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Did I screw up my Transmission ?????

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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 11:08 PM
  #1  
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Did I screw up my Transmission ?????

Today I really pulled a bonehead move. I was in the process of loading a bobcat on a trailer that was connected to my truck. The truck was parked on a gravel incline. While I was driving the bobcat up on the trailer ramps the truck started to roll foward about four feet. Thanks to my quick thinking wife, she jumped from the passenger side and put her foot on the brakes, thus stopping the truck from rolling. After changing my underware and thanking my wife for stopping the truck from rolling, fininshed loading the bobcat. I drove about 30 miles with the overdrive "off" and unloaded the trailer. Drove an additional 5 miles to my house. When I put my truck in "park" the Overdrive Light started flashing. Waited about three hours, went out and started the truck, Overdive light no longer flashed. The transmission never shifted funny or different during or after I pulled the bobcat. I've read through numorious post about OD Light Flashing tonight. Should I get my transmission checked if it comes back ? Or get it checked now ?
 
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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 11:13 PM
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Pull the dipstick and smell the tranny fluid, see if it smells burnt. I am thinking that maybe it just overheated. If it smells burnt have the pan dropped and change the fluid and filters. DO NOT do a machine flush.
 
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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 11:29 PM
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Brandon is probably right, probably got a little hot towing that bobcat. You should invest in a trans temp gauge, and probably eGT


You can also have those codes pulled form the tranny light flashing if your really curious
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 01:43 AM
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Brandon- what's the difference in getting a machine flush vs. manual change? I always thought the machine is the best way to get everything out of the system.

I'm thinking about doing Royal Purple tranny fluid change, and I want to get all the dino fluid out.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 02:00 AM
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Flushing a damaged trans can kill the clutch pack. Sometimes it's just the crud in there keeping it going. It's thick so that creates a friction pad for the clutch pack.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by orng1
Flushing a damaged trans can kill the clutch pack. Sometimes it's just the crud in there keeping it going. It's thick so that creates a friction pad for the clutch pack.
That's an old wive's tale that does not have a shred of truth to it. Old crud in a clutch CANNOT keep it going. If the clutch is that bad it's already failed.

A flush, either by a machine or Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles method are the best ways to change the fluid. Just dropping the pan and changing the filter gets less than half of the fluid out.

Back to the original question, the only way to know why the OD light flashed is to have the codes read. If the light doesn't flash again you can proablby just ignore it, it probably was overheated. If it flashes again get the code read quickly before a minor problem turns into a need for a new transmission.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 07:55 AM
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I had a similiar problem with the OD light flashing, yet no drivability issues, at first.

REAL long story short, the torque convertor (which Ford knows is a POS) broke apart. The metal pieces of the convertor were sticking to the solenoid causing the OD light to blink.

The dealer claimed just the solenoid needed to be changed. My personal mechanic educated me on what was really going on.

Over the weeks of arguing with the dealer, the drivability issues arose and I ended up getting the whole tranny rebuilt.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 08:51 AM
  #8  
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Firemed.

did you do a just a stock re-build ot did you pruce it up a bit?
I only ask, cause I am on borrowed time and don't think I can go BTS or John woods.

Just curious.

I have also had the blinking O/D light, but all is fine thus far.
I just over heated it "Once" and luckily I don't tow much very often.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 09:02 AM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Mark Kovalsky
That's an old wive's tale that does not have a shred of truth to it.
i have seen it happen more than once where a vehicle no longer moved after getting a tranny flush. Most places around here will not do one on a vehicle w/ more than 100k on the odometer.

I just don't like the idea of not changing the filter. it only makes sense to have a new filter w/ new oil.

PD, find someone w/ a good scanner and read the codes. I agree, you probably just overheated it a little. That would concern me though, as a Bobcat isn't much of a load.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 09:14 AM
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Many people NEVER maintain their transmission. Then a problem starts, and they take it to get flushed. They don't know it, but by ignoring the trans it died. They are trying to revive it by changing the fluid. New fluid can't save it, it's already dead.

If it won't move after a flush either the trans was dead when the flush started, or the person doing the flush really didn't know what they were doing and screwed up the trans.

There is no reason why the filter can't be changed when the flush is done. Read the article I listed above. One of the steps describes how to change the filter without taking an ATF shower.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by empiretc
Most places around here will not do one on a vehicle w/ more than 100k on the odometer.

I just don't like the idea of not changing the filter. it only makes sense to have a new filter w/ new oil.
This is where I was going with my original statement, I just did not make it clear. Machine flushing from the quickie lube does not include filter changes. What good is running new tranny fluid, with a filter full of particulate matter.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 09:21 AM
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not to start a fight here, but that filter in the trans doesn't really do much, it catches the big stuff, but thats all. i'd only change that one every 100k or so. if you want a real filter, install a microfine or a spin on kit. there's a reason that allisons have spin on filters
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 10:13 AM
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Which is why I have one in place, complete with a neodymium magnet in its flange, despite the common thinking in Lead Hill.

This practice has served me very well, and I have not had a single transmission problem since I owned a Caravan with an early A-604 in 1990. You think a 4R100 is a problematic tranny? The UltraDrive took "electronically-controlled" and "adaptive" to whole new meanings, and it wouldn't surprise me if they now use it as an example in schools of "how NOT to do things"!

If you do this, be sure to use a filter rated for hydraulic fluids, not lube oil. Mine is a Baldwin B-111. You might be surprised how much black fuzz the magnet picks up in 10,000 miles, and cleaning it is a lot less messy than the ring magnet in the pan, too.

Pop
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 10:30 AM
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I had some scuzz on my pan magnet after 80k -- I'm guessing between 1/16th & 1/8th inch of sludgy-gunk on it. Filter was pretty black, but the fluid actually looked good when I drained it. I'm quite sure the PO took good care of it as all the OCs & Fuel Filter changes were written on the degas bottle in grease pencil.

I don't remember if the tranny was mentioned on there or not, but I have no reason to believe it was neglected based on what I saw when I dropped the pan.

Now, to the OP, you certainly haven't done yours any favors. Take the advice of these guys. You may not know it, but Mark was one of the engineers that worked on this tranny. You don't get better info about it than that!! If you pull heavy, put in a good shift kit/after-market accumulator VB and an auxiliary cooler. And if the fluid smells even a little old or burnt, change it...TODAY.
 
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Old Apr 3, 2008 | 11:00 AM
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I'm no expert but I am worried a little about the fact that the truck was rolling in the park. Isnt the only difference between park and neutral the fact that there is a pin that locks everything up? Could this pin have broken causing the truck to roll. Might lead to a problem in a slanted parking lot if you are only relying on park to hold you. Someone let me know if this is true.
 
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