1999 - F250 Transmission Problems - looking for advice!
 

Hi Ford Friends,

I'm new to the Ford Truck Forums - should have joined a long time ago. I have 135K miles on my 99 Powerstroke 4x4 and yesterday the automatic transmission apparently gave up the gost. I have reverse and low 1. About 2 years ago the overdrive light quit functioning and I didn't think that much about it. I replaced the switch and it still didn't make it work. It would not light up to indicate it was off. Although I have pulled a lot of trailers, wagons, etc, around the farm, I've never beat on this thing as I try to take super good care of my vehicles. Last summer I did have to replace the torque converter (which I did myself) and had no other problems. The transmission showed no signs of slippage or noise, it just simply quit on me while driving from one field to the next with no load. I'm going to drop it out this morning in my shop. I didn't know if it is worth rebuilding, or if I should look for a new one? We have quite a few transmission shops around us here in South Bend, IN and I have heard good and bad about them all. A friend of mine told me I should buy a used one from a salvage yard - and I'm a little skeptical of doing that. I like to research things as much as I can before spending my money on repairs - especially one like this that I want to last. Any help or advice anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

IMHO, your most expedient fix is to simply get a quality rebuilt or a used transmission out of a late model wreck that fit and have the same fitment (connectors, electronics, etc.)

Too much work to fix a 10 year old tranny that may have a lot more wrong than just a few simple things --- I worry that there is something you didn't fix years ago may have snowballed.

A modern transmission is to the point where it is harder and harder for a home rebuild.


Just for arguments sake -- get a code reader and read some codes from it.

My guess: the OD light died from excess flashing (or it has been flashing a long time, but because the bulb is out, you didn't see it).

So the failure has mushroomed.

I have a 99 F250 with the 7.3 engine. I have not drove the truck for several weeks. This morning I cranked and it acted like it didnt want to go, the overdrive off button was flashing. Any help.

Get the codes read. That's the best starting point. The auto parts stores that read codes free can't read these codes.

Pulling my hair out, can you help me Mr Kovalsky?
 

I have read and have been searching these forums to try to find a comparison with what I am having with my truck.
By the way I am new to this and I am sorry if I screw anything up. I don't know how to navigate these things very well.
Anyway, I have a 1999 F-250 Triton 4x4 super duty reg cab, automatic transmission. It has just over 220 thousand miles, and at around 100,000 the previous owner had the tranny either rebuilt or replaced and added on a tranny cooler for pulling a heavy RV (Goose Neck) up and down the mountain passes in Northern New Mexico. When we purchased it, it had about 120 thousand and I have it up to where it is now. Anyway, I used it to pull a trailer as well but not an RV, instead a 16ft trailer for my business. It is loaded but not that much. I noticed a couple of years ago that the check engine light kept coming on, we had it checked and the code the mechanic said it was throwing was due to the modified exhaust it had on it from the previous owner. We put it in the back burner because he reset it and for years no problem but just on occasion and it was the same thing. Something to do with altitude and air to gas ratio with the exhaust. Thats when I started noticing that going up a mountain pass it would not shift appropriately, it seemed to skip a gear, like going from 2nd to 4th and no third, with the od off. I couldn't get over 30 mph without red lining it.
But coming up the other side every once and a while I could get it to shift correct and get up to 40 or better. I have since semi retired the truck to no longer pulling trailers up the passes when it hit 200 thousand miles. So now it just works in the winter plowing snow. I have never been abusive to the truck since I purchased it, I don't get on it very hard, always do maintenance and oil changes, and when the gear shifter got very sloppy and when you would shift into park, you would have to make sure it was in park or it would be in reverse. So we fixed that, it is still a little loose, but thats when I noticed the OD switch would not work anymore unless you jiggled it and hit the button just right then it would shift out of OD. But now a year later it won't work at all and I still can't get the truck to shift down to an appropriate gear going up a pass. Its like it skips from 4th to 2nd and no third. But on the flats it seems to shift fine. I just don't get it.
I have been told a tranny flush would help, but i have read that Ford doesn't recommend it on high mileage vehicles or any at all, then I have read that Ford does, I have heard horror stories and good about tranny flushes, is this something that would help me or not?
Is it an computer problem? Maybe a Gear shifter and OD button connection that needs replaced? I don't know where to start?
Thanks

Don't rebuild it. Get a reman from somewhere you trust. I recommend ford, because the warranty is worth it in my opinion. That is hard to swallow when the transmissions go on these. But learn from others mistakes. Sorry to hear about your problem

Thanks
 

I am guessing you mean remanufactured? I will have to start looking I guess, I just hated to spend that on this truck, but it has been a good one! Everything on it is still very clean and tight, everything works except normal wear and tear, but the tranny problems I just have not been able to figure out on my own.
Thanks

Ford does recommend flushing the trans. A Ford dealer may not, but they are not Ford Motor Company.

As I stated above the best place to start is to get the codes read.

The OD button problem is almost certainly a broken wire where it enters the shft handle. Remove the cover from the steering column and inspect the wires whee they enter the shift handle. Either fix the wires or replace the shift handle.

Thank you
 

I will try that, appreciate your time and any advice.