5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestions?

Can't go anywhere without a working drivetrain
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RobertL
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5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestions?

Post by RobertL »

Today after replacing my starter, solinoid, and ECM I took Oblivion out for what was supposed to be a 10 mile jaunt to make sure the ECM was programmed correctly.

Not to happen.

It appears the main seal on the transmission let go, spewing copious amounts of fluid everywhere. Even when parked and off it continued to empty.

Suggestions for companies that provide reliable and warranted replacement transmissions are suggested?

Thanks
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skater
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Post by skater »

Sorry to hear about your bad news. Sounds like what mine did. :(

I put a Jasper reman in mine. They fix the issues that cause them to fail, so the new one should last longer than the original. I want to say it was around $3000 installed. You can check their site to see their dealers. 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty. It includes a new transmission cooler as well. It has 11,000 miles on it and runs perfectly even after towing a car over the Appalachian mountains several times.

If you have someone you can trust, rebuilding it will probably be a cheaper option. Still expensive though.
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Electraglide
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Post by Electraglide »

Why don't you have the seals replaced? I had the seals let go last year during a heat wave and had them replaced for about $500. That was several thousand miles ago.
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skater
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Post by skater »

Electraglide wrote:Why don't you have the seals replaced? I had the seals let go last year during a heat wave and had them replaced for about $500. That was several thousand miles ago.
Yeah, if nothing else is wrong with the transmission, that's an option too. :)

In my case, third gear was slipping and the torque converter was out of it. It was done.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
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RobertL
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Post by RobertL »

I am going to have it looked at.

After exhaustive research there are a lot of opinions out there that the e4od is not a bad transmission but it does have some issues in high load, high toque engine applications.

1 Heat build up being the number one issue.

2 Ford programmed sloppy shift points (more car like)

From what I have read no matter what happens I need to ensure that I increase the cooling efficiency (transmission cooler, gauge, and larger fluid pan capacity) and get an aftermarket transmission programmer to make the shift points more efficient.

Timing sucks as I am in the process of buying my first restaurant.
RobertL
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Finally done- And I am Broke!

Post by RobertL »

ECM failure, Pack Rat chewing wires and hoses in engine compartment (from prior owner) contributed to the failure of our Transmission.
Finally rebuilt and upgraded, with heavy duty torque converter, upgraded gears, etc. and firmer shift points.

Seems to be working very well, but it will be sometime before I get to go out anywhere.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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Alaskan
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Post by Alaskan »

Thanks for the update Robert.... !

In the spring, point that rig north and ride til ya get to Alaska.
RobertL
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Re: 5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestion

Post by RobertL »

Finally we have managed to get the Beasty out for a short run.
We took Oblivion over the Dam with our kayaks and camped down at Willow beach 2 weeks ago.
Transmission and Engine appear to be working fine.
The shift points are much firmer now with the upgrades to the transmission and with the new ECM, wires, plugs, etc. the power from the engine seems much smoother.
FYI- If you go over the new bridge at Hoover Dam, observe the wind notice. We passed over in a rainstorm with 60 mile an hour gusts. Lots of pitch and roll fun!
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skater
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Re: 5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestion

Post by skater »

Glad to hear you're back up and running!
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Jonny
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Re: 5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestion

Post by Jonny »

Bought my '92 last month had 80k miles. Ran extremely smooth. Driving down the freeway in 95 degree heat 3 days later and smoke went everywhere. No noise just cabin filled with sweet smelling smoke instantly.

Pulled over and saw the exhaust was covered in tranny fluid. Was coming out of the plastic cap in bottom front of bell housing. Pouring out.

Towed home, started browsing transmission forums. Saw a lot of people saying front seal would re seat itself often once it was cool again. Didn't believe it. Filled trans next day with 2 1/2 gallons of fluid and limped around the block. No slipping. That was 30 days and at least 5k miles ago and not a drop has leaked. I still don't trust it but it sure does seem to have fixed itself.
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skater
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Re: 5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestion

Post by skater »

Jonny wrote:Towed home, started browsing transmission forums. Saw a lot of people saying front seal would re seat itself often once it was cool again. Didn't believe it. Filled trans next day with 2 1/2 gallons of fluid and limped around the block. No slipping. That was 30 days and at least 5k miles ago and not a drop has leaked. I still don't trust it but it sure does seem to have fixed itself.
I was told by a transmission shop that they'll do that sometimes. Obviously your transmission did overheat or come pretty close to it, so try to go easier on it, but...yeah.
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Keystone
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5 Ton Lawn Ornament? Transmission replacement suggestions?

Post by Keystone »

I've had the same experience--see my post on "ATF spew". Because it happened a second time even after flushing and using synthetic transmission fluid, I had a transmission cooler installed. Was only $200, and has fixed the problem. So far.
Keystone
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