Up North

[Jsattlec]

Hey Ranger gang. I’m on vacation in Minnesota and it’s been below freezing. Which seems to affect my transmission,diff fluids possibly. What do you northern peeps do to correct this?

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[Big Blue]

Hey Ranger gang. I’m on vacation in Minnesota and it’s been below freezing. Which seems to affect my transmission,diff fluids possibly. What do you northern peeps do to correct this?

Remote start, give it a minute to get all the fluids moving, and drive it. Oh, no racing till it warms up.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Hey Ranger gang. I’m on vacation in Minnesota and it’s been below freezing. Which seems to affect my transmission,diff fluids possibly. What do you northern peeps do to correct this?

Yeah maybe warm it up for a few minutes then run the transmission through the gears. Otherwise just drive it.

 

[LaBalbe]

Agreed. If you have remote start through the Ford App or your key fob, go with that. I usually turn mine on before I start putting on my boots & coat. The app will run for about 10 minutes before automatically shutting off, which is more than enough; if you have a push-start, all you need to do is push it once you get in to drive off - not sure about a standard key. As a bonus, it'll also start heating up any snow/ice to make it easier to clean off your windows, in case that's an issue.

 

[got3fords]

Hey Ranger gang. I’m on vacation in Minnesota and it’s been below freezing. Which seems to affect my transmission,diff fluids possibly. What do you northern peeps do to correct this?

Drive south.

 

[dstig1]

Just drive normal/gentle for a couple minutes. Unless it is well below zero you won't notice much of anything. And it ain't that cold right now... Or prestart it and let run a couple min before you get in. It will be warmer quicker for you that way.

 

[_TraMor]

Replace or rebuild... mine is in the shop for that right now.
?

 

[DeerSlayer]

NE Montana here. I warm it up for 10-15 minutes then slow and easy through town. By that time she's ready to hit 70' ish.

 

[Joeiconic]

Hey Ranger gang. I’m on vacation in Minnesota and it’s been below freezing. Which seems to affect my transmission,diff fluids possibly. What do you northern peeps do to correct this?

I‘ve never heard of anyone vacationing in Minnesota in the winter. You may need a new travel agent.

 

[Jsattlec]

I‘ve never heard of anyone vacationing in Minnesota in the winter. You may need a new travel agent.

Spring break to see the in-laws! Not my place of choice!

 

[subquark]

Mine, with under 5,000 miles, clunks badly if I get on it right after starting. It was 30° this morning and I went out for our monthly breakfast take-out. I jumped in, started it, shoved it into drive and clunk, clunk, clunk down the road at 15 miles per hour. One of the clunks sounded like a part must have fallen out. =(

But after a minute at 30 mph, it smoothed out. It's still a bit harsh but tends to mellow with another 5-10 minutes. Problem is, most of my driving is short. Only 10 minutes to work and, the most important thing I do is only 5 or 6 minute drive - the dump! =D

And, as others have said here, if I remember to, a remote start for like 10 minutes makes a HUGE difference. There won't be any clunking. but it'll still shift harsh if it's at or below freezing.

what's that giant noisy mechanical beast under the truck?

 

[got3fords]

Mine, with under 5,000 miles, clunks badly if I get on it right after starting. It was 30° this morning and I went out for our monthly breakfast take-out. I jumped in, started it, shoved it into drive and clunk, clunk, clunk down the road at 15 miles per hour. One of the clunks sounded like a part must have fallen out. =(

But after a minute at 30 mph, it smoothed out. It's still a bit harsh but tends to mellow with another 5-10 minutes. Problem is, most of my driving is short. Only 10 minutes to work and, the most important thing I do is only 5 or 6 minute drive - the dump! =D

And, as others have said here, if I remember to, a remote start for like 10 minutes makes a HUGE difference. There won't be any clunking. but it'll still shift harsh if it's at or below freezing.

what's that giant noisy mechanical beast under the truck?

I wonder if that's because you are slighly low on fluid and a little warm up makes the fluid expand a little.
Also, you're getting carried away with those AI images!

 

[subquark]

I wonder if that's because you are slighly low on fluid and a little warm up makes the fluid expand a little.
Also, you're getting carried away with those AI images!

Good question about fluid level but that dumb stock dipstick is horrible to get to (from what I read here).

I'd like to get that aftermarket pan, the one that adds 3/4's of a quart (not the really deep one). And I'd also like to install our forum member's awesome dipstick replacement. =)

But today, at 38 degrees, I didn't have that clunk (I had also let it run 2 or 3 minutes). Only when colder, but it's an alarming clunk when it happens.

Yeah, I get carried awsy with that AI cartoon stuff, but it makes me feel so modern! So I'll find a real pic for this post ...

oh no Soupie! got3fords was right!

 

[Canadian Ranger]

I'm in New Brunswick Canada. I switch all my driveline fluids to Amsoil, it doesn't thicken up in the cold. All my vehicles would start hard and drive sluggish due to the thick driveline fluids. After the changeover they start and drive like its July. I don't even use my block heater anymore due to the ease of starting. I'm assuming any good brand name fluids would give you similar results.

 

[Ronbo]

FWIW, I had noticed a very random clunky shifting on mine when it got a bit cold as well. Had it in for a routine service the other day and mentioned the Ford TSB 24-2046, which I learned from another thread. They checked the transmission and although no codes were found, they did what was called for in the TSB, which I think was a reprogram. I have not experienced anymore clunky shifting so far and transmission seems to be smoother. Dealership did not charge me for the TSB update. Might be worth it to look into this for some of you.

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