The torque converter should still be locking, even in Drive. The higher rpm, and flow thru the coolers, may heat things up a bit, but help reduce EGTs.

 

Jason, I believe you are making reference to the front pump seal. It can be upgraded to a Viton seal, or avoid overheating, to correct that issue.

 

Yes, that's what I am refering to Roland. I am in Jeep mode since we bought my daughter a Wrangler and hers has a leak at the rear of the tranny because that seal is torn, so my mind was visualizing that I guess. Thanks for the correction.

 

Like Roland stated, driving (whether towing or not) with the OD off doesn't prohibit the torque convertor from locking up.

Stewart

 

So I drive this truck about 9K per year and the new tranny has only 34K on it so it is due for a change in fluid which I had scheduled for September right before hunting season. I don't generally haul anything very heavy maybe 7K at most once per year.
The truck is sitting right now and still has a small drip but I can't see where it is coming from or if it is just residual from the transmission fluid purge. I drove it home yesterday after bringing it up to temperature and the fluid was in normal range with no burnt smell and was still pink in color. Got the truck home and checked it again and fluid was still in normal range pink and no burnt smell. Fluid still seemed to be dripping but nothing like the purge, just a few drops. This morning it looks like it just dripped a few drops more.
I am calling the dealer today to see if they will cover the cost of diagnosis and repair. I know it is a long-shot because time wise it is out of warranty by 22 months but the tranny only has 34K on it and it was warranted for 36 months or 100K.
So long story short I will take it to a shop and get it looked at, I don't want to have it go TU while in the woods of Wyoming and a long ways from any town. I guess maybe it is better to be safe than sorry!
Does anyone have any idea how much that seal is to replace? I can not do this by myself, I'm not mechanically skilled by any means.
Thanks for the help everyone!

 

If it were me, I would crawl under the truck and spray the whole tranny down with simple green or purple power and let it set for about ten min and then hose it off. Then drive it around and let it sit and see if it continues to drip and follow the drip. I honestly think its good and you had residual just dripping. Out of warranty means big money.

 

Do you have any idea what your trans temp is? You could have bypass problem which could be causing the trans to heat up and leak past the seal.

From this site
The Ford 4R100 automatic transmission has a bypass device installed on the passenger side of the transmission between the two cooler lines. It's designed to bypass the coolers when fluid flow through the coolers is blocked or restricted. If you find yourself having higher than normal operating temps or temps climbing out of control while your towing, this little device could be your problem. It's an easy install and costs around $40-$50. It takes about 20 minutes and you lose very little transmission fluid. Below is a link that shows how to test yours and see if this is your problem.