Engine "Flutter" in overdrive while under load
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Elder User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Oregon
Engine "Flutter" in overdrive while under load
When towing (7000lbs) my truck will make a loud Flutter noise with a vibration and lack of power when pulling a hill and under load and only in overdrive. The strange thing is that if it is a big hill then the Boost psi will increase faster and if it gets above 13psi then it will not make the noise, yet on small hills it slowly increases to 10-12psi then it will flutter. If it flutters then if I accelerate it will downshift then run normal. I can get it to flutter when empty but only on very steep inclines and only when the boost gets to 10-12 once it is above 13psi it will not do it. I have talked with the service dept. and they are very willing to fix it but they have no clue on what it may be. Has any one else had this problem?
03 sd 11/03 build date auto trany 4x4
03 sd 11/03 build date auto trany 4x4
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2004
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I have had this happen a few times when I was towing high in the mountains of CO. I read someones post yeserday about a high elevation boost problem. I don't recall the fix, it kinda slipped out the ears since I'm not that high anymore and have not experienced the problem since.
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Joined: Aug 2004
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From: St. Peters, Misouri
my new 05 F350 KR has the same flutter, burp or almost like a backfire on a gasser before downshifting at times,, makes no difference if I'm in tow haul mode or not,,
just did a 6500 mile break in trip towing a 33' 5th wheel,, about 20,000 + down the road in travel form,,
was back to the dealer today with list of items and they had never heard about this flutter-burping condition,,
I also commented about the continual downshifting on even the smallest of hills and the 8 MPH window the crusie control holds the truck at while towing,, seems this is within the window of performance according to their top serivce staff,,
give me back my 7.3 engine in the new truck,, far better towing engine with a lot more tugging power,,
enjoy,,
just did a 6500 mile break in trip towing a 33' 5th wheel,, about 20,000 + down the road in travel form,,
was back to the dealer today with list of items and they had never heard about this flutter-burping condition,,
I also commented about the continual downshifting on even the smallest of hills and the 8 MPH window the crusie control holds the truck at while towing,, seems this is within the window of performance according to their top serivce staff,,
give me back my 7.3 engine in the new truck,, far better towing engine with a lot more tugging power,,
enjoy,,
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From: New Orleans
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From: St. Peters, Misouri
truck and trailer together are in the 20,000 lb range,,
as for towing on OD,, always have towed in OD with any truck in the past as long as there are no hills to be pulling,, never a problem with engine or tranny,,
new 05 only has tow haul mode, either turned on or off,, no OD,, either way it will head into 5th gear in the 45 to 50 MPH range,,
smallest of hills starts the hunting for a better gear,,
definitely a candidate for SuperChips when they arrive for the 05s,,
as for towing on OD,, always have towed in OD with any truck in the past as long as there are no hills to be pulling,, never a problem with engine or tranny,,
new 05 only has tow haul mode, either turned on or off,, no OD,, either way it will head into 5th gear in the 45 to 50 MPH range,,
smallest of hills starts the hunting for a better gear,,
definitely a candidate for SuperChips when they arrive for the 05s,,
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Elder User
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From: Oregon
I have the edge and exhaust and I pulled my trailer 7000 lbs to Yellowstone and back last year. Through Idaho and at 75mph it never shifted out of overdrive, and there are a lot of pretty good hills in that country. The boost would raise to 20-25psi but it would never shift out of overdrive. I beleive if you read most auto-trans manuals they actualy recommend towing in OD. There is no way to eliminate the OD in a Torqshift trany. By the way I averaged 14.5mpg on that 2200 mile trip.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Santa Clarita, CA
I have had a 'flutter' in my '04 now for awhile. It only seems to happen when pulling a slight grade at around 50-55 miles per jour in OD. The RPM's will sit around 1500-1600 at this speed. With light throttle, the truck will 'shudder' until you give it enough throttle to downshift to 4th. The dealer has been working on it but so far no fix. They reflashed the truck last time it was in and hoped that a change in shift points might fix, but it is still doing it. I have another appointment with the dealer latter this week.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: monticello fl
tyners3, your problem is the same thing my truck is doing except it doesn't matter if its 55 or 75mph. As long as it's in od, going up a hill or incline, it will do it. The first fix was the same as yours, to no avail. Now it's fuel injecters. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell you if it works wed or thurs.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Santa Clarita, CA
Gip,
I look forward to hearing what happens with your truck. It would be nice if they could find the problem. Another thing I noticed while driving the truck today is that it appears to be more pronounced when the temp is colder outside.
I look forward to hearing what happens with your truck. It would be nice if they could find the problem. Another thing I noticed while driving the truck today is that it appears to be more pronounced when the temp is colder outside.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: southwestern us
I had this same problem that you guys are describing. I think it was due to the crankcase being overfilled. After I changed my oil at 2000 miles and put in only 13 quarts, I never had the problem again. That is, until I took the truck in for service and they promptly told me I was a quart low and overfilled the crankcase again. I figured I'd leave it that way and see if it did it again. First trip up a grade, it did the flutter... or stutter as I thought of it... and continued to do so. Which reminds me, I still haven't drained that quart out of it. Stupid service department....