I can't figure this one out...

[GhostStrykre]

This is what I do and (so far) have no problem. Growing up in MA where if was very cold you learn fast that things just need more time to warm up when it's really cold outside. Now, after living in AZ for 10 years I'm back in the cold (but nothing like MA winters) and don't drive all that much. I'll remote start my truck in the house and just listen and wait for the rpm's to drop then go out and leave. It's been in the teens at night and upper 20's with this cold front and it drives smoothly doing this.

Mine has acted the same since new. Hates cold weather and shifts like crap for the first couple miles even after warming up some. I was told it's normal for them. Never had a tranny like it before.

Things to keep in mind with the 10R80 transmission. When cold it will act funky. Might be a delay shift or even a hard shift. Pretty normal when cold. Making sure you have the correct transmission fluid level is important. Make sure you check that level when the transmission is up to operating temperature. Too much transmission fluid is worse than two little transmission fluid.

That's but not least you should not have that PPE deep pan. The standard pan is more than enough

ok now yall got me curious. Is it possible Ford has prescribed an inappropriate viscosity/weight for their transmission fluid on the 10R80?

apologies if that’s a dumb question. I’m thinking motor oil as I don’t know much about transmissions.

I been in single digit temps for a bit. Sub zero temps next week. My Ranger dwells outside because my sissy motorcycles demand the pampering of the garage.

so my Ranger roughs it a bit more than others and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The ol gal hasn’t given me a reason not to trust her yet.

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[Frenchy]

ok now yall got me curious. Is it possible Ford has prescribed an inappropriate viscosity/weight for their transmission fluid on the 10R80?

apologies if that’s a dumb question. I’m thinking motor oil as I don’t know much about transmissions.

I been in single digit temps for a bit. Sub zero temps next week. My Ranger dwells outside because my sissy motorcycles demand the pampering of the garage.

so my Ranger roughs it a bit more than others and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The ol gal hasn’t given me a reason not to trust her yet.

It is simply the normal action of the 10R80 Transmission. I used to live in one of the highest cities where it got below Zero often in the Winter and I never had a problem with the Transmission. If anything this is something you will see with any Automatic Transmission that is cold

 

[ctechbob]

ok now yall got me curious. Is it possible Ford has prescribed an inappropriate viscosity/weight for their transmission fluid on the 10R80?

apologies if that’s a dumb question. I’m thinking motor oil as I don’t know much about transmissions.

I been in single digit temps for a bit. Sub zero temps next week. My Ranger dwells outside because my sissy motorcycles demand the pampering of the garage.

so my Ranger roughs it a bit more than others and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The ol gal hasn’t given me a reason not to trust her yet.

Not really.

The ULV is a good fluid and the trans is designed to work with it. Ford just dicked up the valve body design to a certain extent and it is overly sensitive to wear and dirt.

Also, not recommending fluid changes until 150k wasn't smart either. The filter is nice, but it isn't nearly as nice as it needs to be to keep the contaminants down to where they won't stick the valves.

If you could take the fluid out, centrifuge it clean, and put it back, it might well go 150k...but no one is gonna test that.

 

[madchassey]

Thank you for all the input guys. I've been busy since I'm going to SHOT next week.

Basically the issue is gone, I suspect it was because of the low fluid. The only thing I notice now is that the shift from 3-4 occasionally, there's a slight blip in rpm and then it'll shift. It wasn't there before so I don't suspect it to be an internal issue, because other times it shifts fine. Other than that she's back to normal and I will def get some LubeGuard and throw that in there after my schedule frees up a little bit.

 

[Msfitoy]

Thank you for all the input guys. I've been busy since I'm going to SHOT next week.

Basically the issue is gone, I suspect it was because of the low fluid. The only thing I notice now is that the shift from 3-4 occasionally, there's a slight blip in rpm and then it'll shift. It wasn't there before so I don't suspect it to be an internal issue, because other times it shifts fine. Other than that she's back to normal and I will def get some LubeGuard and throw that in there after my schedule frees up a little bit.

SHOT Show? I wish they open that up to the public...

 

[madchassey]

SHOT Show? I wish they open that up to the public...

i don’t. It’s hard to do business with accounts with a bunch of lookie Lou’s

 

[Msfitoy]

i don’t. It’s hard to do business with accounts with a bunch of lookie Lou’s

So consumers are not part of the business model?

 

[madchassey]

Do consumers are not the root of the show?

The end consumer isn't the primary objective of this show. It's for my wholesale and gov sales team to onboard accounts. We have other shows throughout the year that are DTC oriented, but this ain't one of them.

 

[Msfitoy]

The end consumer isn't the primary objective of this show. It's for my wholesale and gov sales team to onboard accounts. We have other shows throughout the year that are DTC oriented, but this ain't one of them.

