Transmission Life.....
#1
12-25-2003, 04:05 PM
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Transmission Life.....
#2
12-25-2003, 04:24 PM
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If the fluid has been changed at least every 30000 miles and it hasn't been abused (racing, power braking, etc.) it could give you up to 200,000 miles. The first thing to go will be your TC probably because that is the weakest link. If you ever feel the tranny shudder, jerk a little, or have trouble locking up then get it looked at by a Pro ASAP. Just some friendly advice from someone with personal experience. 
#3
12-26-2003, 08:21 AM
Postmaster
The early E4OD had problems with various components especially the TC and pump and especially with the diesel. Supposedly the tranny has beefed up since 95 in order to handle the problems.
In my experience and from reading you can expect roughly 100K miles plus or minus about 20K-30K from a "typical" tranny. But there is a wide spread which depends on luck, maintenance, driving style, and usage. I have seen as little as a few thousand (usually idiot driver) and as long as 300K+(usually luck and good maintenance).
The tranny shop that I use tells me you should drop the pan and change fluid every 12K. This is mostly so you can inspect the contents of the pan and always have fresh fluid. He claimed that once a tranny is rebuilt properly with all upgrades and with this kind of maintenance, the tranny should live hundreds of K before needing another rebuild. The OEM trannies are all over the ballpark on mileage and weakspots.
I believe your manual(mine definitely does) says to change every 12K if you tow or are in severe duty. From magazine reading, almost all of us drive under severe duty. Severe duty includes short trips, stop and go, idling and of course the usual things like towing, dust, high heat etc. Normal duty is usually described as 30 minutes plus at freeway speed, no stop and go, no towing etc.
On my chebby that I drive 30min + at freeway speed both ways and which I used syn ATF and changed at 50K, I blew the tranny at almost 100K, just before my next fluid change. The chebby has a known problem which more frequent fluid changes would have helped slow down the damage and caught it before it got too far. Cost me a sun gear, planetary set, valve body and reaction shell to fix it. Had I done a fluid change sooner, I would have found the metal from the reaction shell before it got to the point of damaging the gears and other components. So even though I was changing at half the recommended interval, I got caught with a known problem. Still, I did get almost 100K which like I said seems to be about normal for many trannies.
From reading on this web site, it sounds like the average life on an E4OD for "normal" duty with good maintenance is about 100K to less than 200K(a lot less I think). From your description, it sounds like you put on a lot of miles in a year so I might guess you take longer trips and lean towards "normal" duty.
What ever you do, regular maintenance on a shorter interval than "Normal Duty" with frequent pan inspections seems to prolong the life and catch problems early. Also if you start to feel shudder you need to take care of it soon since that is a sign that things may be overheating and depositing particles in the fluid which leads to further damage. Sometimes all it takes is a good fluid change.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
In my experience and from reading you can expect roughly 100K miles plus or minus about 20K-30K from a "typical" tranny. But there is a wide spread which depends on luck, maintenance, driving style, and usage. I have seen as little as a few thousand (usually idiot driver) and as long as 300K+(usually luck and good maintenance).
The tranny shop that I use tells me you should drop the pan and change fluid every 12K. This is mostly so you can inspect the contents of the pan and always have fresh fluid. He claimed that once a tranny is rebuilt properly with all upgrades and with this kind of maintenance, the tranny should live hundreds of K before needing another rebuild. The OEM trannies are all over the ballpark on mileage and weakspots.
I believe your manual(mine definitely does) says to change every 12K if you tow or are in severe duty. From magazine reading, almost all of us drive under severe duty. Severe duty includes short trips, stop and go, idling and of course the usual things like towing, dust, high heat etc. Normal duty is usually described as 30 minutes plus at freeway speed, no stop and go, no towing etc.
On my chebby that I drive 30min + at freeway speed both ways and which I used syn ATF and changed at 50K, I blew the tranny at almost 100K, just before my next fluid change. The chebby has a known problem which more frequent fluid changes would have helped slow down the damage and caught it before it got too far. Cost me a sun gear, planetary set, valve body and reaction shell to fix it. Had I done a fluid change sooner, I would have found the metal from the reaction shell before it got to the point of damaging the gears and other components. So even though I was changing at half the recommended interval, I got caught with a known problem. Still, I did get almost 100K which like I said seems to be about normal for many trannies.
From reading on this web site, it sounds like the average life on an E4OD for "normal" duty with good maintenance is about 100K to less than 200K(a lot less I think). From your description, it sounds like you put on a lot of miles in a year so I might guess you take longer trips and lean towards "normal" duty.
What ever you do, regular maintenance on a shorter interval than "Normal Duty" with frequent pan inspections seems to prolong the life and catch problems early. Also if you start to feel shudder you need to take care of it soon since that is a sign that things may be overheating and depositing particles in the fluid which leads to further damage. Sometimes all it takes is a good fluid change.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
#7
04-30-2011, 01:37 PM
Life span of my Tranny..
Well, here's one to add the average. My transmission on my 99 Navigator 4x4 just went out at 152,000. I did regular maintainence on it. Pretty sure I had 2 transmission flushes in that time. I was hoping to make it to 200k. But, I've been pulling a Ski Boat (Sanger) every summer since 2007 that included a couple long trips from NorCal to Oregon which might have contributed to the lower life span. But, it's been the best vehicle i've ever owned so it's worth fixing. 
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#8
04-30-2011, 04:58 PM
My tranny in my diesel lasted til 200,000 but I think that is rare for the diesels. My dad has 260,000 miles on his v-10 tranny and hasn't done anything to it except flushes. We both plow in the winter. I am hoping my tranny lasts a long time but I have a feeling my foot and the dp-tuner will say something different. 
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