1999 Ford PSD Tranny Problems!!!!
 

Well guys I thought they had my tranny fixed. They put in a new valve body and some other stuff. For two days it ran really good. Well I called up the dealership to say thanks and good job and no sooner did I call them but I kid you not 5 mim. later it messed up!!!! Then as I am driving down the road it starts to shift REAL hard. Then it would slip like crazy when going down the road like the torque converter is not locked. Anyhow my questions are this.

1) How much driving with the torque converter unlocked will cause damage to the tranny? I drove about 200 miles to get me home.

2) Has anyone had similiar problems with their tranny's?

3) If I can get them to replace this tranny under warrantee with a new one will that give me all the benifiets of the 2001-2002 transmisions? This will be the third dealer and the 5th time back total to fix the problem, will the new trannies from the new trucks fit in this one?

4) At this point I have driven the truck so far with the tranny slipping is there any way to know if the tranny clutches have suffered any damage? In a string that I started last week there was mention of not using the Mercol I think it was transmision fluid in the truck. Is there any visual way to know the difference btwn the different ATF fluid so that I can know if they put the wrong stuff in there?

Thanks guys this is driving me nuts and I just want it fixed. I am starting to not trust the truck any more. On the good side the dealers have all been trying real hard to get this squared away and Ford has been good in trying to get the thing fixed. I am just getting to the point that I have not had my truck for a long time as it has been in repair shops for the last month now. I am paying my monthly payment for a Ford F350 and driving what ever rental car they put me in!!! :(:(

Jon

My truck is also shifting badly Jon. Guess Dodge doesn't do the computer controlled tranny thing well either.

Hey Jon, sorry to hear about your tranny problems. I have been told that there are a lot of them out there with bad trannys. A friend of mine has a 2000 f350 that has been through 2 trannys. converter clutch not locking up should not do any damage as long as it dosen't get too hot. slipping may be a problem. I know GM tranny's if they slip it will go into a default mode and apply full line pressure hense harsh shift and lock out overdrive. Sounds simular to your problem, usually will set a check engine light and a code. You may have a sensor/electrical problem putting your tranny into default? just a suggestion, Ill ask around and see if I can get any more info from a friend of mine who is a ford tech. GOOD LUCK :) :)

What probably happened is the torque converter is going away. Changing the valve body just removed the metal that was clogging it up. It happened again because the converter is still going away and will untill it is gone. The mechanic should have seen lots of metal. If he was a friend than thats OK. If it was a dealer or not a friend he knew what was going on and took you for a $1000 torque converter. I know because a dealer Elhart Dodge, did it to me. Now I tell the world they are crooks and they know it. Pretty soon it will just die. Take it somewhere and drop the pan. You will see metal and look for the magnet. It will be all "hairy" The magnet only picks up steel. The TQ is aluminum. I returned my valve body when a real mechanic gave me the same story. They gave me back my money when I confronted it to them. Full of more metal and all. Saved me a $800 part. I know this hurts but it is a fact of life: Dealers will screw you and trannys break often.:mad:

Your 100,000 mile warranty on the diesel does not cover the transmission. I just went through this with a Ford dealer as I had a small pan leak and wanted it fixed. I looked in my warranty book as I was positive it stated 100,000 mile drive train warranty. I was wrong. Engine and related engine components only...not the trans or rear end.

As far as updating the trans, you will not get a new trans from Ford even if it were under warranty. I replaces 2 of them in my F150 under warranty. Both replacments were factory rebuilds. Good luck, find a good trans shop if you cant get a warranty claim.

Jeffey thanks man any help would be HUGE at this point. I think you may be close to what the Ford was doing. The shifts could be REAL had and I forgot to mention that they trouble code for the transmision (overdrive light flashing) was going off.

Mitchstelling thanks for the info. The truck is under warrantee so it has not cost me any money to date.

Troutly thanks for the link. I will check it out. I hope they can fix this. Do you know if the newer transmisions will fit in there?

Jon

Troutly do you have the web site that was for Ford PSD? I can not find it.

Jon

THE TRANS IS THE WEAK LINK IN THE POWER STROKES I HAD A 2000 MODEL AND THE TRANS WENT OUT A 20K MILES NOW I HAVE A 2002 MODEL TRANS STARTED SLIPPING AT BOUT 3K MILES BUT OTHER THAN THAT GREAT TRUCK MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM CHEVYS BIG SELLING POINT WAS THE ALLISON TRANS

Jon,
Sorry to hear of your problems, this is my reason for going with a stick, so far the old 5 speed has done me good. The only good automatic is an allison, too bad Dodge isn't smart enough to put 'em behind the awesome Cummins.
best of luck,
Paul

