Notices
1997 - 2003 F150 1997-2003 F150, 1997-1999 F250LD, 7700 & 2004 F150 Heritage
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Auxito

transmissions.... any ideas?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 23, 2009 | 10:33 AM
  #1  
Kijutsu's Avatar
Kijutsu
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 427
Likes: 0
From: allen park
transmissions.... any ideas?

I have a 1998 F150 4x4 with some transmission issues.

As it shifts into third gear, I hear a noise sometimes, and it's intermittent at best. My friend said it was a possible bad accumulator. So I took it into a transmission shop, described the symptoms, and they put all kinds of pressure testers and computers on it and couldn't find anything wrong. The transmission isn't slipping, it shifts fine, just makes this odd rubbing or engaging noise as it's going into third gear. What I know about transmissions I could write on the head of a pin. If anyone can help point me in the right direction, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Oh... the transmission has 134K on it, and it was flushed at around 123K with a new filter for torque converter shudder. The flush solved the problem with the shudder, and this sound has only happening for about 2K miles or so.
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 01:28 AM
  #2  
kingbrian's Avatar
kingbrian
New User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
without actually hearing what is going on i could only guess, but i would probably say a band is close to toast. since you say it isnt slipping i would assume the clutches are ok at best but i could be wrong on that.. ive read everywhere that at that high mileage its a no no to do a flush. my opinion since its about time regardless of noise or not, id start savin or searchin for a tranny. GL
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 07:03 AM
  #3  
n5926g's Avatar
n5926g
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 1
From: Hernando Ms
Gotta agree with Kingbrain on this one,There is some old school thoughts that say a flush,and fill is a no-no on a tranny with that many miles on it.Others will say that this theory is BS.
At any rate If you did the fluid replacement yourself,checking to see what was in the filter,and bottom of the pan would indicate(to a great degree) the internal condition of the tranny. If you had it done at a shop,they probably didnt pay any attention.
My 97 auto with the 4.2 was showing 186,000 when I traded it in,and other than a couple of leaks it did fine..but when I got it it had 145,000 and knowing the previous owner the fluid/filter were never changed i suspect.
I would start looking to either get it rebuilt at a reputable shop,or look for a good low mileage one from a salvage yard.
The thing here is that if theres something worn (like a band) the tranny is gonna have to come out and be taken apart to replace it anyway.You might as well have the whole thing gone through,and get a new Torque converter as well.
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 08:59 AM
  #4  
Kijutsu's Avatar
Kijutsu
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 427
Likes: 0
From: allen park
Originally Posted by n5926g
Gotta agree with Kingbrain on this one,There is some old school thoughts that say a flush,and fill is a no-no on a tranny with that many miles on it.Others will say that this theory is BS.
At any rate If you did the fluid replacement yourself,checking to see what was in the filter,and bottom of the pan would indicate(to a great degree) the internal condition of the tranny. If you had it done at a shop,they probably didnt pay any attention.
My 97 auto with the 4.2 was showing 186,000 when I traded it in,and other than a couple of leaks it did fine..but when I got it it had 145,000 and knowing the previous owner the fluid/filter were never changed i suspect.
I would start looking to either get it rebuilt at a reputable shop,or look for a good low mileage one from a salvage yard.
The thing here is that if theres something worn (like a band) the tranny is gonna have to come out and be taken apart to replace it anyway.You might as well have the whole thing gone through,and get a new Torque converter as well.
I didn't do the flush myself, a shop did it. But I did have a look in the pan before they cleaned it, there was a lot of gunk, but no metal chunks or anything. A little bit of metal fuzz on the magnet in the bottom of the pan was all. And I had to do the flush because I was having torque converter chatter/shudder.
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 09:26 AM
  #5  
n5926g's Avatar
n5926g
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 1
From: Hernando Ms
Well...if the fluid was brown(burnt) and/or the filter nasty,I still think you need to start lookin around for a tranny.
Concerning the fluid/filter chance at such high miles...I used to have an airplane...Cessna 150.The original octane for the engine wa 80. they stopped making 80 octane years back. It was legal to run regular car gas in the bird,as opposed to 100 octane which is aviation fuel for recips(piston engines)...The reason Im telling you this is the "debate" concerning old school,and new style thinking.
If I asked 100 people in a room(aviators) which should I run...50% will say regualr car gas( which has almost no lead content) and 50% will say 100 octane...Which is considered low lead,but actually has 4 times the lead content of EXXON premium........Fouls plugs BIG TIME
Changing the fluid/filter in my mind(im an old fart...53)..probably wasnt a good idea,even if it corrected the shudder issue.Perhaps a premium transmission addative may have helped....who knows.
Im sure somoene out there will say im full of it,and may well be.
This is my .02...;I do however feel your pain
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 01:21 PM
  #6  
Kijutsu's Avatar
Kijutsu
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 427
Likes: 0
From: allen park
The fluid wasn't burnt, and it was still red tinted, so the fluid wasn't really in /horrible/ shape I suppose. And I get what you're trying to say. But I was pretty much up against the wall in the terms of changing the fluid. I was having really bad torque converter shudder, and I was told by several not to bother with any additive, as it wouldn't help. I hate auto transmissions. Something minor goes wrong with it and 1500 bucks is in the the shredder. Sometimes I wish this thing had a manual transmission in it.
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 02:15 PM
  #7  
kingbrian's Avatar
kingbrian
New User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
unfortunately even if the fluid is still red, all that gunk in the pan was material from your clutches and bands. you got alot of miles on your transmission i wouldnt be too bummed about it. i noticed that regardless of the car when something goes wrong and you have to pay someone else to fix it, its never ever cheap. i mean when you think about it ford wants like 400 bucks just to change the plugs and thats if nothing goes wrong (ie; broken plug or stripped threads) then the price only goes up. so 1500 or whatever it may be isnt really unexpected for a tranny. outrageous yes, unexpected no. personally i would like some "Unified Autocare"... that would really help me out.. Obama you listening???
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 02:16 PM
  #8  
kingbrian's Avatar
kingbrian
New User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
oh also, i would drive it as long as possible and try not to worry about it until it breaks. just be ready for it.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-3

