Replacement Transmission for 2000 Ford Super Duty

[MackinawMan]

We just got back from our big Mackinaw trip yesterday, over 1000 mile round trip towing. The old 2000 Ford F350 7.3L PSD truck towed beautifully, but as I was backing the travel trailer up beside the garage (a rather steep hill which puts a lot of strain on the transmission with a 9,000 lb. camper) my wife noticed a red liquid in the driveway, and sure enough when I got out I noticed that the transmission was leaking transmission fluid. The 500 mile straight tow combined with backing up the hill really heated up the transmission and it started dumping a bit of fluid.

Rather than look into a repair for that, I think it might be time just to replace the Achilles Heel of those model year Super Duty's....which was the junk from the factory 4R100 tranmission. With 130,000 miles on my truck, I knew it was just a matter of time before the transmission issues started. So rather than put any money into that transmission, I'm thinking of putting in a superior aftermarket one.

So...with that in mind, does anybody have any suggestions on manufacturers? We're looking for a solid transmission that can handle the towing. Thanks for any help.

[hotpepperkid]

It will heat up really fast backing. I use 4X4 low range with the hubs unlocked for backing and never have an issue

[Lantley]

smkettner wrote:
New cooler and new fluid is all I would do.
Get a stacked plate cooler with a fan for best cooling at low speed and reverse.

Mac,
I agree with the above. I installed a new cooler on my PSD X and it made a noticeable difference.
If the fluid did overheat above 240º than It is a good idea to change it. I don't think I would go the BTS or John Woods route just yet.

[RAS43]

Mac,
In my opinion you are on borrowed time. My '99s transmission failed at 47000 miles even after I changed some valving, switched the external cooler to the 6.0 cooler, added a larger oil pan and ran synthetic oil. The planetary gears are a weak point which failed on me while on a trip. And it never heated up even while towing over one of our Colorado mountain passes but failed 40 miles from the pass on level ground.
I put a Jasper heavy duty rebuid in it and a month later traded the truck off as this was the second breakdown that year.
looks like you are doing good research so I hope you have better luck then I did.

[LarryJM]

TXiceman wrote:
Best option for a replacement is a BTS or Brian's tranny from Arkansas. Also add a large external stacked plate oil cooler, a heavier duty torque converter and run synthetic tranny fluid.

Ken

All three of those are included in Brian's tranny and he now uses the 6.0 cooler as I understand it.

As already mentioned the two best "head and shoulders above the rest" options are John Woods and BTS. However, unless things have changed John Woods only does inhouse work out of SoCal and doesn't ship. Brian does have a few dealers and will ship out a rebuilt tranny, but by far the best way is to go to Lead Hill and have him do it inhouse. Yes expensive, but his cost is IMO worth every penny and is the ONLY 100% GURANTEED FIX for any and all tranny issues.

His tannies are so good than I know of several folks that have actually swappped one of his trannies with many more miles on it for a factory or rebuild one when changing vehicles for heavy use.

Larry

[time2roll]

New cooler and new fluid is all I would do.
Get a stacked plate cooler with a fan for best cooling at low speed and reverse.

[TXiceman]

Best option for a replacement is a BTS or Brian's tranny from Arkansas. Also add a large external stacked plate oil cooler, a heavier duty torque converter and run synthetic tranny fluid.

Ken

[Hank85713]

look here for the articles I refered to:

http://www.dieselworldmag.com/project-work-truck-part-2-simple-transmission-upgrades-towing-hauling

[MackinawMan]

Wow guys, thanks for all the replies. A little update as I've been researching the past day.

First and foremost, I posted this on the Ford Truck Enthusiast website as well, and curiously got a reply similar to SLE's post where a guy with a Class C that ran the Ford engine/transmission did a similar thing when backinup up a somewhat steep grade after driving all day. He was told by a local Ford dealer/mechanic that the Fords that run the similar setup as my F350 can "vent" transmission fluid that way. It sounds like I might have been premature on things.

After a local trip yesterday I checked the transmission fluid level and it was right at the top of safe range. I also have repeatedly checked the area where the fluid was leaking out (it literally looks like a designed vent hole) and it's as dry as a bone....not even a drop of fluid. The truck is driving and shifting fine.

Now, my concern is what might happen under a load like towing our Eagle. I do have to tow it to our local fairgrounds in a week for the county fair...however that is only a 10 mile trip. That rounds out the camping trips for this season. I think what I'm going to do is just keep an eye on it. We're taking a short trip to Madison, WI in mid-August (not taking the TT though, as it's just a few days) to visit our oldest son, so that will be a long drive (albeit without towing a TT).

Come next spring, I might look into upgrading the tranmission cooler. Right now the lines do go into the radiator. It looks like some people have switched over to the 6.0 cooler for the 7.3L. Sounds like it's a serious upgrade.

Lantley, yes this F350 is in very good shape. We had some body work done on it last year to bring it back to looking sharp. Given the price of diesel trucks these days, used or new, I plan on keeping this one a long time..especially since it's paid off. I do think if we do anything it will be to go with a remanned transmission. Can the current 4R100 in the truck be rebuilt and "toughened up" to the standards of the HD models? (not the KBS and John Woods versions, but the HD model Ford currently sells)

[elkhorn98]

I used to have a 2000 f250 and it started leaking on a trip at high temp. Got home and went to a Trans shop and he said the front seal ford used was garbage. Changed it and then no problems. Probably only had 30-40k on it then.

