Transmission Shifting Behavior Different on '23 vs. '18

[MikeS3000]

So on my '23 Expy I noticed that in Normal, Eco and Sport the transmission will hit every gear when accelerating. On my '18 that I traded in, it would skip gears on accelerating in normal and eco but hit every gear in sport. Are other '23 owners experiencing the same thing? Is this part of the "fix" to prevent premature transmission failure. I traded my '18 because the tranny failed at 83k miles and I didn't want to spend $9k to replace it.

 

[Polo08816]

So on my '23 Expy I noticed that in Normal, Eco and Sport the transmission will hit every gear when accelerating. On my '18 that I traded in, it would skip gears on accelerating in normal and eco but hit every gear in sport. Are other '23 owners experiencing the same thing? Is this part of the "fix" to prevent premature transmission failure. I traded my '18 because the tranny failed at 83k miles and I didn't want to spend $9k to replace it.

Was it going to be $9k to replace it? The part cost appears to be about $5k for a new transmission from Ford.

 

[MikeS3000]

Yes, $9k replacement

 

[BP 09]

Ford has changed the transmission programming over the years. I don’t exactly think the skip shifting is causing failure as Ford continues to use it in some makes and models. Tuners figured out in 2017 that skip shifting was partly responsible for awkward feeling shifts. People also figured out that Ford was not putting enough trans fluid in them from the factory. With some tuning and proper fluid level, most complaints about the 10r80 could be eliminated.

The 10R80 is actually a stout unit. Mustang guys are pushing 800 horsepower through them. F150 guys are lugging around heavy travel trailers. But it has to be maintained! Fords 150k service interval on them is insane. I service mine every 30k. On factory tuning I still had the occasional goofy feeling shifts, but tuned with Gearhead now the shifting is perfect.

The 2022 F150 at my work shifts completely different than the 2020 F150 we have or my old 2019 F150 I had. It doesn’t really skip gears unless under very specific conditions. My 2018 Expedition shifted like the 19 and 20 F150 when it was stock until I had it tuned by Gearhead. Tuned my 18 Expedition shifts a lot like the 22 F150 I have at work. However our 23 Explorer at work still skip shifts.

What was the failure point on your 10 speed? Did they actually diagnose it and determine the fault? Or did they just feel some wonky 3-5 shifts like everyone else has and just tell you that you need a trans? Doesn’t make much sense to trade a vehicle in just because it needs a trans, but then buy the same transmission again in your new vehicle. Especially if it was potentially a fluid or programming issue. Just curious what the actual failure was? Did you ever replace the fluid and filter in those 80,000 miles? Even if the CDF drum failed (which is a common issue in some), a simple rebuild would have had you back on the road for well under $9,000. Should have gotten another shops opinion.

 

[TheVI]

So on my '23 Expy I noticed that in Normal, Eco and Sport the transmission will hit every gear when accelerating. On my '18 that I traded in, it would skip gears on accelerating in normal and eco but hit every gear in sport. Are other '23 owners experiencing the same thing? Is this part of the "fix" to prevent premature transmission failure. I traded my '18 because the tranny failed at 83k miles and I didn't want to spend $9k to replace it.

I noticed some lag in shift the other day, not sure what mode I was in (think eco), shifted to normal and went away. Be curious if the shift “skip” is confirmed to have been removed from the 23’s

 

[BP 09]

I noticed some lag in shift the other day, not sure what mode I was in (think eco), shifted to normal and went away. Be curious if the shift “skip” is confirmed to have been removed from the 23’s

Eco mode on the 22 F150 I drive at work occasionally will still skip shift and have slower throttle response. Normal mode usually hits all gears.

 

[MikeS3000]

Ford has changed the transmission programming over the years. I don’t exactly think the skip shifting is causing failure as Ford continues to use it in some makes and models. Tuners figured out in 2017 that skip shifting was partly responsible for awkward feeling shifts. People also figured out that Ford was not putting enough trans fluid in them from the factory. With some tuning and proper fluid level, most complaints about the 10r80 could be eliminated.

The 10R80 is actually a stout unit. Mustang guys are pushing 800 horsepower through them. F150 guys are lugging around heavy travel trailers. But it has to be maintained! Fords 150k service interval on them is insane. I service mine every 30k. On factory tuning I still had the occasional goofy feeling shifts, but tuned with Gearhead now the shifting is perfect.

