I have a 2004 F250 CC 6.0 diesel automatic engine. I bought it brand new and have always had the proper maintenance done on it. At 35,897 miles, I bought my first gooseneck trailer and when pulling the trailer home, I noticed the truck seemed to be kinda fighting the trailer on bumps. At first I assumed it was normal behavior when pulling a gooseneck trailer since I'd never pulled a gooseneck before but then a little further down the road, the truck started to violently shake/jerk so hard that if I hadn't had my seat belt on, it would have thrown me into the floor. When I let off the gas, the jerking would ease off and then I could get back up to speed. This happened several times during my drive home with the trailer and at other times later. I took the truck to my local Ford dealer **multiple** times regarding this problem and they never could find anything wrong. They flashed the engine and that didn't help. They put some computer on it while I was driving down the road and that didn't turn up anything either. I took the truck to a local transmission shop and they said their computer showed that the transmission was going bad and that the reason the Ford dealer couldn't find the same problem was because the Ford dealer equipment wasn't as sensitive as theirs was. Ford dealer said they could not repair anything unless a code showed on their computer. At 41,000 miles, I was tired of fighting with Ford so I let the local transmission shop put in a new transmission and torque converter. That shop told me that transmission should last the rest of the trucks life. Not even 10,000 miles on that transmission yet and this past Wednesday, the truck started doing the same shaking and jerking again while pulling my gooseneck. Now my question to ya'll is: Did I just get "lucky" enough to get two lemon transmissions or could there be something else wrong with the truck that is tearing up the transmissions? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
Posted 2009-10-03 8:30 PM (#111412 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317 Location: Barnesville, Ga.
I have an 03 Ford 350 6 liter SRW auto and have pulled my heavy (18k Lbs) gooseneck for over 134K miles and have never had any problem. We stay in the southeast and have pulled up some good grades without ever having a tranny issue. Sounds like you got a lemon twice. Check out the powerstroke.org forum for information on a good tranny and torque converter.
Posted 2009-10-03 8:46 PM (#111414 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by Rose66 on 2009-10-03 5:15 PM
I have a 2004 F250 CC 6.0 diesel automatic engine. I bought it brand new and have always had the proper maintenance done on it. At 35,897 miles, I bought my first gooseneck trailer and when pulling the trailer home, I noticed the truck seemed to be kinda fighting the trailer on bumps. At first I assumed it was normal behavior when pulling a gooseneck trailer since I'd never pulled a gooseneck before but then a little further down the road, the truck started to violently shake/jerk so hard that if I hadn't had my seat belt on, it would have thrown me into the floor. When I let off the gas, the jerking would ease off and then I could get back up to speed. This happened several times during my drive home with the trailer and at other times later. I took the truck to my local Ford dealer **multiple** times regarding this problem and they never could find anything wrong. They flashed the engine and that didn't help. They put some computer on it while I was driving down the road and that didn't turn up anything either. I took the truck to a local transmission shop and they said their computer showed that the transmission was going bad and that the reason the Ford dealer couldn't find the same problem was because the Ford dealer equipment wasn't as sensitive as theirs was. Ford dealer said they could not repair anything unless a code showed on their computer. At 41,000 miles, I was tired of fighting with Ford so I let the local transmission shop put in a new transmission and torque converter. That shop told me that transmission should last the rest of the trucks life. Not even 10,000 miles on that transmission yet and this past Wednesday, the truck started doing the same shaking and jerking again while pulling my gooseneck. Now my question to ya'll is: Did I just get "lucky" enough to get two lemon transmissions or could there be something else wrong with the truck that is tearing up the transmissions? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
First off, the transmission shop took you for a ride, a computer will not tell you the transmission is going bad, it will let you know if there is any internal problems or not. With 40-k miles on a Ford torque shift tranny, you have NO TRANS problems!
Second, the jerking or shaking that you are getting I assume you can feel it in the steering wheel as well? If so have the front end checked out. ie: tierod ends, drag link and all related items hooked to the front susp.! The ones that I have had, I have had a few with bad drag links and king pin bushings. And they would drive find until loaded heavy!
Did you ever see the dealer with the trailer hooked up?
Posted 2009-10-03 9:03 PM (#111419 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
I had an 2003 F350 6.0L. It was one of the first ones built with that engine and trannny.
My tranny started to act up at 3000 miles. It had some really rough jerking also. I really had not even towed my trailer with the new truck. I could still drive, I would just get sudden shudders that really shook the truck.
Took it into the dealer, they replaced the tranny under warranty. The replacement tranny was still working just fine at 90,000 when I sold the truck.
So I think you got two lemons. Which is unusual with that tranny. They have held up very well compared to the old 4 speed automatic that the 7.3L desiels had.
Posted 2009-10-04 7:35 PM (#111433 - in reply to #111414) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Veteran
Posts: 136 Location: Alabama
Originally written by hogtownboss on 2009-10-03 8:46 PM
the jerking or shaking that you are getting I assume you can feel it in the steering wheel as well? If so have the front end checked out. ie: tierod ends, drag link and all related items hooked to the front susp.! The ones that I have had, I have had a few with bad drag links and king pin bushings. And they would drive find until loaded heavy!
Did you ever see the dealer with the trailer hooked up?
