Man, this is disappointing to write. I'm also angry, so maybe I shouldn't even be writing this.

About a month ago, the stock transmission overheated (I suspect) while I was towing an enclosed, loaded car hauler in stop-n-go traffic in 95 degree weather. It leaked a couple quarts of transmission fluid out the torque converter cover plate area. It went away when it cooled off. Truck has a 140K miles.

So I replaced the stock transmission cooler with a new 26 row version from the 6.0. Installed a Magnefine filter upstream to keep it clean until I upgraded the transmission. I figured that since the torque converter seal had to be replaced at a minimum, might as well replace the whole transmission with something heavy duty since it would be the same labor either way to drop the transmission just to get to that seal. I bought the truck with over 100K on it, so I don't know the drivetrain's history, and it would be nice to have a fresh and stronger transmission. Isn't it the weak link in an otherwise perfect truck?

I opted for the HD4r100 because it's enough for me (I don't race or run "hot tunes"), costs less, and wanted the convenience of local dealership servicing and warranty.

I dropped the truck off two days ago. I picked it up yesterday. Drove it home from Issaquah to Bellevue (about 9 miles) and parked it. Thought it drove similarly to before, maybe a little "laggy" in switching off overdrive when I tested that, and also when taking off normally from a stop. I didn't know what to think of that, maybe it needed to break in? I also noticed the transmission dipstick was the same, it didn't say to use Mercon V as I expected the uprated HD version would.

So attempted to take it out for an errand this evening, the first time out since bringing it home yesterday afternoon. Reversed my way out of the driveway fine, about 200'. Put it into drive, and got the MOST HORRENDOUS CRUNCHING, GRINDING NOISE for two seconds as the truck lurched forward a few inches then stalled out the engine. Tried 4WD with the same results, and managed to back the truck into my driveway since reverse gear seemed unaffected.

I checked the transmission fluid, and while the engine was running, the dipstick was DRY. With engine off, there was fluid halfway up the "cold" section of the dipstick. Looked pink, but maybe smelled a little acrid.

This all happened about 6:30 PM tonight, so the service section of the dealership was closed. I left messages with the service writer and the parts manager from whom I bought the tranny. I expressed my disappointment while exerting incredible self-control to refrain from profanity. My fear is that even if there's some significant damage, they'll try to fix it instead of replacing it. Who knows what else isn't already stressed, worn or damaged? We'll see how good that warranty is. I'm going to ask for a loaner truck, since I actually use mine for its intended purpose. That's why I removed the prior owner's ridiculous leveling kit (who likes their truck nose-high when hauling heavy?). I have an active car and motorcycle racing campaign in full tilt this summer, a heavy 24' enclosed car hauler, bed full of motorcycles, tools, spares, etc., to haul.

I usually do my own work, for exactly this reason, but I dread working on this truck because it seems to beat me up with every small job. I'm accustomed to working on my small cars and motorcycles, I couldn't imagine wrestling with that beast of a transmission. Then again, I couldn't imagine a factory heavy-duty transmission failing after 9 miles, for whatever reason.

I'll save you all the effort of telling me that I should have gotten a JW or BTS. If this were technician's error in the installation, then it could have happened anywhere (except under my shade tree). If it's a bad tranny from Ford, then yes, I should have paid extra for the aforementioned independents.

Sorry this was so long. Venting. I'll keep you posted on how this goes...

 

Sorry you went through this. I was talking to somebody "in the know" and these things happen. The good news is - it's not a shocker because they do happen, it happens right away or not at all, and they don't have the time to pop open the can-o-worms from Ford... they just swap out the package.

 

I too think when the time comes I will go with the HD. BTS and JW seem like robbery. I havent been in the game for a long time. But when you look at what heavy duty parts you can get from say suncoast at a fraction of the cost, it seems silly. JMO

 

A lot of people have had good luck with the Ford HD reman tranny.

That said, they are built by people, and from time to time people make mistakes. Obviously something wasn't assembled correctly on this particular one for it to have failed so quickly.

The dealer will simply swap it out, they won't rebuild it. Ford also puts a good warranty behind it, so it'll be taken care of.

Oh, and the Ford reman tranny's don't come with a new dipstick or dipstick tube. Not sure why that was a big deal in the OP's post.

Just remember that this isn't the service writer's fault. Be nice to him/her, explain what happened, and they'll get you in and taken care of. I'm sure they are just as disappointed as you to hear about this happening, since most dealers are very worried about customer service scores. Something like this pops up and they try to grin and bear it and hope that customers like you don't slam them on surveys and get them in trouble for no fault of theirs.

 

+1 on everything above. Including JW / BTS prices. I'm sure they're great but not at the total cost plus shipping and incredible hassle if there is a problem. I went with a local reputable builder using the suncoast stuff and I've been towing all summer with some very tough hills and with no issues at all. Knock on wood.

I'm confident you'll be taken care of. Let us know!

 

Subscribed...

 

Well, I got it towed into the dealership this morning. Truck did the same grinding/rattling/lurching/stall in front of the tow truck operator. But then he got into it, started the truck, put into drive, same as I did, and it idled forward down the driveway like nothing was wrong. Weird, huh? I'm glad the tow guy witnessed it. With a grave face, he corroborated my description of the event to the service writer as we all exchanged paperwork.