Trans
 

I feel for ya!
We have a transmission shop here in Louisiana and I have to say that Mitch could be right.
Ford new and replacement converters are sub-standard components. Accumulator valves in the valve body stick because of foreign object in the fluid and because they control shift quality shifts can go sloppy and timing can be effected as well.
the computer picks up on the error and defaults the transmission into limp mode .max line pressure no TCC opperation.this is what causes the harsh shifts.
Ford has made only few upgrades to there converters.before the Powerstroke came out the converter was OK..MAYBE???
Then the stroke came out and the found that the 4 mounting lugs were ripping off at the flywheel so the added two more mounting lugs this cured the external problems but the battle with Dodges'Cummings was at full steam!They kept throwing more HP at the Stroke but never re-engineered the torque converter to handle the new HP and torque.Add to this the inter-cooler in '99 and some of these HP chips out there and no upgrades.......Somethings gotta go!!! there is still not enough TCC clutch apply surface to handle most towing applications
Help is out there...There is a company building a 13 1\2 inch.[12 inch factory] converter with a billit rear cover that is .900 thick!!!
[.180 factory] that is hand made, furnaced brazed and has a TCC clutch that is about 2 inch wide.[.750 factory]
Ford does only have a 10,000 gvw Tow rating on there F350 and my customers are all thinking that if the motor pulls it....and it does!!! the trans must be good for it too ehh???......Nope..
We have people pulling between 15,000 and 28,000 with the E4OD [Or 4R100 '99-UP] WITH CHIPS AND COOLERS CRYING!!! FOR BETTER.
the converter sells for about $1450. But the difference is awesome.
For the OSO group I would do a cost deal to show the benefit

H.B. Clack P2-7
Oh,sometimes it takes out the pump.....yuk!!!:eek:

Audiofn,
Damn, I wish I had the TSB # with me but if its a 99 there might be some issues with the tranny cooler. There's a TSB out about any time overheating is a issue there suppose to change the radiator to one with the tranny cooler in it. There's also a filter kit they are suppose to install anytime a tranny is replaced. It says in that TSB that the filter kit must be installed or the warranty is void due to junk build up if the cooler is not fully flushed. The OD light blinking means it is in limp mode and it will shift harder. If it went into limp mode that means it throws a code and they should be able to get it. If the TC isn't locking fully it shouldn't do any damage unless it overheats and breaks down the fluid which is the big tranny killer. There's really no way to tell the difference between Mercon and Mercon V by just lookin at it, but I would make sure they put regular Mercon in it when they change the TC. If they don't want to.... insist and tell them to look it up. :D
www.ford-diesel.com is a good site to visit to get some of these answered for you. Good Luck:D

Thanks guys. I am still waiting for a reply from the dealer as to what is up. I told them that I wanted to know the code when they pull it. As soon as they do I will post up to get your opinions on that. I wish that there was a fix to this but from what you guys are saying I am SOL. My friend said that the trany coolers in the PSD are a joke and that if they will not upgrade it to do it myself. I forgot to pull the paperwork out of the truck before I left the dealer, however I did smell the fluid and in the 400 or so miles that the truck went with the new fluid it already smelt a little burned :(:( Oh well I am hopeing for the best and expecting the worse. Thank god I purchased the warrantee!!!!

Jon

Code P0781- 1-2 shift error
P0782- 2-3 shift error
P1728,P1744 are Transmission component Slipping codes
that are most common with non electronic type failures like clutch slipping,TCC failure,metal contamination of shift valves that effect timing and quality.
The coolers trap alot of material from past failures that can break loose and end up in your good trans.even flushing the system is no fun and sometime inadequate! ! besides not being the best at reducing temp.Auxillery coolers are just better insurance.Also these in-line filter elements are great and must be installed on the rear cooler line for it is the return line from the radiator.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Audio-
In Louisiana, a vehicle is a lemon if 3 or more attempts are made to repair a given problem within the warranty period, or if the vehicle spends a cumulative total of over 30 days in the shop for any various problems. I don't know if this would apply to a factory extended warranty, but the trick is to document all the crap to prove your case.

I had repeat problems with a Pontiac (wife's) a few years ago, and Pontiac ended up having to buy the car back. I could not find one person in Pontiac or GM that gave a flyin S__T about my wife driving a new car with an oil slick covering the floor pan and chassis. Not to mention the liability of running low on oil and hearing "That's YOUR fault".

Anyway, I would call the BBB and check into it, if it's not too late.

