Hey guys and gals....I have a 2000 f250 psd 4X4 I purchased back in June. Put 13000 miles on it and only do occasional towing, etc. with it, although my occasional towing includes a heavy boat or camper. I've NEVER done anything with the transmission. So far as I can tell, I have the standard L400 transmission on the truck. Does anyone have anything to say in general about this transmission? Is it different from the trannies they put in the f150? Is there anything to look for or any common problems noted with this tranny?, and what kind of service/maintenance schedule is recommended for it?

The truck had the full service and point-inspection when it was at the dealership back in June, and it had 40100 miles at THAT time (now has almost 54000), so at this point in the truck's life, what might need to be done. It is NOT giving me any problems.

p.s. Had a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 with the 5.9L before I bought the Ford, and THAT sucker's transmission went DOA at 49000 miles. That was a $2000 adventure all by itself, and I do NOT want to repeat the experience.

Thanks, All

 

The 4R100 transmission in your truck needs it's fluid changed every 30,000 miles.

A full service and point-inspection doesn't mean anything to me. What is a point-inspection? And what is full service? Full service means something different at every dealer.

If the trans fluid was changed at 40100 miles, you don't need to do anything at 54000.

Early 2000 model year trucks only had an air to oil trans cooler, they didn't have one in the radiator. Part way through the model year Ford added the in radiator cooler. If you don't have the in radiator cooler you could have an overheating problem when towing at low speeds, such as a traffic jam, or especially when backing a trailer. Overheating is about the worst thing you can do to your trans.

If you don't have a cooler in the radiator, consider a new radiator that has one. Alternatively, installing the trans cooler from a 6.0L truck in place of the current cooler may be enough to prevent overheating.

 

Thanks Casey. If that miniature little radiator looking thing at the bottom of the radiator is the radiator "cooler"...then I have a radiator cooler (thank God). I agree with your take on the "full-service" deal, and I think that the thing to do (since I don't know when it's been changed) is to change the transmission fluid (or have it done). I'm not a total idiot, though....I DID change the air filter, CPS, and the oil and oil-filter myself soon after I got it, and even rotated the tires (that sucks when you don't have a garage which can lift the whole beast off the ground, but oh well). I'm just kind of a virgin with the whole transmission thing....hell, even CHECKING the fluid requires a more complicated process than oil (put it in this gear...put it in that gear...leave it running, repeat twice...make sure the atmospheric pressure in the ........just kidding)......Anyway, I'll have it changed soonest.

Is it a good, solid heavy-duty tranny? How is it compared to the Allison, and what do they put in the 150s?.....

Thanks again

 

The radiator "cooler" was just that it's in the radiator. If you trace the lines from the transmission you will see them attach to the radiator. In addition to cooling it also supposed to bring the transmission fluid up to operating temperature. When you're not moving this just heats the tranny fluid even more this is why you may need a additional cooler. The little cooler under the radiator is for your power steering or oil. If you have the additional factory tranny cooler it will be located between your radiator and air-conditioning coil. There is a lot of things stuffed behind the grill of these truck intercooler, radiator, tranny cooler, air-conditioner, and oil cooler.

 

The 4R100 is a good trans. The Allison is better, and the TorqShift that Ford now puts in the Superduty is better yet. Some F150s used to use the 4R100, but most have the 4R70W, or now the 4R75E.

The cooler I was talking about is inside the radiator. You can't see it without cutting the radiator open. You can see if there is a line from the passenger side of the trans to the radiator. From the radiator it will go the aux cooler out front. All Superdutys have the cooler out front, some don't have the one inside the radiator.

The cooler in the radiator does not heat the trans fluid. It is a cooler, not a heater. In extreme cold weather it may heat the trans a bit, but that isn't why it is there. It is there to cool the trans fluid. It is most effective when you are moving at low speed, or not moving at all. The cooling fan doesn't drag much air over the trans cooler, but it does a good job of keeping the radiator cool. As long as the radiator is cool it can cool the trans fluid if you have the cooler that is inside the radiator.

 

Thanks batgeek and casey....i knew i came to the right place when i posted this (y'all ain't let me down yet). This is sort of unrelated to the topic at hand, but an earlier post (month or two ago) mentioned the "early" 2000 vs the "late" 2000 psd....and added that the "late" had a little more power and torque (and I guess according to Casey and "internal" radiator cooler)...is there a surefire way to tell if i have an early or a late 2000 psd?......Obviously I'll look for the line from the passenger side of the tranny to the radiator, but is there anything else?......Thanks

Steve