Two years almost to the day, transmission going to sh*t yet again

[ccasanova22]

I’m in the same boat as the OP. 15,000 miles in post CDF drum repair, and I’m not able to go up steep hills without it getting stuck in 7 or 8, then it slamming down and squealing one tire. It stays in high gear with the converter locked, slows to a crawl (engine lugging and pulsing), then finally picks 1st gear and lights up a tire. Should I take it back in, or wait until it blows up so they can just replace the thing? Currently driving it like this and have to avoid any hills that are steep. Afraid I’ll get a ticket for “exhibition of speed/showing off” even though it’s clearly a mechanical problem.

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[TJC]

I’m in the same boat as the OP. 15,000 miles in post CDF drum repair, and I’m not able to go up steep hills without it getting stuck in 7 or 8, then it slamming down and squealing one tire. It stays in high gear with the converter locked, slows to a crawl (engine lugging and pulsing), then finally picks 1st gear and lights up a tire. Should I take it back in, or wait until it blows up so they can just replace the thing? Currently driving it like this and have to avoid any hills that are steep. Afraid I’ll get a ticket for “exhibition of speed/showing off” even though it’s clearly a mechanical problem.

I think that you are fast approaching a point where the truck will be too dangerous to drive - at least in traffic.

My truck showed the same symptoms at the same mileage point. I believe it is the valve body solenoids dirty and sticking. I also believe the Mercon ULV fluid is low/missing key additives, which exacerbate the issue.

Fluid changes are CRITICAL with the 10R80. Ford won't admit it (Per Ford, the fluid is good for the life of the transmission - and that is 15k Miles in your case ... and mine) , but it is obvious to those of us experiencing what you are going through.

You can take your truck back and see if they will replace it again, or you can change the fluid and filter, and add LubeGard Platinum. This worked miracles for me... and others.

No matter which path you take, best reconcile yourself to frequent transmission fluid changes if you plan on having a reliable truck. Both the Ford and GM versions of this transmission have similar issues.

If I rec'd a new transmission, the very first thing I would do is replace the valve body with the NextGen valve body. It is built to last. It is also $3500 of additional expense. But I tend to keep my vehicles for the long term...20+ years on average. ( Still driving my 2005 Ranger - just in case!)

I'm at 9K since my first fluid change (with LubeGard Platinum). But I did 3 changes within 2500 miles to reach a 92% clean fluid. so really 6500 miles since the last change.

I'm still on the original transmission and it is shifting like new. Ans it was behaving so badly that my wife refused to drive it out of fear, and it sat parked for the better part of a year while I researched the issue and with help from a few folks in this forum found a solution.

I still don't know how long the transmission will go before it acts up again, but at the first sign of quirky behavior the fluid will be changed again (with the LubeGard Platinum additive). Once I determine the fluid change interval I will stick to it, be it 20K or 10K mile intervals.

With the addition of the PPE deep pan and the MBS Dipstick (the "FitzStick"), I can complete the entire change in under 1 hour and never do anything more than lift the hood. The engine oil change takes me longer and is messier. I don't spill a drop of the transmission fluid. And I can get the fluid level 100% correct using a cold start method with the FitzStick.

And FWIW, I am going to be polite, and simply say that I am "angry" at FORD for cheaping out to such a large extent in so many areas on their newer generation of vehicles. This trend appears to have started around 2010 - 2012, and has reached epic proportions since 2019.

Built Ford Tough used to mean something.

 

[ccasanova22]

Thanks, will any of those mods void warranty? I am already a frequent fluid changer, every 15-18k miles, and it is a messy job without a way to drain the transmission easily.

Oddly enough, if I am going up a steep hill and select (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) by using “S” mode before it gets too steep, I get a relatively clean (but still delayed) shift down to 1 which is great for 2-3mph hill climbs.

Leaving it in “D” has the whole truck (and bed) shaking, feeling like a manual about to stall out, a delayed downshift, then skipping lots of gears until it finds “1” and unlocks the torque converter simultaneously, which takes several seconds to figure out. Sometimes it’s 5+ while the gear indicator is blinking and then it finds “1”.

Pretty much everyone who’s followed behind can tell there is an issue, just don’t need an officer not realize and say it’s intentional because the right rear tire spins quite a bit during this process.

Guess I’ll try to take it back in one of these days if they even want to look at it. The last time, it took months to get in due to “being swamped with 10R80 rebuilds”.

 

[Chris M]

Thanks, will any of those mods void warranty? I am already a frequent fluid changer, every 15-18k miles, and it is a messy job without a way to drain the transmission easily.

Oddly enough, if I am going up a steep hill and select (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) by using “S” mode before it gets too steep, I get a relatively clean (but still delayed) shift down to 1 which is great for 2-3mph hill climbs.

Leaving it in “D” has the whole truck (and bed) shaking, feeling like a manual about to stall out, a delayed downshift, then skipping lots of gears until it finds “1” and unlocks the torque converter simultaneously, which takes several seconds to figure out. Sometimes it’s 5+ while the gear indicator is blinking and then it finds “1”.

Pretty much everyone who’s followed behind can tell there is an issue, just don’t need an officer not realize and say it’s intentional because the right rear tire spins quite a bit during this process.

Guess I’ll try to take it back in one of these days if they even want to look at it. The last time, it took months to get in due to “being swamped with 10R80 rebuilds”.

I find it unimaginable that you'd have these symptoms and not already have taken it back to the dealer. Clearly something is wrong, and for you to ask here whether or not you should have it addressed is incomprehensible to me.

For YOUR safety please have it addressed asap.

 

[TJC]

Thanks, will any of those mods void warranty? I am already a frequent fluid changer, every 15-18k miles, and it is a messy job without a way to drain the transmission easily.

