The torque converter is usually what fails first. It gets hot from slipping, causing little pieces of metal to break apart and shred, potentially clogging lines, chewing gears, and ruining the transmission. There are other parts that can slip as well. If the clutch fails, you'll know, you'll probably be unable to engage gears. A torque converter and valve body/shift kit can go a long way toward a longer transmission lifespan.

 

The guy that I got my '01 from told me that the Transmission went out at about 80K.. He said that he was driving down the freeway and it sounded like it was in neutral and slowed down.. He put it into 2nd and got it home and into the shop and the only thing wrong was that third gear disappeared...He also said that there was no warning..I now have a 36/36 warranty on it...

 

If you ever have to pay for transmission repair again, i'd go with a custom building shop, not a dealership or a chain. Have a good, complete transmission shipped to you and installed by a local shop. Better off buying a stronger transmission than you need. Less expensive in the long run to do it right one time, than keep going with something that will fail again.

 

Hey 7.3.. You don't happen to have any pix of that rig of yours would you???? It really sounds like you had a lotta fun with it...

 

Not at the moment. Haven't had time to play with my gallery. I'll try to get some on there this winter.

 

I have 172,871 miles on my 00 X and only had one issue, the torque convertor went out at 120k and that's been it.

 

I have a '00 X with the 7.3 and have 150,000 trouble free miles.. I hope I'm not jinxing myself!

 

What I am hearing is that the best thing I can do for my 01 (probably with the problematic one way clutch), is to get an upgraded torque converter, since when the TC fails it kills the rest of the transmision. If the one-way clutch fails, it at least won't kill the torque converter. I am reading about more torque converter failures than general transmission failures. What about the valve body change as opposed to a shift kit?

 

Whats the normal cost to get a transmission upgraded? I would rather spend a little money now, then get stranded with my 24' trailer in BFE...

 

A good billet, triple disk torque converter will cost between $1,300 and $1,500. I recommend the Precision Industries torque converter. A transgo shift kit would be a good idea. An accumulator valve body will be a few hundred. Shop prices will really vary. You can do some of these mods yourself. No big deal.

A lot of debate about line pressure, some say they pump won't last. If tacking on expensive shop labor, it may be wiser to go with an all new transmission. If you're not feeling any slippage, you're probably fine. You'll know when the transmission is having problems. Some never have issues. Some have a handful of transmissions within 100,000 miles.

 

Ford had these nice transmission kits that were supposed to be used whenever ANY work is performed on the transmission, including fluid changes. Anything that opens the system like putting in this filter or a cooler. People should install this external filter:

Wix Transmission/PS Filter
===================
Wix transmission/PS filter #58964
Ford equivalent filter kit #XC3Z-7B155-AA
Ford filter alone #XC3P-7B155-BA
200 psi working, pressure relieved, magnetic
change yearly or 12000 miles

Unfortunately most people go for the low buck repair and omit the filter or don't service the filter. Next thing you know, -bad tranny...

 

There's debate about those external filters as well. Some say they will slow the flow and make your transmission more likely to overheat. Other folks swear by their products. As long as the lines are all sealed, no filth should get in there, so an extra filter should not be necessary.

The oil pan gasket is reusable. Transmission oil really doesn't need to be changed unless it has burned and changed color, or if you have metal in the pan. If either of those things have happened, changing the oil isn't going to heal what caused the problem.

A lot of folks think a larger oil pan will help keep the transmission cooler, but it holds hot oil and will take that much longer for all of the oil to pass through the system and cool. A good cooler in front of the truck is best modification anyone can do for their automatic transmission.

 

I would imagine that not necessarily a larger pan, but an aluminum pan with good fins would make a huge difference. Aluminum transfers heat much more efficiently than steel, so it's a simple but effective upgrade. I've also always been a fan of a good tranny cooler and/or a thermo-electrically triggered fan.

Regards,

 

Got any data to back that up?

The trans pan is in an area that is HOT. Hot air from the radiators flows over the pan, and the exhaust is right there, too. Plus there isn't real good flow inside the pan to get the hot fluid moving against the surface of the pan. You have a large amount of fluid, only the boundry layer is conducting heat. The vast majority of the fluid never touches the pan. That's why a good cooler has fairly small passages, so that more of the fluid touches the cool surfaces of the cooler.

I can't see how a pan could make much difference in cooling.

 

I can't point you to a specific "link" to a pan, BUT in watching episodes of "Trucks" and other automotive "wrenching" programs, as well as reading various articles about working with/brazing/welding Aluminum the point is always made that the metal conducts heat so rapidly that it can be a challenge to work with. Stacey David (formerly of trucks) has advocated on various programs the significant advantage that aluminum oil pans can have in terms of cooling the oil that comes in contact with it, so it stands to reason that even in an area where there is less airflow an aluminum tranny pan will provide an improvement. Regardless of how hot the air around a tranny pan may be, it is still going to be significantly cooler than the pan itself, thus allowing for some heat transfer to take place. the more efficient the pan material is, the more cooling you'll get.

Now, regarding your contention that the boundary layer of fluid will prevent most of the heat from transferring inside the tranny, I must respectfully disagree. If there were no flow and no movement you would be correct, but in the normal course of driving not only do you have at least moderate flow within the pan, but you have agitation of the sump fluid due to the continuously changing movement of the entire vehicle. Even if the boundary layer doesn't move much there will still be transfer of heat from hotter areas to cooler areas. Again, the cooler the boundary layer is, the more transfer you'll get. Oh, one more thing ... a well designed aluminum tranny pan MIGHT also incorporate small internal fins, which helps to get around any boundary layer issues without restricting flow.

No matter how minimal the difference may be (and I'm inclined to believe it is significant), an aluminum pan is going to offer at least SOME improvement in cooling efficiency.

Regards,