scsulliv
Member
Background: The transmission on my 2020 Ford Expedition MAX Limited was rebuilt last January at 59,000 miles and change, just before the warranty ran out. Supposedly everything was updated to the latest and greatest at that time (new valve body, new "updated" CDF drum, seals, software, etc).
It took 3 or 4 months for the transmission to learn to shift properly again, but other than occasional harsh engagement into 6th and 10th gears, it seemed like it was doing OK (no more neutral when I should have had reverse, for example).
This winter, the only time I had an issue with the transmission was when the transmission oil was -10F or colder - on one occasion the transmission made loud grinding noises after trying to drive away from a rolling stop after the initial start of the day. The next day (another cold morning), it shifted from 2nd to 4th when I came to a stop, then slowly shifted to 1st so that I could drive away - I have video of this. After that - it drove fine - and there were never any codes or MIL lights from the transmission.
Fast forward to this morning, and the transmission oil was 65F when I started up the truck and drove away to work. After the 1st to 3rd shift, well after 3rd gear was shown on the display, the transmission started bucking / surging and there were some low-key grinding noises, too. After that - it was fine the rest of my drive to work. This is after I just drove the truck 400 miles over the weekend pulling an open Harbor Freight trailer with a couple mopeds in it (not exactly a large payload)... I used tow-haul mode, if it matters.
Well at this point, I'm losing all faith in this "rebuilt" transmission from Ford. I called the dealership, and of course it's out of warranty.
Any ideas on what might be going on here? I'm assuming the valve body is causing problems at a minimum (possibly because of debris?), but seriously - WTF!? How can a rebuilt transmission not even make it 10,000 miles before being totally FUBAR again!?
At this point I'm not sure what to do... Bring it back to the Ford dealership that couldn't rebuild it correctly the first time? Take it somewhere else? Maybe do a transmission flush? I'm thinking that looking at the fluid is probably the minimum I should do here, to see how much swarf is in there...
Looking for ideas here, guys.... HELP!
It took 3 or 4 months for the transmission to learn to shift properly again, but other than occasional harsh engagement into 6th and 10th gears, it seemed like it was doing OK (no more neutral when I should have had reverse, for example).
This winter, the only time I had an issue with the transmission was when the transmission oil was -10F or colder - on one occasion the transmission made loud grinding noises after trying to drive away from a rolling stop after the initial start of the day. The next day (another cold morning), it shifted from 2nd to 4th when I came to a stop, then slowly shifted to 1st so that I could drive away - I have video of this. After that - it drove fine - and there were never any codes or MIL lights from the transmission.
Fast forward to this morning, and the transmission oil was 65F when I started up the truck and drove away to work. After the 1st to 3rd shift, well after 3rd gear was shown on the display, the transmission started bucking / surging and there were some low-key grinding noises, too. After that - it was fine the rest of my drive to work. This is after I just drove the truck 400 miles over the weekend pulling an open Harbor Freight trailer with a couple mopeds in it (not exactly a large payload)... I used tow-haul mode, if it matters.
Well at this point, I'm losing all faith in this "rebuilt" transmission from Ford. I called the dealership, and of course it's out of warranty.
Any ideas on what might be going on here? I'm assuming the valve body is causing problems at a minimum (possibly because of debris?), but seriously - WTF!? How can a rebuilt transmission not even make it 10,000 miles before being totally FUBAR again!?
At this point I'm not sure what to do... Bring it back to the Ford dealership that couldn't rebuild it correctly the first time? Take it somewhere else? Maybe do a transmission flush? I'm thinking that looking at the fluid is probably the minimum I should do here, to see how much swarf is in there...
Looking for ideas here, guys.... HELP!
