Uh oh.. :-( 2001 Expy 4.6 Transmission Failure

[Ulver]

This morning I was driving to work, going about 30 mph when I hit a bump and suddenly the tachometer launched to about 4000 RPMs. I knew something was wrong. Ever since that happened, I have not been able to drive in 3rd gear (past about 40 mph) I believe. When I go to switch to drive or reverse, I get a deep buzzing noise coming from below. I recorded the sound so you can get a listen for yourself. Does this sound like a torque converter issue? Thank you.


P.S. For the past few months I've been getting a gentle grinding from below my feet on cold start, even in idle. I feel like this is related.

 

[Ulver]

Update: I took the Expy to a shop, and it turns out that I need a new transmission. They had options for me, but in the end I decided to take it home and purchase the transmission on my own from a remanufacture company. The dealership would have charged $3,000 for parts and labor, and the shop would have charged $2,700.

The remanufacture that I'm buying from is charging $1,685 for the remanned transmission, including the torque converter and an installation bracket. Free shipping. Once I'm done installing, they will come pick the old trans up from my house. They also pay out DIY customers $25/hr. for warranty work. (Can't exceed $300, to prevent milkers..) I think I made a good decision after spending the entire day yesterday looking around for the best option. The company's name is Premier Powertrain.

 

[lonestarjeff]

That sounds very interesting. I wouldn't mind going that route if/when the tranny goes on either of my trucks.

 

[docraymund]

Why don't you consider changing to a manual transmission. It would only be a minimal conversion and less worries.

 

[Dustin Gebhardt]

When the transmission went out on my '01, I took it to a local shop. The guy specializes in Ford transmissions and said that the intermediate sprag gear (if I recall correctly), was the weak link on these units. He ended up replacing it with the compatible gear from an heavy-duty F-series.

 

[Bilsto]

Wow. Mine went out on my 2000 a year or two ago. Torque converter failed and sorta splattered itself throughout the trans. I took it to the local shop and they rebuilt it for $1500. And it works GREAT. They told me they could tell it's been rebuilt at least once before. Truck's got 242,000 miles on it.

 

[Ulver]

Update: Transmission is installed and she runs like new. Gears are shifting smoothly and she runs slightly better than before.

Something I wanted to correct myself on from what I said in the previous post about them paying out labor. They only pay labor costs to DIY and certified mechanics for warranty work only. Things were said so fast over the phone that I missed that part. I still saved a lot of money doing it myself, and as a first timer on installing a transmission I can say that it was a job well done. The only thing I need to do is move the neutral safety switch just a bit so I can switch in the parking position properly. Other than that, as is well. If anyone wants to tackle this project, feel free to contact me for help.