I drove my 2000 F250 7.3 with an automatic trans into the Colorado mountains a few days ago. So we are on the same page I drove up Pikes Peak which is a 19 mile road starting at about 7000 feet and ending at over 14000 feet. When I stopped at the top my truck puked out some transmission fluid (about 1/2 qt from what looked like the front passenger side of the transmission) . Fluid level was below normal on the dipstick but still visible. It also appeared this was a one time event and it was not a slow leak that was going on while I was driving.

After sitting for about an hour and having no other choice I slowly drove back down the mountain using the transmission to slow the truck. Before adding fluid I checked the level again and it did not appear I lost any more fluid. I added 1/2 qt to get back in the normal range and have driven around for several days with no more leaks.
The transmission did not appear to be excessively hot (fluid was not smoking/steaming, fluid that leaked out was warm but no where near to hot to touch and the tunnel inside the truck never felt warm at all). Air temperature was in the 20's with a 60mph wind on the mountain. My truck does not have a transmission temp gauge so I don't know if I had a over heating issue. Engine temps were low normal.

Is it possible that due to altitude or transmission temp the transmission vented out a little fluid? Any other ideas? Anyone experience anything like this?

 

High temps can cause it to puke. As long as it doesn't continue to leak after it happens you should be ok. But I would keep Ian eye on it and maybe get an obdII gauge to keep and eye on all you temps they are pretty handy to have you can watch your trans temp coolant temp and oil temp. Might be a good thing to have

 

Thanks Mike! It seems to be okay now but I will definitely keep an eye on it. Sitting at 14000 feet thinking my transmission was blown sucked!

I have torque Pro with a bluetooth adapter but I didn't think there was a factory sensor in my truck's transmission to measure temp. I will do some more checking....

 

I would invest in something to monitor trans temps. You can use a standalone gauge or something like the Scangauge II. Even if you had a stock trans temp gauge they leave a lot to be desired and cannot really be depended on IMO. Then you can see if your trans temps are too high (which I suspect) and add something like a 6.0l trans cooler to help keep the trans temps down.

I would think your trans has a temp sender even if you don't have a gauge on the cluster. The PCM is still going to want to know what temperature the trans is at.

 

I've driven that road many, many times. We ran prototypes up and down that road. Ford even has an official test procedure that uses that road.

It's possible, but not the likely cause.

I'll bet your truck doesn't have a transmission cooler inside the radiator. Ford didn't install those in the 1999 and first half of the 2000 trucks. Without that cooler the torque converter can get VERY hot in low speed, high load conditions. I'll bet you were not going very fast up the mountain. The race up there isn't for another two weeks.

I'll bet you overheated the torque converter, which got the torque converter hub seal hot. When this seal gets too hot it leaks. Once it cools it seals again.

There are several things that can be done to eliminate this. Installing a radiator with a cooler is the biggest. Next is replacing the air to oil cooler with a cooler from a 6.0L truck. If the seal gets really bad there is an aftermarket seal made from Viton that works MUCH better than the stock seal.

Every E4OD and 4R100 have a factory transmission temperature sensor. Some of the software programs don't report the temperature where you will be able to read it.

 

Mark....You are right about the slow speeds. We were taking some friends from Wisconsin up there, definitely not racing. I love the heights and the views but racing up there is way out of my league! Your description of a converter seal leak sounds right on and I am very relieved to know it should be fine now. I have done a ton of towing with this truck (oddly little to none above 7000 feet) and have never had a transmission temp issue that I know of. I guess I will have to start looking at an upgrading the trans cooler.....

 

Update.......well I have put about 1000 miles on the truck since the Pike Peak incident without a drop of fluid lose or a sign of a problem. Then tonight I went to back up a small hill so the kids and I could watch fireworks from the truck bed and the transmission blow. By blow I mean I now kinda have 1st and reverse but drive and 2nd do nothing. I was able to limp it home at 20mph in 1st but now I have to start shopping for a new transmission.

Anything I need to make sure the shop does and anything to look out for to make sure the new trans is as bullet proof as possible? What should I expect to pay for a full shop R & R? I don't have a place to or time do it myself so I'm going to have to pay someone......Thanks!

 

Well THAT isn't good. Sounds to me like you overheated the transmission and caused its failure. You may have had a blockage in your cooler line, or perhaps you just didn't have enough cooling for your usage.

Make SURE that your transmission cooler gets replaced when they replace your transmission. It's possible that a partially clogged cooler caused your original transmission to fail, and if not chunks of failing transmission may have blocked it after it started to come apart. Preferably have them install a 6.0L cooler.

Looks like the aftermarket makes them now:

RockAuto Parts Catalog

 

i would follow mark's advice and make sure you have the trans cooler in the radiator.

if not, buy a new radiator that has the cooler installed and use it in conjunction with your air-oil cooler.

if you do already have a radiator with the trans cooler, consider replacing the radiator so that any garbage in the transmission cooler does not destroy your new transmission.

there are some aftermarket transmission rebuilders that are known for very stout rebuilds for the 4r100 some come with a very good warranty. wouldn't hurt to look for them and see how the price compares. I do not know which ones are which, but i do know there are some users here that have talked about them.

Mark K:
any chance this sounds like an electrical problem? never hurts to ask ...

 

No, that's not an electrical problem.

 

That front seal spits even worse in reverse when it is hot probably due to higher reverse oil pressures.

 

Does anyone know what a ford HD4r100 would cost to have installed? I have a stock truck & do light to medium towing....would the stock 4r100 be a bad choice? Money is a huge issue & the truck has 220,000 miles on it. If I could get another 200,000 on it like the original I'd be very happy......suggestions?

 

I think the going rate for a HD4R100 is about 3000-3500 depending on your location and shop doing the install.

 

Many people in here tow heavy with the the stock one for many miles. Just don't let it get too hot.

 

Sounds like a stock 4r100 with an upgraded cooler & a temp gauge would handle just about anything I plan on throwing at it. Saving $1000 to $2000 would be a big help with a kid in college and a couple like ones at home.....