What is the average life span of a well maintained transmission?

I have a 2001 F-150 Super Duty 2WD 5.4?

Do they go well past 200,000 miles?

 

In my experience, if you can get 200k out of any automatic tranny you are doing well.

 

Be ready for anything after 150,000, but have seen some under serviced go over 200,000 and who knows how.

 

I have 225,000 miles on mine. It is original except the shift kit (springs and one valve put in at about 30K). I change the fluid and filter every 30K with Mobile 1 trans fluid. Still works very well.....It is a 97 E4OD.

 

The E4OD is probably one of the strongest trannys out there. However, for every person that claims over 200k on a tranny, I'll show you someone whose tranny went out at 100k. You just can't generalize.

 

Mine went out at 100k...unfortunately I bought my truck used so I wasn't able to maintain it from the get-go.

 

my 84 f150 2wd has 240,000 miles on the original tranny. i have NEVER had one last that long but this one. just regular maintence... now the rearend on the other hand has developed a slight shimmy...but everything else is still FORD TOUGH

 

I've seen Dodge automatics take a dump at 30,000 miles. I've also seen a Mercedes automatic go nearly half a million miles (460,000) and still worked fine. A lot of it depends on how you use it and how well it was assembled in the beginning.

I'd have to say that the AVERAGE life of an automatic that hasn't been seriously abused and has been SOMEWHAT maintained is 125,000 - 150,000.

 

i had a 87 dakota with 192k original miles and tranny finnally died. i had a 95 caprice that tranny blew at 102k so... all how its maintained.

 

It's not just maintenance - I think it's also luck of the draw.

 

Mine has 128k on it, no problems so far, i shouldnt have said that, well maintained, and you all know how i drive

 

I agree and it's that way with everything, including our own bodies. But we should do whatever we can to keep it all going strong.

Proper maintenance is the only way to make sure that you are doing your part. The other is beyond your control.

In this case, with transmissions, putting in a good transmission cooler and keeping up with the fluid changes goes a long way.

I took out a 240k mile transmission on a Thunderbird I bought. It had always been maintained properly and it showed it. It worked flawlessly and looked better inside than a lot of 20k mile transmissions I have been in. It was regularly serviced with the proper spec fluid and had a small external transmission cooler installed at some point. Since it was a clean factory looking installation on that cooler and a Ford cooler I assume that it was done as part of the Ford TSB about torque converter shudder I assume.

I see the transmissions that have a cooler and regular service lasting a LOT longer than the others.

Darrin

 

Darrin

Correct. I put a cooler on mine at about 40K, and did the fluid and filter at 30K intervals. It is at 225K now, and still works great. It should see 300K.

 

My 97' e4od just took a dump at 196,000.
Flushed every 30,000 for the first 120,000 and changed every 30-40,000 since. Factory cooler with tow package.
The torque converter was the actuall culprit.
Rebuilt for $1,800

 

Service makes all the difference, but luck of the draw is also a major factor.

My family's had an original tranny go 170K on our 90 F-150, but our 2001 Expy. lost its first tranny at 16,000 miles.

Then again, Ford accidentally crimped the line going into the trans. cooler, kind of amazing that it towed 9,000 lbs. for about 800 miles before it quit though.

Ever since then though, the E40D in the Expy. seems to blow seals every time we tow anything, and that was a brand new tranny from Canada.