Transmission failure, 40400 miles

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mad4Macs
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Mad4Macs

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Just got the word from the dealership, the transmission has failed again.
I need to know the secrets that my high horsepower, stock transmission bretheren possess, because this is the 2nd time I've been through this.
Yes, I accelerate hard, but I don't manually shift, override the shifts, override the overdrive etc.. etc etc, and I've never over revved it.
I put the car into reverse to back out of the driveway in the morning, put it into drive and then drive away to work. That's it.
Anyway... ESP covers the work and the rental, but between the SHO and the Marauder, I don't have any confidence in Ford to build reliable cars.
Just my 2 cents, based on my experiences, but that's how it is.
When the MM goes out of warranty... I don't know that I'll keep it.
 
Mad4Macs said:
Just got the word from the dealership, the transmission has failed again.
I need to know the secrets that my high horsepower, stock transmission bretheren possess, because this is the 2nd time I've been through this.
Yes, I accelerate hard, but I don't manually shift, override the shifts, override the overdrive etc.. etc etc, and I've never over revved it.
I put the car into reverse to back out of the driveway in the morning, put it into drive and then drive away to work. That's it.
Anyway... ESP covers the work and the rental, but between the SHO and the Marauder, I don't have any confidence in Ford to build reliable cars.
Just my 2 cents, based on my experiences, but that's how it is.
When the MM goes out of warranty... I don't know that I'll keep it.
Click to expand...

Argh. Sorry to hear you lost another one. I know I've been sweating it a bit, myself. Especially since my much less powerful '97 T-Bird V8 (about 210 hp) ate it's 4R70W tranny. It did it about 1 month out of warranty, too. Maybe it'd be worth the road trip to Dennis to get our trannies upgraded? Guess it depends upon what is failing in yours. Do you know yet what exactly packed up in the tranny?
 
Crap Crap crap. Double Crap.

That really sucks man. What is it with these? Most of us just don't seem to have any problems yet, and here you are on your second major repair . . .
 
Knowing what went wrong would go a long way....it may not make you feel any better but it may help to answer some questions...sorry about what happened to you...I can understand why you are dissapointed with the car.
 
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Funny thing, these 4R70Ws. I see them in hard use CVPIs and Ford Vans, some of the vans are Loaded MAXed out every day, and are driven very hard (4.2L V6 w/4R70W) by Couriers that down own the vehicles. The last one I worked on had 245K on it, and we change fluid on it every 60K (no flush, just a filter and whatevers in the pan).

HAve you considered getting a trans fluid temp gauge to monitor how warm the fluid is getting?

What is the cause of the failure?

Is the car stock?
 
Too ironic....two trannies in such a short time.

Has to be driving habits you are unaware of....:dunno:

I am however sorry to hear of your continuing breakdowns and frustrations.
 
I drive an 02 CVPI for 60K since new and never broke the tranny. I dont know what slushbox it has but it keeps getting better and better with age. For the record, I drive that car like I stole it sometimes and never once has it let me down.

Though, now I think it is leaking oil on the manifold due to the burning oil smell. Thats the only problem I have had.
 
The only problem I have ever had with my Marauders tranny is that sometimes the overdrive wouldn't work. I would put the car in nutral while driving and back to drive and it would be fine. It's hasn't happened in months. The car is still stock :mad: but yes I am rough with it, I probably have overroad it and yes I manually shift it. It's fine, but probably needs a flush. Sorry to hear the bad news.
 
I put about 60K on my original tranny. Hard driving, mostly over the road, some stop and go, and some racing. While I was in Florida last summer, I had Dennis install his upgrades to the tranny. When he opened the tranny he said it was brunt, whatever that meant. Anyway, that's my story, original tranny went 60K and was still going when I had it upgraded.
 
and not sure you can compare it to a SHO. My 5 speed SHO had a week Mazda trans, went through that every 6 months! That car was nothing but exceptions, the MM has so many parts from a long heritage compared to all the one off parts of the eqarly SHO's. I beat the crap out of my MM, I only have 10k on it but no problems yet (knock on wood)
 
Motorhead350 said:
The only problem I have ever had with my Marauders tranny is that sometimes the overdrive wouldn't work.
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Easy fix and a popular problem on the early '03's.
Mine did the same thing, occationally not shifting into OD while entering the freeway, or after I manually turned off the OD, and then went to turn it back on.In conjunction with that, difficulty finding reverse when in my driveway turning around to park.