Good Luck
Bulldog

Bulldog the wheels are already in motion. I have had it in, this is the 5th time, but only the second that they have actually looked hard enough to find a problem. Evey other time it was them telling me that it is "normal". In the last two weeks I have not had my truck except for the weekends. I have absolutly ZERO confidence in my truck and WILL NOT tow my boat or anything with it as I am sure it will mess up and leave me stuck on the side of the road. So as of late I have used my 1987 F250 to do any towing. At this point they have told me that they WILL NOT replace the transmision and that they want to replace the valve body again!!!!!! I have been told by a couple transmision shops that once the transmision codes out with a TC slipping code that the inside of the tranny gets coated with particals that it will mess up again 100% of the time!!!! If not today tomarrow or the next day. They have assured me that it is bandaid aproach that Ford does!!!! They will not let me talk to any of the "decision makers" at Ford!!! So I have put 10,000 bucks down and am paying over 600 bucks a month for a Mid Size Chevy rental at this point. I am considering just selling the piece of **** and taking my losses and getting something else.

Jon

Those transmissions are at their limit with the Powerstroke.A friend of mine works at Ford,he said when you start chipping and doing other modifictions you are asking for trouble.They just can't take the heat buildup.

BBB

Really???...what is his name...i work at GTO,,for the most part all trans prototype, development, calibration, and testing are right here! powertrain testing as well in our 60 dyna cells and 6 vehicle rolls.

the real reason is aftermarket cals do not do any durability testing for the cal they just sold....their main concern is more power??...not how long it lasts....damn,,,try'n to think of who said this....it's not how fast you go....it's how well you go fast!....it applies to a lot of ****!
kinda like when someone rebuild a merc engine that ran 500 hours at 500hp and after the rebuild and mods to make it better they get 50 hours at 525hp??? go figure
:rolleyes:

Thanks for your time,

Regards,
Joseph Allen Skrocki
Engineering Technologist - Phase III Dynamometer Lab
ATNPC Box 38, 35500 Plymouth Rd., Livonia, MI 48150
Phone: (734) 52-35339 Text Pager:(734) 651-2028
Email: [email protected]

PS....my stock 2000 PSD dually has 98K of towing on it...by the way i tow as fast as it will go!...92mph for hundreds of miles...till i come to a hill:( never let it down shift on it's own at wot...i have never added any fluid and will never change it!...o yeah my 95 van i used for towing prior i sold with 195k on trans...same fluid. none ever added...it's stil being used by an employee here at ford as a tow vehicle...same fluid

Audacity was that directed at me??? The person that I have talked to so far is the dealer Walls Ford. They have been trying real hard but I am starting to wonder if they know what the f they are doing!!!!

Jon

no bro...BURNSMAZZ "They just can't take the heat buildup.".....if they are locked up....then little energy is heat...and the truck will only go 92 mph....o by the way....that is based of of the drive shaft not the tires(the reason most vehiles have a clip)

Audio, don't give up. The trucks work great. Yea, there are failures, show any me any vehicle on the road that doesn't fail at one time or another. You will get a great deal of feedback from people that have had bad experiences with the PSD Ford. But remember how many of these trucks are on the road!!!!! You will always here from the ones who have had bad luck, just like anything else. From experience I have had 8 PSDs and have had extremely good luck with them. Currently I have 00 F-350 SD and an 01 Excursion, both with PSDs. The Superduty has 95000 miles on it and I had to replace the trans at 70000 miles. Was I mad, no, not at all. I run a 125HP chip and propane, and like Joey, I run the you know what out it. I was actually happy I got that kind of mileage out of the first trans!!! Like Joey said, any time you modify the "package" you are pushing the envelope. I realize your truck is stock and it is unfortunate that you are having problems, but should you decide to stick it out, you will be rewarded with a very good tow vehicle, my O2. Unfortunately you are in the midst of a diagnosis procedure that can be somewhat lengthy and cause headaches for yourself and the techs working on your vehicle. Good Luck. Sam

I have 18 trucks with power strokes, from 1995-2001 everyone of them has had at least two trans. We have increased the size of the coolers which seemed to help. My advice to you would be to stop dealing with ford, find some that knows about ford tranys and pay them to do the upgrades. that way you will have peace of mind. Ford did the same for us NOTHING. We found a tranny shop that knew the problems and how to correct them. Once they rebuild them we have no more problems. My trucks tranny was rebuilt two years ago and no problems since!!!! I also plow and tow my boat, and really haven't met ANYONE ROUGHER ON A TRUCK THAN ME. So ask the shop if they are farmilar with the problems and what are they going to do to correct the problem. Most shops will juast say they will rebuild the tranny. Mine said the problem was with the cooler, valve body, and knew a few secrets on what to drill out to get more power to the clutches. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

jon,
I hope you can get this thing resolved it really sucks to be without a dependable tow vehicle. I still believe the ONLY automatic that's worth a damn is the Allison, but unfortuately it's behind an ISUZU diesel with a lot of aluminum in it which I don't think is going to have the durability of the PSD or the mighty Cummins 5.9 which is a true medium-heavy duty diesel.
Dodge doesn't even offer an automatic with the Cummins High Output version(next year 305 hp, 555 torque)because they know this motor will shred it to bits. Maybe someday, Ford and Dodge will get a clue and put the Allison behind their diesels, and then we'll have something. But , what the hell, I'd rather shift myself anyway, my programming is easier to readjust ;)

