1999 F350 Torque Converter

Several years ago a Ford mechanic told me that the funny "rattle" sound my truck made when idling was the torque converter and its days were numbered. He said I might as well run it until it gives me problems though. I have put several thousand miles on it since then and pulled quite a few heavy trailers with no problems.

Well, tonight I was attempting to back a cotton trailer loaded with hay into my barn. I normally push it into the barn because the trailer is set up to pull about a foot offset to the right and it is a real bear to back up. After several attempts I was getting a bit impatient and when I put the truck into Drive to pull forward I gunned it and spun the tires pretty good (in grass). I did it about 3 times then decided that it wasn"t a smart thing to do. After I got the trailer in the barn and unhooked it, I noticed several streams of transmission fluid on the ground. Looking under the truck, there was fluid leaking on the front of the transmission.

My questions are: 1) Is this most likely the torque converter and if so, what is wrong with it. 2) Was my stupidity tonight the sole cause of the problem or merely the icing on the cake (truck has 195K miles on it). 3) Any tips or recommended replacement parts.

After 3 late, long nites of hauling hay (can"t do it when it is 106 degrees out during the day) I had had enough and was ready to be just be done. Hope my frustration isn"t the cause of an expensive repair.

Thanks in advance,
Tim

Probly more like straw that broke the camel's back so I wouldn't worry much. I would think front seal more so than tc. Past experience has taught me that 90% of transmission shops will tell you that nothing less than a $2500 complete rebuild will cure anything you come in with. The seal is not hard to install if you lift the truck and have a transmission jack so one of your local mechanics can do it. The clicker is wherther the seal has grooved the tc. Tough call wherther to just fix the problem or go for a complete rebuild with 200k on the clock.

Hi Jim,

Of all the parts on your truck, the torque converter is probably the last item to fail.....and that annoying spring rattle will more than likely outlast you and I together. :>)

Chances are that you got 'er hot and the fluid level boiled out over the vent.

Go out there this moring and I'll bet your truck is just fine.

Top off the fluid and watch it for the next week or so just to make sure it isn't leaking any more.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it. :>)

Allan

Listen to what Allan told you. My 96 did the same thing. Was on the first leg of a 2 thousand mile trip, pulling a large RV on a very hot day. Pulled into a park for the night and had a stream of tranny fluid running out the front and I too went into panic mode. My Dad was with me and said not to worry but to go to the parts house and get some fluid and top it off which I did. Next day we lost more and I topped it off again. 3rd day I didn"t loose any, but the weather was cooler. Made the whole trip with no problems and to this day (that was 5 years ago) it no longer leaks oil. BTW, I was running in overdrive at about 70mph, not level terrain and temps in the upper 90"s. Similar to your experience, I would say you just got it hot.

The rattle you"ve been hearing is more than likely the converter. In 99 Ford went to what they call a grobe clutch style converter. They are known for fingers in the lockup clutch assembly coming loose and rattling. What Allan said was right. It is usually only a problem if it really bugs you.

Now the fluid loss is a different cat. It more than likely didnt come from the vent. When the converter overheats, the neck of the converter actually gets hot enough to expand the rubber on the pump seal. Then it starts pouring fluid out the front. Watch now, once the truck has cooled down, you can add fluid back in and it wont leak.

With you going back and forth under load, you built up alot of heat fast, and the ford style converter is horrible at disipating it.

One thing you can do to greatly help your cause is to use low range in the transfer case when moving heavy loads around the yard or field. Not so much for the 4wd, but you are using the t-case like a splitter for gear reduction. If it"s a 2wd truck, then you are always gonna have to watch what you are doing, especially backing heavy loads on soft ground.

With 195k miles on here"s what I would do..

Fill it back up with fluid. Now that it"s cooled down the leak will have quit. Be pretty careful with how hard you are pulling it and decide if you want to spend the money fixing it. Find a good shop with a good reputaion for building these 4R100s and talk with them about what it would take to rebuild it with a billet cover torque converter. That billet cover gives you alot heavier lockup clutch and disipates heat way faster.

Pulling it to put a seal in, or just replacing the converter is a waste of money if it"s a truck you plan on keeping and using. All your apply oil and converter charge come from the trans, so its kinda like putting a new tire on a rusted out rim and expecting it to hold air. Lastly, you need to make sure they can flush and flow out your cooler. On a ford, converter charge and lube oil are the same circuit. So, any crap coming out of the converter hits the cooler before hitting the filter in the pan. A half plugged cooler will shoot the transmission right in the foot. Sorry for the long reply, but this transmission is kinda my bread and butter. Hope this helps BW

If the transmission blew I would not rebuild. Can buy a new trans from Ford for less than $ 2000 for the f350 with 3 year warranty. Just my advice.