[majorgator]

If it were me...
The John Wood or BTS are nice, but very costly. If you have the extra money and you want to keep the truck, go for it. But for me, that's kinda like something I'd do when/if I had to.

So, if it were me, I'd keep running with what you have and lose the concern over this one time incident. Drain and replace the fluid at the same time you're adding a transmission cooler. If your SD is one of those that doesn't route to a separate cooler or to the radiator, then you'll need to purchase a bypass valve kit and new SD cooler lines. In my opinion, skip the 6.0 cooler and go with a much more affordable Tru-Cool Max (for less than half the price). This is a relatively simple mod, but you'll lose fluid in the process, which is why I recommend changing it at that time.

With my 96 F350 E4OD, I haven't seen 180 degrees since installing the Tru-Cool Max, regardless of what I've hauled or what the ambient temp is.

[SLE]

Mackinaw, if this is the first time it's done it, and after it cooled down it quick leaking your probably fine. I had the same happen to me a few years ago on my 2003 F250 V10 4R100 powered truck. Towed 150 miles into the campground, stopped to unhook the boat, pulled forward and had to back up a 5-7% hill to get into my spot, and of course it took me 2-3 tries to get it right where I wanted. Got all done, looked down, and sure enough I had trans fluid dripping just as you experienced.

That evening I called a good friend whom is one of the most reputable local trans builders and had a chat with him. He said not to worry about it, more than likely it was just the front seal leaking and when it cooled it would likely stop. His explanation was; basically your trans was at full temp when you pulled into the campground, you then proceed to back uphill a coupe times, and you then had very little air going thru the trans cooler. In reverse your torque converter won't lock under those circumstances and you'll overheat the fluid around the torque converter, this causes the front seal to get soft, expand a bit, and starts leaking until it cools down. He even asked if I noticed if my gauge moved and told him that I didn't see it move which he noted that in this case often times it won't show on the gauge since only that fluid right around the torque converter is what is overheated unless you continue to push it. He did tell me that since mine was 4 wheel drive, that if your maneuvering heavy trailers at slow speeds, lock it in four low and it'll take enough stress off the trans that it'll keep it from doing the same in most cases.

He was spot on with everything he said. I ended up taking mine in that summer anyway and had the trans freshened, a HD torque converter, and new seal installed and 4.56s gears put in front and back diffs. Frankly, it made for a good excuse to the wife to get my truck bullet proofed like I wanted, ha ha. Truck had about 65k on it at the time and was 7 years old. The guy at the shop said all of the original parts, gears, clutch plates, everything looked like brand new. Heck they even joked that one of the younger guys wanted to save the fluid for him self. Point being, the trans was fine and still in great shape even after my small incident.

Good luck, if nothing else it can be used as a good excuse with the wife that you "need" to get it fixed and that you should probably upgrade a few things so it doesn't happen again. Good luck

[Fordlover]

MackinawMan wrote:
We just got back from our big Mackinaw trip yesterday, over 1000 mile round trip towing. The old 2000 Ford F350 7.3L PSD truck towed beautifully, but as I was backing the travel trailer up beside the garage (a rather steep hill which puts a lot of strain on the transmission with a 9,000 lb. camper) my wife noticed a red liquid in the driveway, and sure enough when I got out I noticed that the transmission was leaking transmission fluid. The 500 mile straight tow combined with backing up the hill really heated up the transmission and it started dumping a bit of fluid.

Rather than look into a repair for that, I think it might be time just to replace the Achilles Heel of those model year Super Duty's....which was the junk from the factory 4R100 tranmission. With 130,000 miles on my truck, I knew it was just a matter of time before the transmission issues started. So rather than put any money into that transmission, I'm thinking of putting in a superior aftermarket one.

So...with that in mind, does anybody have any suggestions on manufacturers? We're looking for a solid transmission that can handle the towing. Thanks for any help.

I had a Ford automatic (AX4S) puke fluid once when it got really hot. I was told there is actually a valve designed to dump the fluid in specific overheat situations. After letting the transmission cool, then warming back up to operating temp, I found the fluid level to be in range, so it might have been slightly overfilled before the event.

Moral of the story is I drove that vehicle for another two years 25K+ miles without another peep from the tranny, before selling it for unrelated reasons.

If you really want to replace the tranny, go for it, but just keep in mind that there may not be any 'real' damage done.

[Lantley]

Hey MackinawMan now is the time to decide your long term plans for the truck.
If you love it forever and plan to keep it another 10 years get the BTS tranny. The BTS is bullet proof If you just want to patch it together which I doubt just replace the seal Tranny maybe OK.
If you want to ensure everything is reliable for the next few years get a rebuild or another 4R100. A 4R100 will last another 100k. Which may meet your needs.
I rebuilt the trannies in both of my prior 7.3 PSD's. funny thing is stock rebuilt only lasted 100K
The big issue is the truck is 15 years old. If I remember the truck was in great condition. How much do you want to invest in it at this point.

[LowRyter]

I ad the tranny temp light come on my 2500 Chev 6.0 pulling my 5th wheel while going up Monarch Pass. There were lots of bicyclists and I was slowing and going.

The book said to pull over and let it idle to cool down. I followed the advice and pulled over at the first pull off (right before the summit). When I got home 1000 miles later, the fluid looked great, wasn't burned.