my 2002 5.4 v8 with automatic is smelling like burnt rubber /and clutch discs..but when i add fluid( seems to need it) it blows out someplace and burns on the exhaust...make me look like a cheech and chong van.

soooo with 214,000 miles i am going to look at a $200 used automatic from a 2001...guy said it has about 150K on it...


the dealer wants to only give me $1200 as a trade in ( sight unseen , based on mileage) for a new truck...

so i figure Ill just replace the tranny, and save the $400-500 payments for 4-6 months for a better deposit , and sell the truck private, then buy a new truck


is there anything i can look at , or any tips to help me buy this tranny??

and once i buy it....can i take the cover off and easily see trouble spots and if so, are they hard fixes or not?

I have the HUGE set of dealer repair manuals for the 2002 f-150s....so i should be able to find help there.

thanks

bob

 

bring protection


lol couldn't help it

 

Is the transmission fluid coming out of the dip stick tube seal at the transmission case?
It's near the exhaust.
Next are you overfilling the transmission?
Should be only in the full range stick markings "when the transmission is fully warmed", not when it's cold.
Normally there is no wild pressure in the transmission to blow fluid out.
Good luck.

 

Sounds like experience to me

 

you are probably correct... its up front very near that spot..i couldnt verify it exactly yet....but when i first smelled the burning..i thought it was local to the place i was driving...first issue with tranny ever!.. so once i pinned it to my car, i figured "bands were burning"...year ago i heard that auot had "bands" in there..like a like a belt...and it smelled like burnt rubber... I checked with the motor running , on level ground at a gas station right away...I could see any fluid anywhere on the dipstick...

sooo i figured 2 quarts low at least!! one for the line for "low" and one for all the area below the line!! at that point it was VERY difficult to tell where the line was because the whole dipstick was covered with fluid...because I poured the fluid down the dipstick tube!!. i drove the truck and the smell went away, but as soon as I got over 2000 rpm( i was towing my boat at the time..but its light..maybe 2600lbs max total weight)...smoke would billow out the back from the fluid coming up and out and onto the exhaust!!....
once i got cruising under 2000 rpm...it seemed to burn off...but if i gased it to get up a hill and the rpms went over 2K the oil pumped out... when i dont tow ...the truck seems to run fine..i cant smell anything burning...no oil pours out... and it shifts fine...the OD works......when i am having issues towing and the oilw as pouring out...the OD light was blinking...BUT the OD was still working!! i verified this by rpm and speed...from 10 years of driving the truck.

any tips on buying the new transmission?

would it be wise to try and rebuilt the used purchase transmission myself before i install it??

Id hate to sell the truck and have the new owner get stuck right away someplace....

if i traded it in to the dealer ...I wouldnt care, hes going to wholesale it anyway. and i wont have a responsiblility to the evetual buyer.

bob

 

If you look around some more .....you can probably find a lower mileage used tranny.....

 

I would purchase a new one yet, just fix it, it's probably and easy fix.

 

the down time is what worries me the most...getting it apart and then it takes 3 weeks to sort out or finnish.

one reason i like the used tranny...I can take it apart and go through it before i install it...all the while still driving my truck...of course there are lots of unknowns lurking....

is the $200 a good price? I can get the transfer case with it for another $75...

bob

 

Is it a 70 or 100 ? They used two in that model, more common, the 4r70w.

 

14 bolts....saw somewhere that said the 14 bolt oil pan is the 70 and the 20 bolt pan is the 100


so i have the 4r70W..

talking to the automatic mechanic... once he heard that I ran the tranny with low fluid...he thinks its probably damaged. up to that point he was saying I might have been over heating the tranny, maybe because of a clogged oil line to the cooler( this truck has the tans cooler factory) really cant decide which way to go...unless the dealer offers me at least $3K as a trade in...then ill just bite the bullet and get the new truck. waiting right now.

I am not affraid of the trans R&R, but it certainly has me wondering if ill run into any roadblocks.. and if i forget one little thing on a trans job...the whole process could be for naught.....

same as an engine rebuild!!!!!!!!!!



bob

 

I was quoted $300 to have my trans "fixed" new seals and gaskets, and that would fix the leaking fluid. and if it is driving normally your bands are most likely fine, other than running dry if you have a leak(which will give you the burning smell)

 

its not hard to find guys who rebuild transmissions on the side or they just do it in there garage. My brother inlaw does it for $500 plus parts.

 

I thought about one other thing to check out.
Does the cooling from transmission to radiator and back to transmission seem ok?
Any kinks in the cooling lines, radiator coil plugged etc.
The only cooling the trans has is by the external cooling in the radiator.
Under towing loads when the converter is out of lockup, the temp rises quite fast coming out toward the radiator.
The cooling system is already at near 200° so there is not a lot of room for error.
If the fluid over heats, it expands. With little or no cooling and no venting it will find some place to get out.
I would put some attention to this before replacing a trans only to have some external element be the cause.
The fluid if running that hot should be discolored and have an odor.
If the OD light is blinking, it's likely the valve body temp sensor has detected the high temp as well.
The fluid discoloration is the fluid breakdown along with band and clutch material that has worn off and loaded the fluid.
When this happens to extreme, it permotes even more slipping and an accelleration in temperature rise time.
Good luck.

 

very likely whats going on....if i did the trans swap Id replace the cooler and lines as well.....but really thinking of not climbing under and doing all this work...with such an high mileage truck....been thinking more and more...

i thought id fix it, because the trucks still looks soo good... no rips or tears , paint is still shiny....it does all i wanted except for the tranny...

but in the end I think ill cut my headaches most likely and re up...with a new ford f150...100 more HP!! that right there is attractive!


bob

 

Yea, I was just curios if I could fix it, I had the time + I talked with Mike Troyer about it which gave me the incentive to go ahead with the repair. The truck would barely move upon acceleration. After I was through with doing a few easy modifications, backflushing the cooler etc. She came back to life, shifting, towing perfectly.

That was back in 06 and she's still doing it.