My 2003 F250 SD has 184K miles on it. She's in decent shape for a girl her age though.
A few months back on two different occasions when I was trying to reverse out of a parking spot I shifted into reverse and got ... Nothing. Put it back in Park and back into reverse and still nothing. Go to Drive and back to reverse and there we go, now we’ve got reverse. After that all was fine. No slipping, no idiot lights, but my OD light does blink on occasion. Checked the fluid at home and level was good, color seemed ok on the stick.

Did it again yesterday and now I'm wondering...

Talked to my mechanic about changing the fluid he suggested not to. The age old change the fluid and tranny goes argument especially since I bought it used with 150k on it and don’t know the maintenance history on the tranny.
So yesterday after almost 6 months of nothing, it happened again. Any ideas on what’s causing this? And exactly how scared should I be of my truck dumping me with no gears somewhere?
Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Linkage, sticky valve??

 

It could be misadjusted linkage, but if it works most of the time does the linkage readjust itself? I don't think so. And what valve do you think could stick to prevent reverse? I don't know of ANY valve that can do that. Maybe you do.

Your mechanic doesn't know much about transmissions. New fluid will NEVER hurt a transmission. It won't fix a broken one, but it will not cause it to fail.

Often a transmission does fail right after a fluid change. The fluid was changed because there was a problem. Sound familiar? Then the trans fails, and now the new fluid gets the blame. Not the 150,000 miles of neglect. Not the damage from that neglect, but the new fluid.

In your case I don't think new fluid will help. My guess is that you have a failing seal in the reverse clutch. Nothing short of a rebuild can fix a seal.

 

Well, linkage adjustment was a possibility. Valve was a guess. I am not, nor do I claim to be an Expert on transmissions such as yourself. You knowledge is highly valued on this site. Thanks for correcting me!

 

Well, thank you both. If nothing else I'm getting an education here.

I guess I'll have to take it to the tranny place and get them to pull it apart and diagnose.

I appreciate you taking your time to respond.

 

Any ideas on what I'm looking at to get my trans rebuilt or should I just replace it with a rebuilt one? I don't know anything about transmissions. I'm not expecting an exact cost since we wouldn't know that until they cracked it open I'd just like a ballpark so I know what to expect- roughly expect that is.

 

Too open ended to hard quote. It will likely be low 4 digits though. Take it to a reputable trans shop that knows HD vehicles and these transmissions. They should hook up some pressure gauges and read the computer for any current or stored codes Then they should provide you a diagnoses of the problem & cost. Pressures are the best way to evaluate the health of your fancy hydraulic pump(AKA Automatic trans).
If it needs a refresh do all of it. Dont be surprised if they find a hard part or two worn out too.
As you mentioned your other option is to install a re-manufactured trans if your a DIY'er. They usually come dyno tested and have a warranty. You'll need to weigh the options.
Lastly, change your fluid and filter AT OR BEFORE the recommended intervals. Fresh fluid and filter(if applicable) will increase the life of a trans exponentially. Most people dont even realize a trans needs fresh fluid and filter changes just like the engine...that is until its too late.
Again the key here is to find a reputable shop that knows these transmissions.