[kato48]

I have a 2001 f250 7.3 , after towing a 5th wheel RV 20mi. when I pulled out from under it I shut off the engine. upon restart it wouldn't move. trans fluid was leaking out the dust cover. I've learned via the forum my tans got hot and damaged the front seal. The fluid does not smell burnt. Any advice shared is appreciated

 

[RT]

Definitely need to do the 6.0 transmission cooler modification. Get yourself a transmission temperature gauge as well. The Viton front seal is a better option - it doesn't get soft when hot.

Here's a write-up on the cooler upgrade - View attachment 6.0 Transmission Cooler Write up.pdf

 

[FleetMan]

Were you doing much backing and maneuvering in reverse before you unhooked the 5er? With minimal air flow across the OTA transmission cooler, it doesn't take very much time for the fluid to get hot. I speak from experience, I too was very concerned when I saw all that tranny fluid on the ground after maneuvering my travel trailer in reverse for, what I thought, was not an overly long period of time. Fluid looked good, leaking stopped and I towed many thousands of miles after that without any problems. I installed a Hayden six pass tranny cooler after that to help keep things cool, later swapped it for the Tru-Cool Max. This was long before the 6.0 cooler became available. About 20,000 miles after my scare, I upgraded to the BTS transmission but it too can be overheated if you do extended backing and maneuvering in reverse, even with additional cooling devices. Note, mine is an early '99 which does not have the OTW transmission cooler in the bottom of the radiator so it will get hot a lot sooner than the later models.

 

[DENNY]

When backing a big trailer unlock front hubs and shift into 4x4 low (if you have it). You will not work the tranny as hard and the slower speed will make backing easier and you will look like a pro.
DENNY

 

[kato48]

thanks for all the info guys. so I should be able to test drive the truck if I top off the tranny, I want to make sure it shifts correctly be fore the trans is pulled to change the seal, if not, off it goes to the trans shop.