Hi guys,

I'm shopping... supposed to be working

Anyway, I'm considering getting a 2003 f250 7.3 with auto. I've heard that these are bulletproof motors with lots of untapped potential (read chip). Are the stock transmissions able to handle the additional horsepower? I know ford makes a great transmission in the 1/2 ton. Is the 3/4 ton transmission just as reliable?

Thanks guys. I guess I'll get back to work now.

 

Let me in on this great half ton tranny...

Anyway the 4R100 behind the mighty 7.3L can take a good amount of power as long as you keep the temps down. This means MONSTER cooling and a sharp eye on a real temp gauge. If you do blow the trans, there are several companys that can set you up with a bulletproof 4R100 but it's gonna cost ya.



Adrianspeeder

 

Speeder is 100% correct, heat will kill the 4R100 like RIGHT now. Ford is developing a 4r100 Heavy duty to withstand the high power, high heat applications for towing and snow plow. It will be available at the Ford dealers in 4th quarter this year and pricing is only 500-1000 more than a regular duty. But you didn't hear this from me...

 

I thought 2003 was the first year for the 6.0?

 

2003 was a mixed year...and I thought Ford was using the TorqShift tranny in the diesels...back to the 4r100?

 

Well then, I guess I need to start looking for a 2003 with a 7.3 instead of an 02.

 

well i don't know about the added horse power but we have a 02 here at the farm... pull the daylights out of it, and it still runs great. 160k on it still goes better than it did new.

 

Bull****. Ford is not develpoing any 4R100 transmission for the SD line. That transmission ceased to exist in a stock SD in mid year 03. The 6.0L gets the 5R110 and the 4R100 will NOT fit in its place. Kinda wish we HADN'T heard it from you.



The internals of the 4R100 are strong enough as long as heat is kept down. The weakest link is the stock torque converter which is prone to failure. This is also what tends to create most of the heat. An aftermarket (read GOOD) torque converter and a valve body will go a long ways to make the trans live under higher hp levels. When I say GOOD torque converter I'm talking a Suncoast, Precision Industries, Factory Tech, etc that run in the $1100 to $1400 range. As long as the pump and clutchs are good and the input shaft has not been shockloaded it'll hold up to around the 400rwhp. The aftermarket transmissions are the John Woods (don't know if he ships them yet or not), Factory Tech Monster Box, ATS, and BTS. The clutchs are upgraded, pump is worked over, high performance torque converters, and billet input shafts. These all come with a 2yr unlimited hp warranty. You break it, they fix it. These will set you back about $3500-5000. If your TC is in good shape on the truck just a valve body with a properly tuned chip will probably hold together just fine.


As for chips any 01-03 7.3L (except VERY early 01s) will have PMRs which are powdered metal rods. They are not as strong as the older forged rods and will fail under anything over 400 rwhp. They will also fail from running propane, NOS, or water/meth injection. Bad programming on a chip from Jim Bob moron down the street will also destroy them. With PMRs you REALLY have to know how the diesel engine works to properly set the fuel maps and timing. Stay away from TS and anything from Western Diesel as they are known to destroy engines. A DP-tuner chip will work very well with PMRs as well as give good power.


On a side note, before you do any kind of chip you need to do a full set of gauges which includes a pyrometer (preturbo mounted), boost gauge, and trans temp.

 

Well, there you go.
I never said that the 7.3 had a 4r100, No idea what it has. Don't own one, never have, never will. However when someone else brought up a 4r100 being killed by high heat, I felt it necessary to chime in and agree. Mostly because it is true.

BTW I will be accepting your apology in fourth quarter this year when the 4r100HD is released to dealers in early October. A transmission that Motorcraft is diligently working on to get into the hands of municipalities with snow equipment and heavy towing responsibilities.

 

Why would Ford go back to an OLD transmission design? It doesn't make sense...they spent all of this time and money designing the TorqShift transmission to comptete with the Allison, so why go back to the old 4 spd??

 

God, did you even READ my post? I said the 7.3L was the one that had the 4R100. The 6.0L which is currently in production does not use the 4R100, it uses the 5R110. The 7.3L has been out of production since mid year 03 and the 4R100 transmission went out with it. There is no heavy duty version being developed since it is not a current production transmission. If Ford goes back and develops an upgraded version it will be the first time they have ever gone back and developed something for a piece of equipment that is out of current production. The 4R100 will NOT fit behind the 6.0L, nor the upcoming 6.4L which is slated to replace the 6.0L sometime during the 07 model year. I can guarantee you that the old 4spd 4R100 will NEVER go back into production as nobody is currently using a 4spd auto in the heavy duty trucks, with the exception of maybe Dodge. They might still have a 4spd, but chevy is already up to a 6spd auto. I would not be suprised to see a 6spd auto come out of Ford before long to compete. The closest thing that has come about for the 4R100 is a revised version of the torque converter was released a few years ago. The only "heavy duty" 4R100 you're going to see are aftermarket ones such as BTS, Monster Box, Suncoast, ATS, John Woods, BWD, etc.

 

Motrcraft (ford) still manufactures the 4r100 as well as the torque shift. As well as a c6 and a c4 and every engine made, except SHO motors, over the last 25 years. No doubt that the new trucks will have something besides the 4r100, but the initial question was regarding a 7.3 equipped with a 4r100, not a 6.0 with a torque shift, and certainly not the new 6.4 with whatever they fit to that thing. I have a warehouse full of these things (4r100's and torque shifts) and sell them everyday to people. Why contiue development of an old transmission design? Parts wholesale. There is a huge industry for Ford Motorcraft in selling parts to customers that are out of warranty but still replace with OE parts to get the service coverage at their Ford dealer. That is why every dealer has a parts counter. How many trucks and vans were sent out of the factory doors with a 4r100? How many of them currently need a new transmision and use the application in a heavy duty circumstance? Enough to warrant development of an upgrade to current manufacturing to create a 4r100hd. It is absolutly true that those other manufacturers are the only place to get an upgrade at this moment, but to think that Ford has not noticed their business and is not trying to recapture the lost revenue through the Motorcraft division is obsurd. Just because a part is not being fitted to new vehicles does not mean that it is out of production, hell you can still buy a factory sealed 5.0 and how long have those gone the way of the dodo?