss before as there was duct tape around the site) and headed to local parts store to get a new o-ring for the tube.
We were heading out camping, so figured I would fix the tube at camp. Loaded up and headed out. Got about 15-20 miles and smoke is just bellowing out the back of the truck. Pull off and figure the tube separated again, no biggie.
Well, I looked underneath and fluid is pouring out from the front of the bell housing from behind the lower cover. My first thought is........never change the fluid on an old tranny! (I have had it happen to me one other time on 99 F150). But settle down, praying it's not the front seal.
Couple of thoughts were since my dipstick tube is not all the way in, I am getting a false reading on the dipstick and I have too much fluid in the tranny resulting in pressure build up and it is just "venting" fluid.
The tranny is working normal, shifts great, no slip, etc. Our campground is about the same distance as back home, so I say heck with it......let's go and if it blows, we have friends to come and get us.
We make it fine to the campground, once there, spewed more fluid while backing it in.
The next day, no additional fluid on the ground and we have to go pick up our oldest as a nearby camp. We travel around Saturday unloaded with no problems. No fluid loss, everything is good. So I have resolved to it just vented fluid while towing.
Today, load up head home. 15 miles in, we stop for fast food and I walk in to get it. When I come out, fluid all over the ground. I again say the heck with it and just try to make it home. We made it fine, again tranny shifting as normal. A mile from the house, smoke starts bellowing out again. We drive into our house and I have to pull out into a field to back the trailer in. I stopped, to check fluid and look underneath the X. FIRE!!!! I tell the family to get out the truck is on fire. (Kinda funny, I've never seen my 5 year old move that fast I grabbed some leather gloves and beat out the fire on the exhaust and the grass fire it started.
We let it cool down. Tonight we take it out. 25 miles in all and it didn't lead while unloaded.
So what is going on? I checked the fluid tonight and it is low, like barely on the stick low.
When I did the flush, I measured the in and out amounts. I now have the dipstick tube fixed properly. I am ordering a tranny temp guage tonight. If the front seal is bad, won't it leak all the time? I am praying we don't need a new transmission right now, but I am fearful that is what is in order. If so, what could have caused it to go right after the flush and filter?
Thanks for any help.
Jon

 

Sounds exactly like my situation last year. Mine is a 2000, only had about 100K on it (I bought it 5 years ago with 85K). We had a 24 foot travel trailer and never had any problems with it at all. I upgraded to a 35 foot trailer and that is when the problems started. After coming home from a camping trip I went to back my trailer up the driveway, and when I say up I mean it! We have a stupidly ridiculous driveway grade. Anyway, almost all the way up and the tranny starts puking lots of fluid. I finished the climb, and continued to drive it periodically empty with no problems. I towed some smaller trailers a little, no problems.

I had one more driveway incident with my trailer, but I was starting to learn what the problem is. The front seal gets weak basically, and under heat it won't hold the fluid in. So, it lets the hot fluid out. When it cools down it seems to seal up again and all is well. So, since reverse seemed to be the problem, where the tourque converter wasn't locking, I started backing up in low range. I also, would unplug the 4wd engagement solonoid under the hood so the front wheels wouldn't engage since my hilly paved driveway also requires some creative navigation. I managed to not leak oil when doing it this way.

Then came the hunting trip last September. Climbing some forest road in eastern Oregon, in the dark of course, and we ran into some issues. Pulling that trailer up the very steep mountan road at 10 mph did it in. Tranny fluid dropping on the exhaust is not good. After a while the tranny started to slip. I stopped to put it in low range and as soon as I stopped there was a minor explosion as the fluid ignited under the vehicle. All five of us bailed and got the dogs out too. A guy slowly travelling behind me had an extinguisher and we had it out in a few minutes. The next day I put some fluid in the tranny and drove the Excursion by itself back to camp (someone else pulled my trailer in). A few days later I drove the unloaded vehicle 400 miles back home with no problems at all.

It appears that my 10000 pound trailer is just too much for it. Also, Ford did a terrible job on the tranny coolers of the early 2000 Excursions of which mine is one of them. I now have a new tranny with a heavy duty torque converter, a shift kit, and a SCT Livewire programmer a towing tune in it. I can't wait to go camping in a few weeks.

That's my story.

Ryan

 

Thanks Ryan! Helps me figure some things out. We have a 10K trailer as well. Did fine in the fall and earlier this year but as the temps are getting into the 90s, I guess it's too much.
So, could I upgrade to a 6.0 cooler and save the tranny?
Second, if I go with a new tranny I would need help for all here on what specs I need to give the tranny shop in regards to torque converter, shift kit (or not?), etc.
Man, this is killing me as I just ordered a 3P hitch, so shelling out a few more thousand for a tranny is going to hurt.

 

I have to agree, your tranny was definitely overheating. They like to puke oil out the front seal when this happens. Since you 'flushed' the system per this site, you must have seen the fluid flow into the pan right? How was the flow, did it look like good pressure? That may rule out any blockage in a cooler line. Get the gauge on there and report back. If you were only overheating due to your stock cooler, yes, the 6.0 will help quite a bit.

Yesterday we were coming home with our 33 footer, the tranny was around 190-200 degrees with close to 90 degrees outside and I told my wife, "we need to back this in perfect the first time." It's crazy how fast these trannys heat up while maneuvering a trailer into position. Looking for a deal on a 6.0 cooler myself.

 

It would put out 5 quarts in about 10 seconds......seemed good.

 

I was willing to put up with the problem for a while, knowing at some point the seal would no longer hold any fluid, but when it caught on fire in the middle of the national forest and we scrambled to get the kids out I figured that was the time for me to take the plunge.

I had a local shop rebuild the tranny, they put in a 3-plate billet torque converter as well as a shift kit. It shifts hard and fast now, and the torque converter stays locked a lot longer. I haven't towed my trailer with it yet, but I am hoping to notice improved towing performance as well.

Ryan

 

Should have got a BTS tranny. Too late for that.

Not too late to get a 6.0L diesel cooler on there and get something to monitor tranny temps. Scan Gauge II does it quite nicely.

 

I looked into BTS, obviously a great transmission. My location was a bit of a hindrance, coupled with the fact that I put 3000 miles per year on my excursion on a big year. I decided to save some money and get the best I could locally. If I drove it more I may have considered the BTS further, but didn't make sense for me. I got a SCT Livewire to monitor temps.

 

I just found out BTS is less than an hour from me! Been trying to contact them and get the details. I ordered a Livewire today to monitor temps and get the tunes that really help the X in towing. Scanguage II looked nice but I figured I'd spend a little more to get alot more.

Jon

 

If you can get your truck to Brian at BTS he will take the tranny out, put it in, and make any adjustments necessary and no extra charge.

Mine was already dead so I had to add the cost of having someone remove the tranny and put it back in. I personally took my tranny up to him in the back of my Durango.

 

When I changed the fluid in mine I found that the oil in the dipstick houseing gave a false full indication. I think I ended up adding a few more quarts to get it full. I only drove about a mile and I pulled over an added some fluid. Had I been ******* it, I think I would have fried something. The engine oil dipstick is hard to read as well. The fluid change cured my TC lockup buzz problem. I see this experience as dodged a bullet.

After finding out about the crappy small external trans cooler on the 2000EX and no in radiator cooler I went out and bought a 6.0 L cooler. Now I am worried my temps are too low to boil all the water out of the fluid. Put a new cooler on a new trans.

Perry

 

No worries about not getting warm enough! That's FINE.