I have a 2004 F150 XL 4x4, 3.55 gears, Automatic transmission and 4.6l engine with 136,000 miles. I've owned it since new.

I have a question about the transmission. Sometimes while coasting up to a stop sign and not coming to a 100% complete dead stop (rolling stop), if I press the accelerator to pull away from the stop sign, the truck hesitates and does not move for what seems like several seconds, then it will finally start to accelerate and pull away. Also when driving down the highway in heavy traffic, if the traffic is heavy and real close together and you are constantly having to let up or get back into the accelerator to adjust based on the cars in front of you, again the truck will hesitate when you are trying to get back into the throttle and the engine will rev for a second or two before it actually starts to accelerate again. Other times if I am coming up an on ramp to a highway and let off of the accelerator and then try and get back into the throttle real quick to try and speed up and get out into traffic, sometimes the engine will rev up like the truck is in neutral for a second or two and then finally goes into gear kind of hard and then begins to accelerate again. Other times I’ll be at a stop and try to slowly pull away and it just seems like there is no power for a few seconds like the transmission is slipping or something or there will be times that there is a delay of a few seconds before the truck actually starts to move at all. It happens quite often, but not necessarily every time though. A lot of these things have been happened since it was new and a few have not.

Anyway they just really annoy the heck out of me when I am trying to drive the truck and it does not do what i want it to do so I figured I’d ask about it here and see what everyone else has to say about it.

 

Have you had your tranny flushed with clean fluid, or maybe even a tranny service? Service as in drop the pan, replace filter, clean and replace gasket, refill? I had a chevy s10 a long while back and if I didnt do a service every 25-30K it was VERY tempermental!

 

Get a gryphon, troubles willbe over, mine did the same thing till I got my gryphon

 

Sounds like your forward clutch packs are going out. My truck did the exact same thing, then one day I was going up hill, and stopped going. My truck just revved like it was in neutral. The truck had to be towed to the dealer and just under $2000 later I had a working truck again

 

Yes I have had the tranny flushed before. Most of the symptoms my truck has had since I bought it new 136,000 miles ago. A few things like the truck taking a few seconds longer than normal to start moving from a stop or seeming like it's lacking in power while I am pulling out from a stop only happens every once in a while and are new within probably the last year or so.

 

Bump....

Anyone other opinions?

 

It sounds like your transmission is on its way out. Maybe you got a factory defect.

 

There have been quite a few 4.6L guys here who needed transmission work at or around 70-90k

 

I'm one of them

 

What ended up being the cause? Was it a rebuild or did they replace it?

 

A bearing went on first gear, ended up sending chunks through 2nd thru 4th, destroyed it all in about 20 miles, got it rebuilt in november for 1600 bucks, my tires made it overshift all the time, leading to premature wear, the gryphon is helping with the over shifting alot

 

I sure hope the transmission isn't going. It drives and shifts fine when I am not in heavy traffic. It's only when I have to let up and then get back in to the throttle compensating for traffic around me that it hesitates like it does not know what gear to shift into (it has done that pretty much since new). The only other thing is the occasional delay starting from a stop to get moving again. I didn't know if it was anything to do with that electronic drive by wire throttle system or if something may need reflashed or what. It still has the same program that came with it from the factory when I bought it new back in 2004. I don't know. I just hope nothing is going bad.

Not that it makes any difference, but I have checked the tranny fluid on the dipstick and it looks bright red and clean.

 

Its a program issue, I don't think itsthe tranny

 

I took my truck to the dealer yesterday and had the tranny flushed and the truck checked for any codes. No codes except for an impact sensor, which I already knew about (airbag light is on). The tech also loaded in the latest flash that was available for my truck while he was in there checking for codes. My truck has never been re-flashed since I bought it new 5 years ago. Anyway having the tranny flushed made a big difference. There is no more hesitation before the truck starts to move after pushing the accelerator when I start out from a stop. Instant throttle response now. It also shifts a lot better. It's not as sluggish any more. I am just happy that it was nothing major.

 

I figured it was programming, glad to hear