Okay just want to exhaust all possibilties before I pull the big money trigger.
Driving normal 7.3 4x4.. stock. Right at the one-two shift feel a single bang and now no forward or reverse. Switch to 4wd high and low, can here and feel the transfer case motor but no go
Do not get the normal clunk into 4 low. No warning lights. Truck will hold in park and not roll


Did not check the fluid level, no leaks and the level was good a week ago. I just did another complete trans fluid and filter change including the converter anout 5k miles ago.

Today I dropped the pan, the aftermarket filter came down with it. Good news. Norm metal fuzz on the magnet. More good news. Went and bought a filter from Ford much better quality and much thicker, nice sealing fit. Intalled and added 6 quarts. Still no go. Added another quart.. no go. Checked the dip stick in park and engine running. Nothing on the stick.. odd. Added another quart, now we are at eight. Still no go and still nothing on tbe dipstick.

Tomorrow when I check the transfer case I expect it to be grossly over filled. How low does this trans have to be before the pump cavitates? Could I be so lucky as to have had two problems and the trans is still good?
Lots of miles on the truck, have no idea how many are on the trans. It has a larger cooler on it than stock.
Have done my homework, I have chosen a build it and forget builder if I have to. Its gonna hurt but it would cost 80k to find a truck that does what my Excursion can do. No rust, nice clean condition. Keepin it forever.

What say the forum about my transmission? Thanks in advance.

 

Will the truck roll when it's in park? This is a quick check to see if the transfer case is working. If it holds in park, the transfer case is fine and the problem is inside the trans.

 

Yes it holds. The big mystery is where all the ttans fluid is going internaly and so fast!

 

Total capacity is 18 quarts if memory serves, so 8 isn't really going to do much. No signs of leaks, cracks, etc? How does your antifreeze look, just out of curiosity? Course if that was a leak I'd expect some frothy pinky fluid in the trans as well, by since it's not registering on the stick....

 

Thanks I understand. This morning I checked again, fluid level is good. Do not know why it didnt show up on the stick yesterday. No intermix, I did the oil cooler seals this past winter. Only leaked oil externaly on cold mornings for a few minutes at that time.
Pretty much sold on a John Wood unit, reputation and location... have you ever dropped of these transmissions in the driveway?

 

Good choice. I have two of his transmissions and his valve body in third truck.

I have swapped out the 4R in my sons old 4x4 along with my son and Pete. It's heavy, cumbersome, and not fun.

If you have access to a transmission jack, use it.

The more hands, the better. Have another floor jack handy too, and make sure you have come-alongs and wood for cribbing when/if needed.

Stewart

 

It took us 13 hours to swap mine without a lift and using hand tools. Would have gone substantially faster if every single bolt hadn't been a royal bitch despite weeks of pre soaking with Deep Creep. Also fabricated a block of wood to let it sit flat on the trans jack, the pan on the 4R100 isn't flat and has an offset bulge which made things tippy with the t-case.

We also had to pull it with the transfer case and front driveshaft attached, which seriously complicated things. Not light either, all three combined were nudging 500lbs.

 

I have been a pro mechanic for many years, thats the problem, has beat my body down a bit. Lol. That doesnt sound like fun anymore. Thanks for the help.

 

I just replaced my transmission a couple of months ago. It took me a good part of the day getting it out by myself using a floor transmission jack. The 4R100 is heavy and a bit awkward so getting it balanced properly on the jack is very important. And make sure to use a good quality jack. Now would be a good time to inspect/replace the rear main seal which requires a $300 special tool to install.

I'm assuming you have a stock exhaust, but my 3.5" aftermarket down pipe was preventing me from getting access to the passenger's side bellhousing bolts. Remove it if you can but you may be able to use a universal joint or some stubby wrenches with the stock downpipe. That was probably the most difficult part of the job.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post16473447

 

I used about 15 feet of extensions and came at them with a 1/2" drive ratchet from the rear seat area, haha. 4" down pipe wasn't coming out at all since the shop welded it to the rest all the way to the muffler I found the calculations used for determining lost torque due to extension twist and it was a negligible amount, the bell housing bolts aren't crazy snug from what I remember.

If the rear main isn't leaking, IMO, leave it alone. A very large majority of the 7.3 crowd as well as shops, etc. agree that the RMS is one of the least likely things to start leaking. Plenty of stuff manifests itself down there to make it seem like it's leaking though, especially with the valley having a top-end drain right there at the top of the rear china wall.

 

Thanks , 15ft of extensions, sounds like a record! Have 3.5 " exhaust, sounds like a good time to check up pipes for leaking, "I"cant hear anything abnormal though. Had some hearing aids and boy did my injectors get noisy. I turned them off, sounds better. Anything else to do as a preventative measure while I have the room? Ex has 305k miles on it. I am thinking a fuel return system is a good idea.. experiences and benefits please?

 

If you're talking about a legitimate fuel return system, a good pre-fab setup will run you around $400-450. Been waiting to do it once I have funds saved for an entire fuel system revamp. Definitely worth it and helps #8 misfire tendencies due to the dead-head design.

Up-pipes are about the only other thing as others have pointed out. International offers them for $400 or so, I used the Dorman bellowed up-pipes as well have many others - all with good results. At around $140-160, substantially cheaper.

Maybe some firewall sound-dampening or adding some more in and around the trans tunnel. The stock stuff can be pretty beaten up by now and full of nasty *** road grime. It'd be a great time to renew the undercoating as well with all the major obstacles removed.

 

Looks like I was doing it wrong. My exhaust is a one piece system also, although not by design but from rust. The only way I could get those bolts out with the tools on hand were to either contort my arm in such a way to cause permanent disfiguration or to take a cut-off wheel to the downpipe. I ended up choosing latter option and it ended up working out ok. So now if I ever need to remove the downpipe again, it won't be an all day affair

<a href="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r624/weeves/exhaust_zps0tifuv2r.jpg"><img height="300" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r624/weeves/exhaust_zps0tifuv2r.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo exhaust_zps0tifuv2r.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r624/weeves/Oil%20Pan/Transmission-OilPan-New1_zpsmxaypojl.jpg"><img height="300" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r624/weeves/Oil%20Pan/Transmission-OilPan-New1_zpsmxaypojl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Transmission-OilPan-New1_zpsmxaypojl.jpg"/></a>