I wasnt going to post this because I know its like beating a dead horse here.

However I just bought a DP tuner from ITP with overboost reg and recived it today. I installed it and everything went great. THEN, I went for a test drive and all I can say is HOLY *****! (Sorry for swearing but thats about all I was thinking and saying for about an hour)

I had the Diablo sport tuner on the truck for 6 months or so and decided It would be really nice to be able to shift on the fly between programs since I haul a trailer throughtout parts of the day and wanted to be able to go between tow mode and a econo mode. (way to long of a sentance)

After making the switch, I must say to all that if you have something other than a DP tuner, you are really missing out. I liked my diablo until today. With the new tuner, the truck starts better, idles smoother, drives smoother, shifts better, actually, WAAAAAAAY better, and has a hell of a new attitude!

I feel really bad because I really smoked out this lady at a traffic light once it turned green. Not only did I FILL her whole car with thick black smoke (Both driverside windows were down) she had to of been huffin smoke the rest of the 1/8 of a mile before I let up (Already hit around 60mph (oops)).

I have not been able to tow yet but I can only imagine how much better it will feel getting up to speed.

Im sure there are other chips/tuners out there that are really good, i am in no way saying DP is the only way to go but I will assure you that its a really great way to go! I want to keep driving my truck! AHH! LOL

TRANS QUESTION:
Now, I have a question for you all. My trans on my 2003 F250 auto with the 7.3 is leaking fluid towards the back of the trans. and that brace thats between the frame rails. After sitting for an hour it left a spot big enough that I could fit a dollar bill accross it. This was doing this before the DP tuner. I am pretty easy on the truck for the most part but im not sure what would cause this. I keep checking the fluid daily and it actually seems like it could be overfilled. Weather I check it when its hot or cold, the level is somewhere up on the metal part of the dipstick. It has only started this recently (3 weeks or so). The trans still shifts smooth and doesnt slip. Does anyone have a thought to this???

Thanks!!

 

Sounds like the front pump is bombing (pretty common). Won't take long now, if your tranny is stock, until it guts itself.

 

thats not what I was hoping to hear. What is the process in fixing this particular problem? I have a really good trans trans shop to go to but just dont really have the funds at this moment.

 

Pulling the tranny, of course, but that's the easy part. I'd throw in a BTS valve body while you rebuild and consider a converter aswell, it's a weak link.
It ain't gonna be cheap, start saving.

 

Buy 8 quarts of fluid & drop the pan. See if there is any sludge or metal fragments in the bottom. You might consider an in line tranny filter. Since the fluid flows from the TC to the coolers & back to the tranny, the in line filter will at least keep the crap from getting back to your tranny & costing you more $.

How have the tranny temps been?

 

Pretty low. The highest ive seen is 150* pulling a 4500# trailer at highway speeds in 60* weather. Typically they are low, no more than 110*.

do you know if the standard ford 5yr/100k mi warranty on my engine, includes the trans? (prays it does)

 

warranty will be void if they see that DP tuner..

 

He said the leak is at the back of the trans.

Wouldn't this leak be a tailshaft seal?? Easy fix if it is.

 

yeah I figured that would happen. Luckily i have a little connection with a service bay in my area. So that will slightly better my chances if it is a warrantyable thing. Im just not sure if its warrantied with the engine under 5/100.

 

This is what im hoping it is!

 

Well, here is my thought process (FWIW). It very well could be the seal. Clean the area off real good and see if you can see were the leak is originating from.

2 issues are of concern.

1) If the tranny is overfull (checking the level with the truck running) then this needs to be fixed.

2) Having a programmer/chip installed is hard on a drive train if it doesn't have any supporting mods, i.e. a valve body upgrade/TC upgrade. The TC can be the weak link in the chain after adding more HP. Dropping & inspecting the pan is easy and can give you a good idea what is going on.

On a good note your temps are in the normal range so you do not have a obstruction in the fluid flow.

Good luck with it, tranny problems can be tough to diagnos, especially over the internet.....

 

Cool, thanks for the info!

I will admit, I feel a little dumb but I didnt know that the truck should be running when you check the trans fluid. I just checked it with the truck running and i am right where I should be so it appears that the trans is not over filled.

Now, if you dont mind me asking, what is the ideal process in changing out the weak links in the drivetrain? What I mean is, if I were to do one thing at a time what would you replace fisrt then second and so on. I am on a real tight budget since I am in the middle of starting a business so please keep that in mind. I do not intend on "moding" the truck anymore than what I have and what needs to be done in order to get the truck running in a safe condition.

I really do appreciate all your help.

And please, if anyone has any other ideas, please pass them on!

Thanks again,

 

If the transmission is overfilled is it possibly blowing out the vent tube at the top?
I know that's a lot fluid to end up on the ground from just a vent tube, but I felt a need to mention it.

 

Well after I learned that I wasnt checking the fluid correctly. Turns out the fluid isnt overfilled (I didnt have the truck running when checking the level before).

The other thing that I was wondering was if you can put dye in trans fluid. If so, I may do that and check it out.

 

Call your local NAPA dealer and ask. I would be very surprised if they don't have something for you. They have dyes for everything else.