After reading some of the messages here I am beginning to wonder if the transmission in my truck is very weak. Is it the same tranny that is installed in passenger cars? Is it not the one that everyone hopes they don't have? With a 5.4, 355 LS and tow pkg. is the tranny the weak link? Should I baby the truck and never tow anything and never mash the throttle? Should I start saving money for an overhaul.

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2000 F-150, XLT, SC, 5.4, 4X4, 355 LS, ORP, Black/Silver, class III, single CD, sliding glass, med. gray, keyless, elect. shift, engine date 8-18-99, Superchip. '93 Harley Fatboy Black & tons of chrome

 

I once had a lime green 71 pinto with wood panels on the side.....it was clean! I have seen many posts saying that tranny is fine. Enjoy your pinto.... I mean F150!

 

I think the early Pinto auto tranny was a C4 - no overdrive.

I had a '71 Pinto w/ the 2.0 liter and 4 speed - it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the other econo cars of the day (Gremlin, Vega, etc.)

 

I had a Pinto also and I thought it was a pretty good car - wide tires, 4-speed and a 4 banger that would get up and go pretty good and handle reasonably well. Never had a problem with it - but then no one rear ended it.

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2000 F150 SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a K&N filter, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and Superchip.




[This message has been edited by Ron Kaltenbach (edited 04-18-2000).]

 

Since we are talking about Pinto Blowabouts, I too have owned one. It was my first car. paid $1,500 for it. A Silver 1979 Pinto Wagon, 2.3 liter 4 speed. It was a GTE Company car w/ 47,000 miles. So I know it was well maintained. I remember buying re-treads for it and would let roll backwards a ways down our asphault road while the clutch was pushed in and in 2 gear. I revved the motor until the tac was reading, oh 4,500, or 5,000 RPM and dump the clutch. Tires just- a-smok'in, or was that (A) tire smokin? Then I heard things smacking the inside fender wells. Didn't think anything of it until I returned home and noticed big chuncks of tire tread missing. Hmmm what a humbling experience.

F&B"s umm I mean dumb sh*t

:-0

Oh BTW the tranny held up just fine, that was until I blew the clutch out driving
"normal" down the freeway. Gee I wonder why

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98 F-150 XLT, SC, SWB, 2WD, Pac. Grn., 4.2L auto, 4.10 gears w/ LS, Tow Pkg., BFG AT's 265/75/16, K&N air filter, Dynomax muffler, Superchip, Edelbrock shocks, Hellwig sway bar, 3" body lift, signal mirrors, ...tons of cosmetic products

 

Had a Yellow one (appropriate color) can't remmeber what year. We used it as the drop off car when we ran the Chatooga River. Had great big wooden roof rack that hung out two feet on either side for the boats that would smack you in the head every time you got out of it. We would drive it to the ending point of our float and leave the keys in it for the return to our put in point. Never a worry of it being stolen! Would lock the beer in the trunk however. That would have been stolen for sure.

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2000 F-250 Super Duty, SuperCab XLT, Oxford white with medium grey cloth captains chairs, 5.4L Triton V8 (260 HP version!), 4R100 4 Speed Automatic Transmission, 4 wheel ABS, Deluxe Aluminum Wheels, Trailer Towing Package, Class IV Hitch, Reece load distribution system, Escort Sensor II Electronic Brake controller, K&N filter, Sure Stop towing skirt, "Westin" black powder coated step bars, "White-White" head lamps, Herculiner bed liner, ISSPRO Tranny Temp Guage, Excursion center console.

 

I wouldn't go as far to say that Pinto's are slow. Maybe stock ones.

anyhoo.

I read in a HotRod magazine a year or 2 ago about a 10 second pinto, with a 4popper and a turbo.

 

The original question was about the strength of the 4R70W tranny. No, it's not as strong as the 4R100. Yes, it is entirely strong enough for anything except heavy towing that 99.9% of F-150s will ever do. With the 5.4 engine, you've got some internal upgrades that make it the best 4R70W ever. Since you've got the tow package, you've already got a tranny cooler, if you're worried put on a bigger one and, if you're real worried, add a deep aluminun tranny pan with a temp gage. Run a full synthetic in place of the Mercon blend and don't tow in OD. It should last forever.

FWIW Formula Ford open-wheel race cars use Pinto engines

 

Dirt Bike Dave: I also had a '71 Pinto with a 2-litre 4-speed. Bought it new. Red with black. It was a good car. Handled great after I put 5-inch rims and Michelin ZX tires on it. I slalomed and autocrossed it and generally tried to blow it up but couldn't. After I sold it, I found out that it blows itself up on its own when it's clobbered in the back end. Oh well. The tranny worked great.

Bubbadewski: I think you worry too much. You can buy an extended warranty for your truck, if you want more protection.

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Black 2000 SC short-box XLT. 4.2V-6, 5-speed, 3.55 limited-slip. CD, remote entry, factory side steps, FORD box liner.

My third F-series: '73 F-100, '98 F-150 and '00 F-150. GREAT trucks!

 

Yea I guess we got off subject again.

If you want to feel better about the 4R70W go over to ford-diesel.com and watch these guys trash the 4R100. No one is ever satisfied!

My advice is add a Tranny Temp Guage so you can watch the temps and know where to go from there. You can do this for less than $35.00. I have a post on an install of one in a F250 at the Superduty forum.

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2000 F-250 Super Duty, SuperCab XLT, Oxford white with medium grey cloth captains chairs, 5.4L Triton V8 (260 HP version!), 4R100 4 Speed Automatic Transmission, 4 wheel ABS, Deluxe Aluminum Wheels, Trailer Towing Package, Class IV Hitch, Reece load distribution system, Escort Sensor II Electronic Brake controller, K&N filter, Sure Stop towing skirt, "Westin" black powder coated step bars, "White-White" head lamps, Herculiner bed liner, ISSPRO Tranny Temp Guage, Excursion center console.

 

the 4r70w is a good tranny. Since the 93 year the tranny has been improved muchly over the AOD. The truck version is not the same as the Mustang or the Crown Vic either! see the following www.tccoa.com/transmission/ www.baumannengineering.com/

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, WMS Velocity tube, K&N, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust with Echo tube.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill!

[This message has been edited by mlaugh (edited 04-20-2000).]

[This message has been edited by mlaugh (edited 04-20-2000).]

[This message has been edited by mlaugh (edited 04-20-2000).]

 

The AOde was put on the F-150 market til the 1995 model year, or maybe even late 1994.

 

14 years later

Dang I should of put one in my Pinto too !


Well my son's 04 F150 4R70W just blew up while he was waiting inline at a KFC drive thru yesterday. He said it sounded like a bomb went off and that it cracked the case and flooded the area with tranny fluid. Towed it to a dealer and traded it in

 

The 4R70W is actually a pretty good transmission but an automatic trans will always be the weak link in a tow rig, just like the clutch is the weak link in a manual trans rig.

That said, my father has been towing an enclosed car trailer with his race car, golf cart and tools to tracks all over the country with his 2005 Expedition 5.4 3v/4R70W and the trans has been perfect.

There has GOT to be more to that story, transmissions don't just blow up while siting in a drive through.

I've blown up a few automatics in my day but none ever exploded while sitting still or idling along at a leisurely pace.

-Steve

 

Will never know ? He just put over 1200 miles on it in 2 days driving out to the South Carolina with a 900 lb. payload. He said the truck ran great all the way there.