So i went to the RiffRaff east event and did two runs in two classes.. Let me start by saying that this was my first ever sled pull.. So I made a rookie mistake, when i went to put the truck into 4 low I didnt put it back into neutral before putting it into gear.. WAAA WAAA... anyway so i did the pull in 4H instead and well lets just say i went about 100 ft.. haha... So then i was upset and wanted to pull again so I bought into the class above mine and pulled the sled to the end of the course.. Since then I have been having issues with my transmission... I will say that the trans fluid is a little orange in color although it doesnt smell burnt... This trans fluid only has 15000 miles on it and when i put it in it was nice and cherry red.. When I checked my level before the road trip it was the red color.. Ever since the pull when I put the transmission in reverse i have issues with the truck stalling out.. If i put it in reverse and immediately let my foot off the brakes it will stall almost every time.. If i hold my foot on the brake for about 10 seconds after i put it in reverse it will reluctantly back up usually bogging down and sometimes I will even see some soot out of the exhaust when i give it gas... I pulled the engine 10000 miles ago and installed a brand new billet torque converter.. I have checked my level and added a little of fluid but it was pretty much right where it should be.. My first thought was to flush the transmission fluid but the gears shift super smooth in all forward gears and the truck has full power... Could this be a solenoid? Am I wasting my money flushing the fluid? This transmission has been reliable for 330000 miles and has shifted great.. I dont wanna rebuild it unless i have too.. Any of you tranny people have any ideas? Its a 2003 7.3 excursion 4x4

 

Are you able to monitor transmission temp? Is it overheating while driving on a normal run say around town, or in OD on the interstate at highway speed for a extended time?

 

That is caused by the torque converter clutch not releasing. It's possible that the pull damaged the converter, or it's possible that the fluid got so beat up by the pull that the viscosity has lowered enough that it's allowing the converter clutch to drift on.

I recommend changing the fluid. Here is how I recommend doing it:

Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission - Ford-Trucks.com

 

while it sounds like FUN.. i would never have done such a thing with a 100K trans much less a 300K trans..

my guess you are done, toast, on the downslide, history, etc.. 300k on a stock trans is more than enough service, time to bury that soldier "he" served well and get a new BT or JW type deal.

 

So it is worth trying changing the transmission fluid first? It shifts sooo good going forward..

 

Mark knows better than anyone else who posts around here, maybe better than anyone else posting anywhere, what these transmissions can/can not do, and when they are acting funny, he usually is spot on with his assessment. I would do what he says...

 

New fluid might fix it. It might not make a difference.

The only way to KNOW exactly what needs to be done is to send out some fluid for an analysis, while tearing down the trans for an inspection, and cutting open the torque converter for an inspection. That's the only way you will know exactly what needs to be done.

That's why I recommend changing the fluid as a first try. If you don't want to risk the cost of the fluid, and you think you will need a trans rebuild anyway, you very well may be right. With that many miles I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a rebuild. but I was going for the cheap and easy fix.