We discovered the shifter cable was WAY out of adjustment on many of the early 300A's, and oddly enough, THAT was what caused the intermittent OD hassles. I had to really push the issue at the dealer, but as soon as the tech adjusted the tension on the shifter cable assy, I have never had a problem, and it's been nearly two years.
 
Dealer called (haven't opened it up yet), said that the torque converter failed.
And as for the SHO, I wasn't referring to the trannie, but that car had nearly every other mechanical failure imaginable. Usually, it would just "quit", and most often when I was pulling away from a light, then be stalled out in the intersection. The last time I had it towed in, I traded it in for the Marauder... which has now been in the shop 4 times in a year and a half for major work.
 
I owned 3 SHO's and the only problems were the 5 speed trans went out @60K and sun roof stuck open, both coverd under warranty.

To date no real probs with the MM.

Me thinks you have bad luck.
 
On the bright side of things...

The MM's back in my possesion, and once again, the trans has (in an odd way) saved me some money.
Yes sir, I've avoided the 30,000 mile scheduled maintenance altogether, and the 60,000 mile transmission service now comes a little later than it would have done otherwise.
With just another tranny failure or 2, my ESP will have paid itself off, oh boy! :rolleyes:
Since I was asked earlier about mods... the 1st failure occured at 27,400 and the car was bone stock, not even a flash. At 40,000, not bone stock, but there haven't been any mechanical mods outside of the stereo system.
 
Murader03 said:
I put about 60K on my original tranny. Hard driving, mostly over the road, some stop and go, and some racing. While I was in Florida last summer, I had Dennis install his upgrades to the tranny. When he opened the tranny he said it was brunt, whatever that meant. Anyway, that's my story, original tranny went 60K and was still going when I had it upgraded.
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Yea i would suggest this to be done to a trans as it may last longer as well as take abuse.Dennis did my trans as well as t/c..Just my :twocents:
 
Mad4Macs said:
Yes, I accelerate hard, but I don't manually shift, override the shifts, override the overdrive etc.. etc etc, and I've never over revved it.
.
Click to expand...
"override the overdrive etc"

There might be your answer. The first bit of advice I got (except for the backing up instructions) from RF and others, was Never, Ever go WOT without punching the overdrive button first. I believe Dennis gave a good explination a while back. I know it's a thrill to go from 4th to 1st, with the go pedal stomped to the floor, but think about a bunch of torque getting dumped into your tranny, all at once.:twocents:
 
Keeping it to 123

I end up using the od button constantly at stops and slow crusing just in case, cause I only learned about this technique a bit ago and still forget occasionally:rolleyes: .

Bradley G
 
Mike Poore said:
"override the overdrive etc"

There might be your answer. The first bit of advice I got (except for the backing up instructions) from RF and others, was Never, Ever go WOT without punching the overdrive button first. I believe Dennis gave a good explination a while back. I know it's a thrill to go from 4th to 1st, with the go pedal stomped to the floor, but think about a bunch of torque getting dumped into your tranny, all at once.:twocents:
Click to expand...

So you're saying when cruising in 4th gear, before you stomp it the floor you're forcing a down shift into 3rd with the O/D button?
 
I have complained about the O/D since I got the car!! :mad2:

Even with the new SCT program if I'm running 65 or above the TC still stays locked when turning the O/D off unless I decelerate?? In other words with the throttle on the damn TC stays locked from internal pressure (???) according to the bunch at SCT??? :o You not only have to turn the O/D off but also have to coast a bit to ensure the TC unlocks!! :cool:

I have a program that disables the TC completely but haven't used it other than testing it.......May run that way for a week and see how my fuel mileage suffers and check transmission temps?? :confused:

BTW....I have had numerous CV's and I think they all had 4R70W's??? The 1998 we still have has 185K miles.....NO PROBLEMO!!! :banana: My 2000 CV had 210K miles and trans was A-OK while I had axle problems.....bearings ate the axles up......but at 180K or so??? $750 and back to it!! :rolleyes:

Marauderjack
:D
 
Fourth Horseman said:
So you're saying when cruising in 4th gear, before you stomp it the floor you're forcing a down shift into 3rd with the O/D button?
Click to expand...

Yes I am, because of what Dennis, RF, and others have said.
 
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