The 2022 F150 at my work shifts completely different than the 2020 F150 we have or my old 2019 F150 I had. It doesn’t really skip gears unless under very specific conditions. My 2018 Expedition shifted like the 19 and 20 F150 when it was stock until I had it tuned by Gearhead. Tuned my 18 Expedition shifts a lot like the 22 F150 I have at work. However our 23 Explorer at work still skip shifts.

What was the failure point on your 10 speed? Did they actually diagnose it and determine the fault? Or did they just feel some wonky 3-5 shifts like everyone else has and just tell you that you need a trans? Doesn’t make much sense to trade a vehicle in just because it needs a trans, but then buy the same transmission again in your new vehicle. Especially if it was potentially a fluid or programming issue. Just curious what the actual failure was? Did you ever replace the fluid and filter in those 80,000 miles? Even if the CDF drum failed (which is a common issue in some), a simple rebuild would have had you back on the road for well under $9,000. Should have gotten another shops opinion.

The transmission was broken. It would not get into gear sometimes. It was go from 3 to 8 and back again. Very hard shifts. They diagnosed it as a failed CDF drum and wanted $5k to repair it without a guarantee on any other parts on the transmission. 3 months prior I spent $5k on repairing a "failed" transmission cooling pump, 2 leaking rear shocks and front brakes (I anticipated this one as a wear item). I reported very high trans temps while towing for the first time with a 3500 lb horse trailer empty. The trans got to 250F while driving on the highway. I have the HD tow package. In hindsight I doubt that the pump failed the high temps were probably just the beginning of the end of the CDF drum. Just doing the math I would be spending between $10k and $14k on a vehicle with 83k miles and a 1st revision of the gen 4 expy. That's why I threw in the towel with the hope that the "23 model has corrected the tranmission issues. The service bulletin released in May seems to indicate this as it says that the rough shifting only applies to vehicles manufacted Dec. '22 or earlier.

 

[BP 09]

The transmission was broken. It would not get into gear sometimes. It was go from 3 to 8 and back again. Very hard shifts. They diagnosed it as a failed CDF drum and wanted $5k to repair it without a guarantee on any other parts on the transmission. 3 months prior I spent $5k on repairing a "failed" transmission cooling pump, 2 leaking rear shocks and front brakes (I anticipated this one as a wear item). I reported very high trans temps while towing for the first time with a 3500 lb horse trailer empty. The trans got to 250F while driving on the highway. I have the HD tow package. In hindsight I doubt that the pump failed the high temps were probably just the beginning of the end of the CDF drum. Just doing the math I would be spending between $10k and $14k on a vehicle with 83k miles and a 1st revision of the gen 4 expy. That's why I threw in the towel with the hope that the "23 model has corrected the tranmission issues. The service bulletin released in May seems to indicate this as it says that the rough shifting only applies to vehicles manufacted Dec. '22 or earlier.

Understood. Well I imagine your 23 should be relatively trouble free then since we are this far into the 4th gen. You never know though.

Once out of warranty, consider a 170 thermostat. Just did it on my 18 and my transmission and engine temps have both dropped 20-30 degrees. I used to always be 215-220 on both during hot summer days (90 plus) but now I have yet to see over 195 on either. Mines not an HD tow though so my transmission cooler is the crappy coolant one mounted in front of the trans pan.

 

[homeuser9]

The transmission was broken. It would not get into gear sometimes. It was go from 3 to 8 and back again. Very hard shifts. They diagnosed it as a failed CDF drum and wanted $5k to repair it without a guarantee on any other parts on the transmission. 3 months prior I spent $5k on repairing a "failed" transmission cooling pump, 2 leaking rear shocks and front brakes (I anticipated this one as a wear item). I reported very high trans temps while towing for the first time with a 3500 lb horse trailer empty. The trans got to 250F while driving on the highway. I have the HD tow package. In hindsight I doubt that the pump failed the high temps were probably just the beginning of the end of the CDF drum. Just doing the math I would be spending between $10k and $14k on a vehicle with 83k miles and a 1st revision of the gen 4 expy. That's why I threw in the towel with the hope that the "23 model has corrected the tranmission issues. The service bulletin released in May seems to indicate this as it says that the rough shifting only applies to vehicles manufacted Dec. '22 or earlier.

Do you have the service bulletin regarding the rough shifting? I've got a 22 Expy that has been in shop twice for my complaint regarding a very rough shift into and out of 3rd but they've thus far not been able to experience it or really consider it an issue. I haven't quite figured out the exact secret sauce to re-create it on demand for them but it sure as heck happens each time I drive it.