this article is talking about the o/d light flashing and making a electricle box that locked the T/C. so it makes me still wonder if it is just my T/C that is dieing?
http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/tclock.html


like what wears out on a T/C anyways?

 

I had my TC changed for a new stock one. The cost was $375 parts and labor. I went with stock because I don't think there is much to gain unless you build up the rest of the tranny also. My symptoms were a little different than yours. My tranny and TC were working great but the TC had that awful rattle untill it locked. Your best bet would be to find a good tranny shop and pull the codes.

 

Man you are at a bad point. You have to make a decision on what you want to do. If you are looking for a cheap temporary solution, then replacing it with stock is probably the best. However, I think it is your TC as well, but not really able to tell with out driving the truck. Your best bet is to pay the 50 diag fee at a good reputable shop and see what they say, most will put the diag fee towards whatever work is performed. When I rebuilt my tranny, the only thing wrong with it was the TC but without taking the tranny apart, you just don't know for sure what the clutch packs look like. If you can get a stock TC put in place for under 500, it might be worth it to run for a while, then go for a complete rebuild. However, if you can afford the rebuild now, why not just do it and be done with it.

 

This is funny, I just got off the phone with Cale over an hour ago about this very same thing.

I was going up a hill last weekend with the 9K TT in tow and my TC slipped in OD. Although she pulled back home just fine, I'm a little paranoid. Cale quoted a ball park figure of $4200 for a rebuild. With my current mods a stocker won't last very long, so I guess I'll have to save up and do the deed.

 

There is a lot of snake oil out there that will improve shifting, keep it cooler, make it so that wine comes out when you drain the pan, etc, etc. Replacing the TC is about the easiest repair you can do in the trans but it is not gauranteed not to return. You should change the fluids too. I'd get a stock relacement byt you would be out $600-$800 for the thing and labor. However, I would not buy a good TC to stick in a trans which has had a bad TC since I don't know what eles in circulating in the fluid path.

 

i gues one last thing to try and discribe what its doing, well it seems to lock and drive better in the morning or after work, when the truck has had time to cool down between runs. but once up at operating temps it seems to slip and the O/D light will start flashing. im going to get gauges here soone. a three pod that sits under the little cubby hole. EGT,boost,trany temp. i think i saw a kit for like $300 or so. should i just get the drill and tap EGT, or the clamping probe? will i see that much of a differents between the two?

well im going to try and get into a shop this weekend. im also emailing around to a few places, one of them being BTS. if i go with a whole new tranny and T/C i will. and probebly threw BTS, have it shipped here and a local shop to throw it in. but again, thats if the local shop deems my tranny is beet bad enough. though to save on money sins im still paying off the truck, ill go with the $500-800 dollar fix if it is a T/C and be done with it, and hope im good for another few years, to the point where i have the truck payed off and i can throw some money at a good rebuild tranny if nessisary later. i dont towe, just a daily drive to work and back.

 

oh and i guess ill stop by walmart on the way home from work, what should i get there for the trany fluid? and they sell in gallons, so how many of those should i grab? im going to try flushing the system with some new oil, might as well, cant hurt anything.?

 

that is YOUR BEST OPTION
BTS is the shop I will be going to when my 4R100 takes a nose dive
please report what you end up doing

 

No it can't hurt anything but if you are going to be putting in a new TC, then why not just wait and have the shop do it? They are probably going to charge for it anyway.

 

If you are just going to do a tranny swap, buy it and replace it yourself. Its whats inside the trans that makes it a nightmare...

 

This problem could be the tc, the lockup solenoid, or a worn valve body. BEFORE you spend any money, you need to have the codes pulled. Most shops will pull the codes and take the vehicle for a test drive for free, at least we do anyway. The second thing is to have the tranny pan dropped to see if there is any metal in it.

 

well what i was thinking is to have a shop pull some codes, and or tell me whats wronge with it, if its really mest up then ill be calling BTS for a tranny to be shipped out. at that point ill just keep driving the truck till the tranny and stuff gets here and then have a shop do the swap for me. that way i can still drive to work till the day comes to get the job all done. im just not looking forward to spending 4k is all. but so be it if its going to be the last tranny i buy. or hopefully anyways. iv read only good things about the BTS trannies so thats what i want to go with.

dose anyone like the Level Ten trannies? i only took a quick look today at there web page. anyone got anything to say about them?

 

Just a suggestion for you, make sure you get the radiator and aux. cooler flushed. When the tc and rest of the tranny start to come apart, the coolers get plugged with debris. You will cook the next tranny otherwise.

 

are you talking about the radiator for the engine? and the aux radiator, is that the tranny cooler radiator? flush them both? or are there two radiators for just the tranny?

fordfaninIL thanks for teh advice, ill do that for sure. im going to hit up a shop this saturday. just fork out the money and have them error code it, and what ever els they think could be cooked inside.

thanks all...

Brian..

 

On most vehicles they use a tranny cooler that is part of the radiator and an aux. tranny cooler. On some of the trucks, Ford only used an aux. cooler. Either way you need to have it flushed.