Took the RV on its maiden voyage with the new 05'F250 PSD e/w TrkShft trans,3:73 re, tow/haul, etc. I love the way tow/haul performs on a down slope and braking. Very pleased. BUT... it is very sensitive to any slightest elevation in the highway. Even overpasses. In "cruise" it was constantly downshifting and reving the engine of course to "climb" these little hills. My old '01 PSD with 4R100 in cruise just plain pulls with no downshifting, unless on an appreciable grade, of course. Is there an upgrade to change the shift points of the TrkShft trans or am I going to be disappointed in the performance with this setup ?? I was able to control the downshifts with the accelerator, but not in cruise. When I had control, it would pull good on these little "hills". No other problems at this time. Truck has 2700 miles on it.

Any ideas or thoughts.

Thanks,
Bill in KY

 

Don't know if it would help but I just reprogrammed my tranny as it came off the lot with just 3 miles, I think. During the first 800 or so miles I drove it very "granny" like and the tranny learned that driving dicipline, so its shifts were irregular at best when I started driving with my heavier foot. I have since added a service body thus a lot more weight. I disconnected the batteries according to the info SBV45 gave me here, and reprogrammed the tranny as per the instructions. All that said it seems to shift much better now!

 

For what it's worth, I have an '04, F-250, just like yours & I remember reading in the manual not to use cruise control while towing. I'm not sure why but thought it may help. Rick

 

This tranny can learn, it is really cool when you think about it. Do you ues the Tech Folder to find the info?

 

I guess I was too lazy to look there, so SBV posted the links for me. I will go there next time. I have left my egr unhooked so if I go in for the new flash, will try to unlearn the computer.

 

As you now know...many good things in the Tech Folder

 

TIM when I posted about the 2k warranty claim on the engine and trans. I was not implying there was a problem with the tranny that is what my service writer told me. I believe if there are problems they are caused by moded trucks and being abused.

 

There are many good service writers out there, but..... My experience has been that the service writers are not real knowledgable on the vehicles. For example, when I called about the latest flash, the service advisor I now use, who is pretty good, told me there were at least four new flashes since Dec 03 for my truck. NOT! I have a bunch of those experiences with different service advisors. I usually smile at them and politely ask to speak to the diesel tech. Remember, the service advisors are the sales people for the service department.

 

SBV45 that is a good point he is also the same guy that tryed to tell me that it didnt matter what type of atf to use in the torque shift,they had to drain mine aftter adding the wrong fluid. It really is a shame that the dealerships in some parts of the country are not up to speed on the new trucks. IT might be the single biggest problem with the engine I just dont have time to constantly battle with these people.

 

Ford is not alone in this battle, unfortunatly it may take years to fix with more than a few unhappy customers. Just ask Harley Davidson owners, they will tell you the single most sucky thing is Buying a $25,000 motorcycle and then having to wait 3 weeks to a month to have the 10,000 mile service done on it. Which used to void warranties if you rode it beyond that mark. Harley had to take back a few of the franchises, and threaten quite a few others. The 100th aniversary required most dealers get up to snuff or get it taken away from you.

Ryan

 

I am still of the opinion that these trucks are mechanical devices. They can be fixed. I have heard a lot of stuff reported by owners of what they were told by dealer service personnel that is pure bunk. I also know that the way dealers are paid for warranty work really sucks. Seems they took their lessons from the health insurance companies. People like tn_mac get jerked around and are unhappy. I would be too. I was unhappy with the results of the Oct 03 flash. I made my opinion known here and with the service manager and Ford. It did get fixed. I have had some problems with my F250. But, they have all been fixed to my satisfaction. I like the truck.

I have had other Ford trucks. This is my fifth. I had a F250 in 83 they called them HD's with a 460 and 4 on the floor. 10mpg regardless and leaked oil like a sieve. Ford dealer told me Ford's policy was unless it leaked a quart in 1000 miles, it wasn't a problem. It did and they worked on major oil leaks 7 times. After that, it was fine.

This truck is a pleasure. But then, I have a "blue haze" around my head.