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-5

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-9

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 05:08 PM
  #9  
steve(ill)'s Avatar
steve(ill)
Hotshot
20 Year Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,931
Likes: 180
a power flush can loosen up stuff that is stuck in corners andthat can get into spools and cause sticking later. maybe, maybe not?--- it is always a good idea to remove the pan and clean out the crud you can see, clean the magnet and clean the filter. it is always there every 50k miles. it is not abnormal. if you get shudder, thats because the oil is worn out. it needs to be changed, not necessarlily flushed. prior to 2002 you have a drain on the converter also. you can remove 5 quarts thru the pan and another 8 quarts thru the converter drain. on newer trucks, you can not drain the converter, have to pump it out. im not saying the power flush is the problem, but i dont do that. i just drain, clean and refill wit new filter. if you do it every 50-60k miles, you will have less problems. trans can go 250k miles if taken care of.
 
Reply
Old Oct 25, 2009 | 07:31 PM
  #10  
KhanTyranitar's Avatar
KhanTyranitar
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 7
It is never a good idea to use a flush machine. If the shop has a flush machine, go somewhere else. If you really want a flush, let your transmissions own pump do the flushing, and change the fluid in the pan and the filter first. This you can do yourself and has no ill effects other than wastes a lot of fluid.
 
Reply
Old Oct 26, 2009 | 07:00 AM
  #11  
DarrinBC's Avatar
DarrinBC
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
Just an FYI...

The only bands in these transmissions are the reverse and overdrive bands. Neither of these are used in 3rd gear.

As mentioned, I would drive it until it quits. Which will probebly be a long time.

Darrin
 
Reply
Old Oct 27, 2009 | 09:30 AM
  #12  
Big Greenie's Avatar
Big Greenie
Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 969
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by KhanTyranitar
It is never a good idea to use a flush machine. If the shop has a flush machine, go somewhere else. If you really want a flush, let your transmissions own pump do the flushing, and change the fluid in the pan and the filter first. This you can do yourself and has no ill effects other than wastes a lot of fluid.
Really, why?

You do know that most manufacturers now require flushes to maintain warranty coverage right? Are they wrong about this?

I am veteran of probably 30 machine flushes on a variety of vehicles, new and old. I've never had a problem. How many have you paid for on your vehicles?

There is lots of internet armchair experts on this. I can't wait to hear the explanation.
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Lucky
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
15
Jul 12, 2021 11:15 PM
dstrahm
1997 - 2006 Expedition & Navigator
3
Aug 26, 2011 05:50 PM
bentcipher
1999 - 2016 Super Duty
25
Oct 23, 2010 10:29 PM
00bucker
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
21
Jan 22, 2007 12:42 AM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:35 AM.

story-0
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-30 18:33:59


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-2
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-4
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-5
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-8
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE