I have a 2002 Ford F250 v8 and it has blown four front seals. I have just taken it in for the forth time and now Ford said it needs a new transmission oil pump, seal, torque converetor and so on until the bill comes to $1200. I just don't understand how a truck with only 84,000 miles and only three years old almost needs a new tranny. It always starts the same way it starts leaking on the exhaust pipe which makes it smoke and you can see fluid leaking on the exhaust pipe. My husband thinks it is tranny fluid, but is not sure. I think Ford is yanking our chains. I only see issue with oil leaks in my research, does this sound like that problem. Also, the second time Ford replaced the seal it blew the very next day, but it was also making a noise and shuttering, I think they didn't want to admit they screwed something up when they worked on it this time. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Marj
Hi Marj:
Sorry you are having problems with your trans. It is quite unusual to have so much problems with these front seals. It sounds to me like there is something wrong with alignment. Technically speaking: the flywheel turns the torque converter and this goes right through the front seal of the trans. This has all got to be true to about .003 to .005 of an inch! There could be a slight warpage in the flywheel and that's all it would take. There could also be something wrong with the pilot( on the back of the converter that slides into the crankshaft and keeps the converter true)and there could be crud or rust or..whatever in there keeping this off just a little.
It sounds like Ford is trying to do the "shotgun" approach with everything associated with it being replaced.
The pump bushing is right in front of the pump and gets alot of lubricating pressure. The front seal is just supposed to divert what little bit that gets by, back to the sump.
The proper clearance on a new converter hub and the pump bushing is about .005, also and theoretically, if you ran one without a front seal, you should get just a little drip and that's all.
Another point to consider is that if the torque converter clutch starts slipping, the first thing to happen is -it leaks out the front seal.
I have seen 2 1 ton duallys come in this week with this very problem.
Alot of times, if this is the problem, when the truck cools off, it will do fine. Until you get it out on the road. In-town driving doesn't usually make the front seal leak. Is this what happened, or did the front seal just blow out and gush fluid incessantly?
Thanks
Jeff Yarbrough www.certtrans.com
I've had the same problem you're having. Repaired twice by Ford techs only to repeat after 22k and 30k miles. The last time I took it to an independent trans shop that builds racing trans as well. They took it apart, checked everything, and then put it back together with ONLY a new front seal (NOT stock), and then upgraded the tranny cooler. They checked alignment and clearance and concluded that it's just a combination of too much heat with a "poor quality" front seal. By the way, they charged me HALF of what the Ford dealer wanted... They were given carte blanc to replace anything they thought it needed to make it reliable, so they could have replaced everything and I would have said okay. AND they guaranteed the repair! So, my conclusion is find a reputable shop that knows these trans well, give them all the info you're finding on the net, and enjoy your truck.
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