I've always thought that was too bad...CES, RVs, Toys and automotive shows have their "corporate" previews then opens for public later in the week...

 

[Fawnbuster]

It is likely your valve body being a tad slow with the thicker (cold) fluid. Try a 10oz bottle of Lubegard Platinum and report back. It will help clean up anything in there and free up some of the slow valves.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MB57UI/ref=twister_B016YBDYF6?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Normal dose is 1oz per qt, our transmissions hold about 12 quarts. 10oz will work fine, if you're a stickler for details, order the 15oz bottle and use 12oz of it.

Depending on how close to full your fluid is, you might need to suck out a little to make room.

The sooner you can free up the valve body and get it working properly, the more damage you'll prevent down the road.

Wondering if anyone has tried this product after noticing the transmission shifting problems and how it did afterwards.

 

[ctechbob]

Wondering if anyone has tried this product after noticing the transmission shifting problems and how it did afterwards.

@TJC

I'm sure he'll chime in, but I can summarize.

Unhappy with his transmission to the point of not driving the truck.

2 fluid changes with the appropriate dose of LG later and he's taking it on long trips and trusting it again.

 

[TJC]

@TJC

I'm sure he'll chime in, but I can summarize.

Unhappy with his transmission to the point of not driving the truck.

2 fluid changes with the appropriate dose of LG later and he's taking it on long trips and trusting it again.

Started at 5K miles and by 12K was looking for answers as it grew progressively worse, to the point where it sat in my garage for over 2 years only adding 6K miles in that time. We were ready to unload it. Dealer told us it was working normally. I had already sunk more corrective $$ in it than my previous 3 vehicles combined, and I keep my vehicles for 15-20 years. It got so bad that I sunk $10K in my 2005 Ranger rebuilding it from the ground up, as insurance.

I reached out and ctechbob responded with the fluid change / LubeGard solution. I waited a year while thinking it over and finally came to the conclusion that it was worth the risk, and it if failed I was going to unload the truck.

The short of it is that the solution worked. After the first fluid cycle change it was immediately 98% better. But 4th was still a tad sluggish shifting. Most would probably have not noticed it, but I was so gun shy and paranoid by this time that I monitored every shift for signs of trouble. So 2K miles later I changed the fluid again. Thing seemed perfect. We had two 1500 mile trips scheduled 2 months out, so I drive the truck exclusively for those 60 days to convince myself, and more importantly my wife, that it would not leave us stranded 700 miles from home. By this time she had given up on it and urged me to sell it while it still had value.

We took those 2 trips and it drove flawlessly. We now have 25K miles on the truck, and it is on the lift getting an engine oil change. While I am doing that I will change the transmission fluid one last time adding in LubeGard Platinum with it. This will put me at 87.5% new fluid. The plan is to attempt to get to 50K on this pass. At 50k I am replacing the filter and fluid, and installing the already purchased PPE deep pan.

In the middle of this nightmare I purchased a 10 year 125K mile Ford Premiere Care Warranty with $100 deductible. I have never purchased an auto warranty before. Still quite unhappy about having to do that. I figure if I have to use it just once, it will pay for itself several times over.

My recommendation - If you notice shift anomalies, change the fluid and add LubeGard Platinum.

And purchase/install an MBS Transmission Dip Stick. It makes changing the fluid a 30 minute job. And it will accurately show the fluid level.

 

[natefiggs]

This is what I do and (so far) have no problem. Growing up in MA where if was very cold you learn fast that things just need more time to warm up when it's really cold outside. Now, after living in AZ for 10 years I'm back in the cold (but nothing like MA winters) and don't drive all that much. I'll remote start my truck in the house and just listen and wait for the rpm's to drop then go out and leave. It's been in the teens at night and upper 20's with this cold front and it drives smoothly doing this.

This is exactly what I do and my transmission runs perfect. It's been in the teens for some time and I dont get rough shifts at all. It runs very smooth as I always wait for RPMs drop.

 

[Kemo Sabe]

So guys, I've been having some issues with the truck lately but the big one is the fact that the truck is shifting funky. Cold in the first 15 min of driving the truck, it's delay shifting 1-2 and occasionally 6-7. It was a bit low on fluid so that's topped off, which was yesterday. It still does it but it's not as bad as before. After the truck is up to operational temp, or at least the transmission, it shifts just fine. I'm under the impression that if I had transmission issues, it would happen hot and cold but it just happens cold. Full disclosure, I have the PPE extended pan on it as well.

Should I prepare myself for the transmission to take a dump or could it be as something as simple as the fluid being low and it's doing its learning thing or whatever?

if I idle mine, warm fluids, seems to shift smooth from get go.
Good luck!!

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