The continuous shuddering is felt throughout the entire truck. My body feels like a bowl of jello when driving down the road. When it does the violent jerking, it is so hard that it feels like the truck is fixing to come apart at the seams. Yes, I took the truck and the trailer to the Ford dealer several times and each time they promised me that the technician that was going to ride with me knew all about pulling trailers and each time when I asked the technician, they would say, "Oh, I don't know anything about pulling trailers. I just know diesel engines." Unfortunately, the violent jerking never happened while a technician was in the truck with me and the technicians just kept telling me that the continuous shuddering was the trailer fighting the truck and was normal for goosenecks. That was of course right after they had told me that they knew nothing about pulling trailers.
Posted 2009-10-04 10:46 PM (#111436 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
Hmmm, If i remember correctly this jerking had something to do with the brake controller for the trailer. It was an electrical problem for sure I just can't remember exactly what it was. Do a search, the person was on here that had the problem.
Posted 2009-10-05 7:31 PM (#111462 - in reply to #111436) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Veteran
Posts: 136 Location: Alabama
Originally written by Spooler on 2009-10-04 10:46 PM
Hmmm, If i remember correctly this jerking had something to do with the brake controller for the trailer. It was an electrical problem for sure I just can't remember exactly what it was. Do a search, the person was on here that had the problem.
In my case, the jerking/shaking happens with and without the trailer plugged into the truck. That makes me feel quite sure it is not anything to do with the brake controller. Thanks though.
Posted 2009-10-05 10:52 PM (#111465 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Have your drivetrain checked out! Frontend parts, u-joints as well! I still think you have a drivetrain problem, not a transmission problem. I would even check the tires too. Better half was driving our Dodge 3500 today, called and said she could not hold the truck on the road and felt like the wheel was coming off. After a quick look at the tires I found the left front had a high spot on the tread (broken belt) with 30-k miles. So we put the spare on and FIXED the problem. Going tomorrow for new front tires.
Posted 2009-10-05 11:03 PM (#111467 - in reply to #111462) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Originally written by Rose66 on 2009-10-05 8:31 PM
Originally written by Spooler on 2009-10-04 10:46 PM Hmmm, If i remember correctly this jerking had something to do with the brake controller for the trailer. It was an electrical problem for sure I just can't remember exactly what it was. Do a search, the person was on here that had the problem.
In my case, the jerking/shaking happens with and without the trailer plugged into the truck. That makes me feel quite sure it is not anything to do with the brake controller. Thanks though.[/QUOTE]
That's easy enough to check. Pull the trailer plug and drive the rig a short distance to see if the problem still exists. If it does, it won't be caused by your trailer braking system.
Posted 2009-10-06 7:36 AM (#111477 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 406 Location: Minneapolis, MN
I don't know much about the 5R110 trans in that...but I'm thinking it's not a trans issue at all. Most likely something with the engine...something in the engine management control..ie: computer, or some sensor.
Posted 2009-10-06 8:46 AM (#111479 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330 Location: northeast Texas
You know it doesnt really sound like a transmission problem. I agree with whoever said it sounds like a front end or drivetrain issue. Several years ago I had a 3/4 ton Chevy that suddenly started severe shuddering. Felt like my dash was going to just come out, steering wheel and all. I got pulled over and had a wrecker come get it. Turned out my swing bearing was bad. That could of caused a wreck. I would not continue to drive a truck that was doing what you describe. I also had a Ford 3/4 ton that started occasionally shuddering through the steering. I could hardly hold it on the road to stop it. Took it everywhere and no one knew what it was. Finally a big 18 wheeler truck front end shop diagnosed an issue withen the steering collumn and fixed it.
Another thought is, if this is a really heavy gooseneck trailer, could it be that your springs are bottoming out on rough patches of road ? If you havent ever pulled goosenecks you might not know what this feels like. It can do some pretty good shuddering and shaking.
Posted 2009-10-06 3:00 PM (#111502 - in reply to #111407) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Regular
Posts: 50 Location: White Lake, MI
I'm not sure if there is a similar bulletin for an '04, but maybe this might apply.
2005-07 Bucking/Jerking when Towing:
Trucks that exhibit a bucking/jerking sensation at steady speeds in tow/haul when towing large/heavy gooseneck trailers that typically goes away when the accelerator is completely released or depressed fully, and does not occur when using the cruise control, may be caused by movement of the driver's foot after hitting a bump in the road or triansmission upshift in combination with the particular trailer load. There is a revised computer program to make the computer less sensitive to minute accelerator pedal inputs. If reprogramming does not resolve the issue, the problem may be due to the hitch, the trialer or the loading of the trailer. TSB #07-6-9.
Posted 2009-10-06 8:54 PM (#111517 - in reply to #111502) Subject: RE: F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
Originally written by MR176 on 2009-10-06 7:00 PM
I'm not sure if there is a similar bulletin for an '04, but maybe this might apply. 2005-07 Bucking/Jerking when Towing: Trucks that exhibit a bucking/jerking sensation at steady speeds in tow/haul when towing large/heavy gooseneck trailers that typically goes away when the accelerator is completely released or depressed fully, and does not occur when using the cruise control, may be caused by movement of the driver's foot after hitting a bump in the road or triansmission upshift in combination with the particular trailer load. There is a revised computer program to make the computer less sensitive to minute accelerator pedal inputs. If reprogramming does not resolve the issue, the problem may be due to the hitch, the trialer or the loading of the trailer. TSB #07-6-9.
Yeap, this was what I remember was posted before. Thanks for locating it.
F250 Transmission Problem (long post)