Pump out the fluid through the MBS dipstick tube.

Over filling the transmission is just as bad as under filling. And over filling won't show symptoms until the fluid heats up and foams, resulting in the fluid overheating and major transmission craziness as fluid doesn't hold even pressure. Clutch plates burn, solenoids stick, and things decay from there.

Accurately checking the fluid using the Ford mini stick at 215F is down right crazy to attempt... risking burns.

 

[ccasanova22]

I find it unimaginable that you'd have these symptoms and not already have taken it back to the dealer. Clearly something is wrong, and for you to ask here whether or not you should have it addressed is incomprehensible to me.

For YOUR safety please have it addressed asap.

Not trying to be rude, I cannot be down the truck several weeks without a loaner. The last time I started the process in the Fall and it wasn’t winter until I had a functional vehicle.

 

[TJC]

Not trying to be rude, I cannot be down the truck several weeks without a loaner. The last time I started the process in the Fall and it wasn’t winter until I had a functional vehicle.

Ford Service!

 

[Chris M]

Not trying to be rude, I cannot be down the truck several weeks without a loaner. The last time I started the process in the Fall and it wasn’t winter until I had a functional vehicle.

I dont find you rude at all.
I would like to hope that Ford would see your dilemma as we all here do and do the right thing by offering a loaner.
Best of luck getting this repaired, hopefully sooner than later!

 

[gilbert77]

Thanks, will any of those mods void warranty? I am already a frequent fluid changer, every 15-18k miles, and it is a messy job without a way to drain the transmission easily.

Oddly enough, if I am going up a steep hill and select (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) by using “S” mode before it gets too steep, I get a relatively clean (but still delayed) shift down to 1 which is great for 2-3mph hill climbs.

Leaving it in “D” has the whole truck (and bed) shaking, feeling like a manual about to stall out, a delayed downshift, then skipping lots of gears until it finds “1” and unlocks the torque converter simultaneously, which takes several seconds to figure out. Sometimes it’s 5+ while the gear indicator is blinking and then it finds “1”.

Pretty much everyone who’s followed behind can tell there is an issue, just don’t need an officer not realize and say it’s intentional because the right rear tire spins quite a bit during this process.

Guess I’ll try to take it back in one of these days if they even want to look at it. The last time, it took months to get in due to “being swamped with 10R80 rebuilds”.

Why are you still driving it like this?

 

[TJC]

Mine sat essentially unused for about 9 months to a year when it became unsafe to drive. I took it in very early to Ford before it became critical (and before the tsunami of transmission troubles showed up). I was told it was "behaving normally... and that they all do that."

I was convinced it wasn't normal, but I believed them when they said they all do it.

I never went back.

I spent the next year following the transmission issues popping up here, and reading 3rd party independent engineers speaking out about what they found and their remedies.

I waited patiently for Fitz to perfect his dipstick (THANKS FITZ!), before following ctechbob's advice (that took me at least 6 months to come to terms with) on tackling the issue.

CtechBob was correct, and Fitz made it simple to execute.

So here I am with my old broken transmission shifting like new.... and I just knew that the thing was beyond repair, and was going to require a new unit...

I never used 3rd party additives prior to this, esp transmission and engine oil additives... but I tell you LubeGard Platinum with fresh fluid cured the craziness that was my transmission.

I still don't like the shift patterns, but they are silky smooth.

 

[ccasanova22]

Why are you still driving it like this?

I already have the revised CDF drum and it still has issues. I will try one more fluid change and follow TJC’s recommendations and see what happens.

It takes weeks (if not months) to service these as there is a huge 10R80 backlog (says multiple dealers). I rely on the truck too much to have it out for weeks at a time.

If I didn’t have the issue, my stock tires would last 70,000+. They all have 7-8/32nds left except for the right rear, which is probably half the tread of the others so I’m kind of stuck having to change all 4 early due to the issue.

 

[cfhgarza]

I already have the revised CDF drum and it still has issues. I will try one more fluid change and follow TJC’s recommendations and see what happens.

It takes weeks (if not months) to service these as there is a huge 10R80 backlog (says multiple dealers). I rely on the truck too much to have it out for weeks at a time.

If I didn’t have the issue, my stock tires would last 70,000+. They all have 7-8/32nds left except for the right rear, which is probably half the tread of the others so I’m kind of stuck having to change all 4 early due to the issue.

I feel ya. Im at 24 days on my rebuild and I had to wait 2 weeks before they could get me in due to the transmission guy being backed up. I'll also be out of power train warranty in a week. I maybe done with Ford and the 10R/L80

 

[cfhgarza]

I feel ya. Im at 24 days on my rebuild and I had to wait 2 weeks before they could get me in due to the transmission guy being backed up. I'll also be out of power train warranty in a week. I maybe done with Ford and the 10R/L80. EDIT: I had the borrow my dad's truck to be able to go on this camping trip we had planned

 

[gilbert77]

I already have the revised CDF drum and it still has issues. I will try one more fluid change and follow TJC’s recommendations and see what happens.

It takes weeks (if not months) to service these as there is a huge 10R80 backlog (says multiple dealers). I rely on the truck too much to have it out for weeks at a time.

If I didn’t have the issue, my stock tires would last 70,000+. They all have 7-8/32nds left except for the right rear, which is probably half the tread of the others so I’m kind of stuck having to change all 4 early due to the issue.

Did they also replace the valve body? CDF replacement alone won’t fix the problem.

 

[ccasanova22]

Did they also replace the valve body? CDF replacement alone won’t fix the problem.

They cleaned and tested all the valves in the valve body. But that was 15,000 miles ago. If I avoid any hills or heavy acceleration, it never slips. Keeping the RPMs under 2,000-2,500 you would never even know there was an issue.

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