Bad Torque Converter Killing Tranny
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 200
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From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Bad Torque Converter Killing Tranny
After starting to have what I perceived to be transmission trouble, I took my 2001 King Ranch to Galpin Ford in L.A., and on the first visit, they didn't find the problem, but on the second, they tore it down and discovered that my torque converter had gone bad and caused substantial damage to the transmission in the process.
As a result, they say a new transmission is required, and are putting one in under my extended warranty, but the so-called zero deductible warranty doesn't actually cover all the costs, so I am out of pocket around $500. (A topic for another rant on another day...)
What bothers me the most here is this - my transmission failed requiring complete replacement to the tune of thousands of dollars with less than 50,000 miles and less than 3 years on the truck. The truck has been used to tow a small trailer for between 10 and 12 days of its life, but well under the weight limits, and has been driven only very lightly off road. It seems to me that for the transmission to require replacement after 2 1/2 years of relatively gentle use is outrageous. Is this a common problem?
I really love my truck, but after starting off with all the #@$%# about the radiators, and now this, I'm feeling like I should be running back to Nissan or Toyota here...
-- J
As a result, they say a new transmission is required, and are putting one in under my extended warranty, but the so-called zero deductible warranty doesn't actually cover all the costs, so I am out of pocket around $500. (A topic for another rant on another day...)
What bothers me the most here is this - my transmission failed requiring complete replacement to the tune of thousands of dollars with less than 50,000 miles and less than 3 years on the truck. The truck has been used to tow a small trailer for between 10 and 12 days of its life, but well under the weight limits, and has been driven only very lightly off road. It seems to me that for the transmission to require replacement after 2 1/2 years of relatively gentle use is outrageous. Is this a common problem?
I really love my truck, but after starting off with all the #@$%# about the radiators, and now this, I'm feeling like I should be running back to Nissan or Toyota here...
-- J
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 179
Likes: 2
From: New York, NY
Jim,
Believe me these sorts of problems just come up from time to time. Everytime I say to myself "Damn, I should have bought X" I end up finding out that X had just as many problems as whatever I bought.
For example: My father's 2000 Volkswagen Passat with only 40k miles has had: 2 cracked rear brake rotors, bad coil packs, and a failed air-conditioning pulley clutch. Last week my father goes to the dealer because he was getting a rumbling from the front wheels and he though a bearing had gone bad. The VW dealer just told him that _BOTH_ front wheel bearings had failed. Cost to replace: $600!
Now one bearing failing is a fluke. 2 bad bearings on a car with 40k miles is lousy quality control or a design flaw.
(Because it is a front wheel drive car neither of us wanted to rip it apart and fix it ourselves. Instead, my father has decided to trade it in on a new Crown Vic.)
When you consider just how many F150's Ford sells every year (750k + I have been told), the actual number of trucks with problems is miniscule.
They key is to be aware of potential problems, and to know how to avoid them. If you do end up with a serious problem, then you need to be aware of the choices you have to get it fixed. The people on this forum can be an excellent resource in this reguard.
(If you ever need a race-ready transmission, make sure you contact Gregg Evans aka Factory_Tech on this forum
)
Getting back to your problem (as I seem to have rambled off-topic here) make sure that the dealer completely flushes the radiator and other transmission fluid lines when they replace your transmission. If they don't, you will wind up with debris in your new transmission and it will fail pretty quickly. Although this is standard procedure, sometimes it just isn't done.
Good luck with the new tranny.
-Don
Believe me these sorts of problems just come up from time to time. Everytime I say to myself "Damn, I should have bought X" I end up finding out that X had just as many problems as whatever I bought.
For example: My father's 2000 Volkswagen Passat with only 40k miles has had: 2 cracked rear brake rotors, bad coil packs, and a failed air-conditioning pulley clutch. Last week my father goes to the dealer because he was getting a rumbling from the front wheels and he though a bearing had gone bad. The VW dealer just told him that _BOTH_ front wheel bearings had failed. Cost to replace: $600!
Now one bearing failing is a fluke. 2 bad bearings on a car with 40k miles is lousy quality control or a design flaw.
(Because it is a front wheel drive car neither of us wanted to rip it apart and fix it ourselves. Instead, my father has decided to trade it in on a new Crown Vic.)
When you consider just how many F150's Ford sells every year (750k + I have been told), the actual number of trucks with problems is miniscule.
They key is to be aware of potential problems, and to know how to avoid them. If you do end up with a serious problem, then you need to be aware of the choices you have to get it fixed. The people on this forum can be an excellent resource in this reguard.
(If you ever need a race-ready transmission, make sure you contact Gregg Evans aka Factory_Tech on this forum
)Getting back to your problem (as I seem to have rambled off-topic here) make sure that the dealer completely flushes the radiator and other transmission fluid lines when they replace your transmission. If they don't, you will wind up with debris in your new transmission and it will fail pretty quickly. Although this is standard procedure, sometimes it just isn't done.
Good luck with the new tranny.
-Don
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,985
Likes: 1
From: Cincinnati, OH
Anotehr very important thing is that they install the in line filter that comes with the new tranny, the debris sirket mentioned is in the radiator, and the only way to get it out completely is to replace the radiator, but the filter will protect your tranny. Some dealers are lax about installing it, so make them show it to you after it's installed.
G
G