Service writer seems like a good guy and wants to do right. I needed a loaner truck and he got me one from Enterprise. A maroon Chevy Silverado crew cab with the short bed. When I carry motorcycles for an event this weekend, the tailgate will be down. Pfft. Oh, and no towing allowed. Not even a hitch on the truck to mount my MotoTote carrier. What's the point of having a short bed truck that can't tow? What's it for? Transporting a barbecue grill? Moving grandfather clocks? Gotta go through Enterprise's truck division if you want a vehicle that can carry a sheet of plywood or pull a trailer.

No offense meant to those of you with short beds. I appreciate the improved maneuverability of my loaner. I can see how it's more manageable if your truck is your daily driver, or use it strictly for trailering. I didn't mean to go off on this tangent of sour grapes for the short bed. I just feel like an eskimo who's begging for a parka but gets handed a vest instead.

Here's mine in better days. I towed like that with the camper + trailer on there up over the Continental Divide (and back, of course) a couple years ago on my way to a race at Road America in Wisconsin:

Here's a picture before I removed that useless leveling kit.


Just enough space behind the bikes to carry my ramps, pop-up canopy, fuel jugs, rear stands, and tools, and still close the tail gate.



I'll let you all know what the dealership finds out about the transmission.

 

All I can say about BTS and JW prices is you get much more for the money with BTS between the two. I have the JW tow master and wouldn't buy it again. I think Ford will take good care of you on this one and I hate ford service. Only because it's rare to find good techs in most dealers, there are many out there but I've had very bad luck.

 

So the latest is just as I feared, they can't replicate the problem despite three test drives. I reiterated how dramatic the problem was, and that it was witnessed by the tow operator. So I think they'll pull the pan and have a look.

I've torn down and rebuilt my race car's and race bike's engines and transmissions, done extensive chassis work and such, but don't pretend to fully understand automatic transmissions. In my mind, it felt like something jammed up first gear such that it was locked. Then maybe it worked loose and now it's free. Hopefully they'll see big chunks of metal in the pan to explain this fiasco.

 

i really hope the dealership finds some fault with the tranny. given your stories, descriptions, AND things seen (to include the tow driver), i'd really hate to read your next post that says something to the effect of "...the dealership found nothing wrong and charged me $300..."
i'm ready to invest about 5K in my truck and i'm really not leaning towards the dealers out here. when i called they told me they've never heard of the HD4R100.
keep us posted on how things turn out for you. cheers from across the miles.

 

Nope, they didn't want to pull the pan. Instead, the service writer called me and asked me to ride along with the mechanic. I've been down this road before when my truck had a mystery noise in the front left wheel area that couldn't be recreated for the tech. Of course the truck wouldn't act up on this drive along either. I definitely felt a new clunk when taking off from a stop that wasn't there before. The tech said it was probably the slip yoke binding up. And after putting it from park into drive on an incline, I felt like it was slow to engage and took more throttle than before to move forward.

I wish I had the presence of mind to get video of the original failure, but I was in a mild state of shock and panic, scrambling to find a way to get a 7500lb immobile truck out of the middle of the road.

Anyway, at the end of the test ride, I reminded them how much I paid for this transmission, and insisted that they actually pull the pan and have a look. I don't know why I have to jump through these hoops to get adequate service.

My next fear is that when they pull the pan, there will be a lot of broken teeth, metal, clutch debris, and whatnot, but they'll clean it out, button it up, and say everything is fine, come get your truck.

Stay tuned for the next update.

 

Thanks. As you can see from the post above, I'm afraid this issue is going to be difficult to resolve to my satisfaction.

Funny what you said about the dealership not knowing about the HD4r100. My initial conversation about getting this was with the parts manager, who knew about it, gave me a price, and I told him I'd think about it. I called back a week later ready to prepay to order it, and spoke to someone else who told me this transmission didn't exist. He said it with serious authority, that Ford only rebuilds the transmissions to stock specifications. I let out a big sigh and maybe was a jerk when I said "You've haven't done this before, have you?" I should have clarified that I meant selling a HD tranny.

He was a bit offended and said he's sold many, many transmissions over the years and had never heard of this heavy duty version. I told him I discussed this with the other guy last week, and I urged him to look up this HD tranny in his computer. He could even google it if it would help.

He comes back a minute later and begrudgingly admits it exists, but only in PTO, so it wouldn't fit my truck. I told him he was wrong, then, kind of angrily, he said he'd look into it some more but would need my VIN to proceed. This was getting ridiculous, so I expressed how I was disappointed that he didn't know this transmission existed until I told him about it. He replied with "No one person can know all things." So I replied that I didn't appreciate that he was so ready to write me off at the start. I think the call ended with a couple of "whatevers".

Then I get a voicemail from this guy a few minutes later, very apologetic (he must have talked with his parts manager), saying something about having a bad morning, blah blah blah. I guess that was nice of him. So I gave the place a pass and went ahead a few days later and ordered the transmission (from the parts manager).

Here's a caveat; the only other dealership that's local to me (and even closer) just burned completely to the ground. I called them anyway, turns out they are still up and running albeit out of temporary trailers. The parts girl I spoke with was also uninformed about the HD4r100, but very nice about it (not an arrogant, dismissive so and so), and located the correct non-PTO 4WD version I'd need. I probably should have gone with them, but the whole temporary shop/trailer issue was a turn-off to me, and part of why I stuck with the current dealership.

 

That clunk is most likely the driveshaft slip joint needing grease.

 

I'm not sure for sure but tugly had to have a reflash for the HD4R100 to work right. Now that mitt of been with his chip, but I'm not sure. Maybe PM him if he doesn't read this.

 

Tugly was the first in thread to respond.

Which dealer was this if you don't mind? I go through Horizon or Bowen Scarff for parts but haven't had servicing done at either.