Good Luck To You,
Paul

I called up the dealer and told them to blow me and that if they were not going to replace the transmision to not bother puting in a new valve body. They said that they would call Ford back. I am not going to lay down over this. I AM PISSED

Jon...I saw where you made it over to the other place...keep on them! I had my tranny replaced at 40,000 miles even though it was 4 thousand miles out of warranty for $500 because I wouldn't go away and had all the paperwork to back me up. Your truck is in warranty so there should be no questions about a new one.

new idea....hope i blows 3 times!!!...then they have to buy it back under the lemon law!!! how's that for an idea????

Hey Audacity you need to ease up!You probably know the guy,his name is Mark I won't give you his last name,not here anyway.Just relaying what I heard from someone that works in that division.By the way I have a 250 powerstroke no problems,great truck.

sorry dude...i wasn't beign a prick....just wanted to know who??? is he testing here or componets lab??? calibration dude?? does he boat??? 4r100 or 5r110 group??

I think he is in testing.I know he drives around and tries to make things break.Yes he has a cat with blown 510's

oooo...i think he is in the converter lab!

Jon, Sorry Dude! Ive been too F*#%N Busy!!!! hope the truck is OK Ill call you later for an update. MFB:cool:

Audio-
The dealer we bought the Pontiac from was blowin smoke about the problems our car had. We made about 6 trips trying to get someone to fix the car. Each trip, I would hand them a list of the problems, and get a business card in return. I wrote the time and date on back.

The car had an oil leak, pulled to the right, intermittent speaker, etc. The service dept insisted the front end problem was torque steer. The also said they could not repair the oil leak because the seal would take 2 weeks, and that they could not service the car due to backlog.

I took the car to another dealer. I asked to have them put the car on the alignment rack. The mechanic wrote down the caster, camber, and toe-in, and started to get his tools out. I asked about the oil seal. They said to drive it like it was, the seal had to break in. I told them to write down the existing and spec'd front end settings on a repair ticket, and remove the car from the rack.

To make a LLLOOONNGGGG story short, I filed for a buy-back due to lack of honesty and due diligence. The BBB ruled that we had presented the car for repair of the same problems at least 3 times, and the dealers simply did not follow through on their obligation. Pontiac had to buy the car back.

My dad's favorite saying 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'

Bulldog BSEE, PE
NASA Stennis engine test facility

Bulldog,
You guys build and test the solid rockets for the shuttle correct?
suppose you can loan out one to challenge Warbys water record?
we'll bring it back in better shape than the shuttle leaves them......maybe??

Well I am still waiting for a reply from the dealership. They continued to work on the truck yesterday and I guess that Ford asked them to look at some other things before they were willing to put in a transmision. So I waite until they get all that figured out. This is two weeks now they have had my truck!!!!!

Jon

Yesterday
 

my 1999 F-250 SD tranny started acting up. Mine is a V-10 not a PSD w/ 55K miles on it.
Ran into a convienence store to grab a drink. Upon leaving the shift from 1st to 2nd almost gave me whiplash. Same with shift from 2nd to 3rd. Speedo also wasn't working. All other guages were working fine and no check engine light came on. I took the truck home and got under it to see if I could notice anything wrong. Nothing?? Jumped in it to run down to the parts store to get a new filter and ATF to change everything out. Now its not doing it? Shifts perfectly and Speedo works. I will be changing the fluid and filter this weekend.
Is this the beginning of the problems described in this thread?-------------T

The VSS, Vehical Speed Sensor on that truck in on the differential assembly, An a\c generator picking its signal from an exciter ring ring on the differential carrier.It seems soon but wear from the differential bearings,gears,etc will attach itself to the sensor pick-up causing a build-up on the sensors magnetic tip and cause and erratic\no signal situation.other possibilities are the sensor itself or a wiring\signal carrier problem.
The computer needs speed sensor input to place shifts properly.
when it saw no signal the trans went to limp mode [a protective mode with max line pressure] causing harsh shifts.
Keep a close eye, or relay this to your local dealer if you are still under warrenty.

Anyone know if there is any way to have my truck fixed by some one that is qualified to do the repairs? These guys are not instilling any confidence in me AT ALL!!! All the other dealers in the area can not work on the truck for weeks and hear I sit with my thumb up my azz. I want to bring it to a qualified repair place so that I can be confident with the truck runing ok. Is there any way that I can charge back Ford for a repair?

Jon

A folder full of unsolved repair order tickets that includes one from the local Transmission Repair Professional who fixed this problem. is ammo enough for your local BBB to arbitrate your problem with your area Ford rep.
or your attorney!
Although somewhat diluted....[Satisfaction] is a phone call away.