[ScottRiley]

I utilize my Super Duty primarily for towing my 36' ATC gooseneck racecar trailer to race weekends around the country. I purchased the truck with about 75k highway miles on it. The previous owner spent 2 hours a day on the highway with it. It is great condition and the engine is very strong. My only complaint is that the tranny is not as smooth as it used to be from a standstill nor are the shifts as crisp/smooth as they used to be.

The trailer was just built and I used it for the first time last month on a 1,200 mile round trip from Dallas to Birmingham, AL. It pulled amazingly well and I can't be happier. The trailer fully loaded easily weighs under 10,000# and the truck could cruise at 75-80 mph at ease.

I just wish the tranny was smoother. In addition to the upgrades already installed (see signature), can anyone recommend improvements to the tranny, etc. that would restore it to new condition? Should I consider a new tranny, torque converter, shift kit, etc? Given that I don't put a lot of miles on the truck nor am I pulling excessively heavy loads (14-15,000#), I am hoping to stay away from a $3k tranny from Brian's in Arkansas even though my buddy, Blair, can't stop talking about him. Should I simply stick in an upgraded torque converter with shift kit and call it a day?

FYI, during the trip, tranny temps never rose above 180 and the pyro was never above 11k (short stints near this level during steep hills).

Thanks in advance for all of the help. I love this website.

Scott

 

[j_apetersen]

might want to get tranny flushed

 

[IA712]

Some of the upgrades I see talked about alot here are the Sonnax valve and Tricumulator spring upgrade. It is supposed to firm up the shifts. The other is the FTVB, which I don't know what it stands for, but it also firms up shifts. I have read that both are easy to install, but you have to go deeper into the tranny to do the Sonnax kit...I have yet to decide which tranny upgrade I want to go with, and I am looking more to preserve mine than to trick it out.
With that said, I did get a DP-Tuner 4 position chip. Jody was able to tweak my shift points and firm some up with his personal programming. I have been extremely pleased with the engine and tranny repsonses to his programming and I pull a 29' toyhauler with toys....
Whantever you decide to do, I am sure that there is plenty of discussion in this forum and a ton of knowledge. Just remember, just because someone posts somtehing on this site, does not mean that they're an expert, even me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Riggodeaux]

Search the 7.3 upgrades archive for sonnax and/or FTVB ['factory tech valve body', Gregg Evans' product, sold thru Bob Riley at dieselsite.com] and you'll learn more than you want to know about firming up 4R100 shifts for towing. Probably from my own installing errors [since most folks rave about the sonnax/Tricumulator upgrade], I went from the sonnax to installing an FTVB and have been very happy with tranny performance since. Firm, crisp shifts, empty or loaded; my tranny temps stay well south of 180, too. Of course, you'll eventually want to make the pilgrimage to Lead Hill, Ark to visit Brian's Truck Shop for his bulletproof tranny [if you don't get the suncoast, Monster Box, or other competitive trannys]. Given my recent calamities with the Sterling 10.5" 3.73 rear end [yours is a SRW, right?], you might also look at purging your gear oil and installing a Mag-Hytec or PML aluminum cover, increasing lubricant volume in the rear end and, hopefully, keeping the temps down, avoiding my problems ....

 

[IA712]

So you have both the Sonnax and the FTVB? Like I said above, I am looking to preserve the life of my tranny and I don't tow all that often. I'm not even sure a tranny mod is really needed right now, as it doesn't appear to be getting soft on me. Maybe I'm starting to suffer from PMS (Powerstroke Modification Syndrome) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif
I have been happy with the changes in the tranny's response to Jody's programming and towing seems to be much better both on the shifting and power end of things /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif.

 

[Tinscout]

Welcome to the board. Factory programming is responsible for most early transmission failures. Your tuner addresses some of the weaknesses and helps a little. For all out long term reliability go with an aftermarket torque convertor like Precision or Suncoast. While you have the tranny out put in the Transgo kit that includes pump mods. Next install Ford's V10 cooler # XC3Z 7A095 CA. I ruined two factory convertors before installing the Precision, but my tranny is still original with 180,000. Nearly all of that is towing heavy and making significant power. Check to see what computer code you have. PMT-1 is by far the best one for towing and you may be able to have your pcm changed to this very reasonably, if it is not.

Or, for around $75 bucks you can install the sonnax/tricumulator combo and keep your fingers crossed. As for smoothness, if you really want smoothness just unload the programmer and leave it stock. Scott

 

[Riggodeaux]

Sorry I wasn't clear; I had the sonnax/tricum first, but it caused some shift lag. I replaced my old throttle body [with the sonnax in it] with the FTVB. Nothing but clean, sharp, firm shifts since then! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[ScottRiley]

Tinscout,

Thanks for the great suggestions. It looks like I need to spend about $1,500-$2,000 for a Suncoast converter, Sonnax/Tricumulator and Transgo kit during my next tranny flush. Do you happen to know if the V10 cooler is a plug-n-play to my existing cooler?

With regards to the tranny flush, any particular brand that I need to get? With all of this money being spent, I need to find someone else besides the dealer to perform work on my truck. The last time I looked for an alternative shop, I didn't get any good recommendations in Dallas.

 

[wildbill1963]

You are heading the right direction. The Sonnax/Tricmulator is flat out the best for money spent on the tranny.

I am still running stock T/C, git it replaced over new year, due to noise. Original had 198K.

Use Mobile 1 Synthetic ATF (need 20 qts for a full flush). Make sure you have an aftermarket Trans gauges.