Just an FYI, not sure if anyone else has heard or if this is true....

For those that experience the "chugging" or "Shudder" when going 40-45 MPG at low rpm (corrected for me by locking out 5th or 6th gear in these conditions).

I dropped my truck off at the dealer this morning for the transmission shifting issues. My service writer asked if I meant the 40-45 shudder. I said no, but I've been experiencing that since I picked up my truck last August.

He said that Ford is working on this issue as well and they expect a TSB to come out for it in the very near future.

Anyone else heard this?

 

This may not be what the service guy was talking about, but some of us have a "hop", "bounce", or some type of imbalance at 40-45. Mine has moved from 50 down to 47 now. At that speed, a hop comes on and stays until you speed up or slow down.

Hopefully, Ford will come out with a solution soon that works.

 

Interesting.... I have always had it in the back of my head that the bounce was related to the torque converter. I never experimented with locking out gears but I sure will try that...

And just to let everyone know, I reported that the airbag installation fixed my bounce but it is back. It felt great for a while after the install, but after my first time hooking up my 5'er with the bags it returned. I am running the same air pressure as I was prior to the tow.

Hey Paul, Any truth to this possible TSB????

 

Yes, I think this is different than the wheel hop. I'm not experiencing that, but at these speeds with low RPM I get a shudder or a chugging sound in the front along along with some shaking of the front end. However, I guess it's possible that it's more pronounced in some than others and causing wheel hop as well.

If locking out 5th or 6th gear doesn't fix your wheel hop, I'd say they are unrelated. I'd be interested to hear your results as well.

 

Have had similar issues with my 2010 F250 with the 6.4 and 5 speed torque shift tranny. My truck has the rear end hop at 50-52 mph and have had it looked at several times. The tranny is currently out for the third time with the dealership telling me that they believe it is the torque converter which is slipping. Hopefully this will finally fix it. Third time the charm. Have them go on a drive with you while the truck is hooked up to their computer, only way they were able to diagnosis the problem on mine, computer showed excessive slippage when torque converter was trying to lock up causing the hop. Good luck. I'll update my post on the 6.4 side once I get it back to see if she is fixed.

 

mine does the chudder thing around 40-45 mph. if i drop down a gear it goes away. i hope they find a fix for it because it is annoying for a new high dollar truck to do this.
i have not heard any thing about a tsp, but i hope they can fix this chudder.

 

Hi 6.7 Fan I have the same issue and I believe it happens when the exhaust cleaning message appears . It's like the truck starts dieseling, it shakes when going up the slightest incline starting at 45 mph. Even though the message goes away about the cleaning or drive to clean message you still don't know how long it last till the cleaning is finished. Never has it happened when traveling on the road during camping trips or long highway trips only around town when driving only a couple of miles a day it will start to happen when the messages begin.

 

How does your 5th wheel tow? I just got a heavy 5th wheel and it is "chucking" bad (i.e. a very rough back and forth motion). I wounder if my towing problems may be related to the ford trans. I don't have a bouncing problem, just a foreward-backward jerking motion.

I have the 2011 F350 pulling a 14,000 pound Cedar Creek.

What do you mean by "locking out gears"? Are you in the "M" mode?

thanks ken

 

It may vary when and how it occurs in specific trucks, but in mine it's not related to the exhaust cleaning. I have a very slight hill on the last road to my house and it's a 40mph speed zone. Does it every time unless I lock out 5th gear or speed up to at least 50mph. Speeding up isn't really an option as it's also a common spot for a speed trap.

I'm taking the truck back to the dealer today for the transmission tsb. I'll ask him to call me as soon as something comes out for the shudder / chugging issue.

 

No, when you are in Auto, just push the - or minus sign on the gear selector switch and you'll see the gears disappear in the display each time you push it. Then to "unlock" the gears you just push the + button on the selector switch until all gears (or just the ones you want) are available again. So, if you want 4th to be the highest gear available, push the - twice so that 6 and 5 disappear and the truck will only use gears 1-4 until you unlock them.

 

Wow. Thanks. I did not know that. As to shuddering . . . . My F350 shudders during start up, i.e. from 0 to about 10 mph. I notice it most when I am pulling the 5th wheel. I never thought about it much.

Now, however, I have shddering at all speeds when pulling a 14,000 # 5th wheel. It is a problem, but the fore and aft jerking of my trailer may not be with the truck. Something to think about.

ken

 

You can also start off in 2 or 3 by placing the tranny in D and the indicator will show 1, then push the + once and the indicator will go to 2, effectively locking out 1. You can then start off in 2. Or push the + twice and the indicator will show 3 and then you can start off in 3. Not something I would recommend while pulling a trailer, but FYI.


Regarding the shudder upon takeoff when pulling trailer, it is a general consensus that it is a result of improper driveline angle once the springs are loaded and compressed. The geometry of the rear diff to the driveline to the transfer case all changes, thus causing the shudder. Several options exist to disguise, hide, mask, or fix the issue. Check with your dealer.

 

Ken,

I'm just going to chime in here. I have a heavy 5th wheel also and experienced the jerking motion you describe. Kind of like the seat back kicks you pretty forcefully every now and then. Some people can get physically sick from that feeling. There are hitch suspension systems available that soak up this forward/backward motion and insulate the truck and passengers from the jerking/chucking/kicking type feeling. They are pretty sophisticated systems and work well but they are also pricey.

I was planning on getting one before I installed my airbags. After the airbags, I no longer felt the hitch upgrade was necessary. I think the jerking is caused by the heavy load on the rear end causing the truck to constantly engage the overload springs. Any motion from the trailer was quickly transmitted through the hitch and into the truck. The airbags however lift the rear end back up off the overload springs and place much of the load on the soft airbags which absorb most of the jerking motion. I was expecting to re-level the truck with the airbags and be able to carry more weight but I was pleasantly surprised by the added benefit of the much smoother ride.

If you haven't put airbags on your truck, you might consider them. The benefit of leveling and increased capacity are worth the price themselves. If it also fixes your jerking, even better.

 

Good post, Epic. As always.

I just returned home from Mayo's clinic in Rochester, MN, and the beating I encountered on I-90 from Sioux Falls, SD to Rochester, MN was the worst I have ever felt. There were frost cracks in the concrete road surface every 20-25 feet. The truck and 5er would get into a bouncing rhythm. Constant bucking and bouncing. My wife, having just had surgery, was very uncomfortable. Me, I was just pi**ed off. I had to slow down to 55 mph to break the rhythm. 190 miles on an Interstate at 55 mph because the road is so rough. You could see that the Highway Dept. had tried to grind the road back to flat, but, to no avail. Semi's were driving slower. Other RV's were driving about the same as me.

I have pulled trailers for over 30 years. I am very familiar with the fact that trailers enhance or exagerate bad roads. But this was the worst I have ever been beat up. Another bad section of Interstate is I-29 from Sioux City, IA to Omaha, NE.

 

Epic . . . . . . Thank you very much for chiming in and recommending the air bags. The engagement of the overload springs could be causing my problems. Makes sense. I will contact the hitch people for a quote.

thanks again . . . . . . . . .ken