I am new to the forum and hoping to get some input on the transmission issue that occurred today.
I have a 2003 F250 6.0L 4x4 with 188k on it. I am the original owner and the truck has been well maintained. While coasting down a hill 5%-6% grade, locked in 3rd gear so I didn't have to ride the brakes, the truck suddenly free wheeled. Tried switching into 2nd and drive while rolling, but it made no difference. Stopped at the bottom of the hill. Switching to ANY gear made no difference. The engine idle speed fluctuated slightly when switching gears, but apply gas just resulted in rpm's on the motor and no movement. The OD light was flashing. I turned off the truck for approximately 30 seconds and restarted it. The transmission engaged long enough for me to get about 1/4 mile down the road, the started "slipping". Pulled to the side of the road again. Checked fluid and it was full, pink and smelled clean. Looking underneath, everything looked ok. No loose or frayed wires that I could see.
A little back story. I am currently on a 10 day Boy Scout outing, writing this from Great Basin National Park in Baker, NV. The drive out to Utah last week was uneventful until we stopped for gas. After shutting the truck off and fueling, the truck was extremely slow to accelerate from a stop with a fair amount of black smoke. Once moving drivability was fine although it seemed to be down on power and downshifts were sluggish with a puff of black smoke when it finally kicked down. The engine light did come on, but went back off after a couple hundred miles. This problem occurred in the past, Ford replaced injectors and said the programming had been cleared or something. While in Utah, with no load in or behind the truck, while climbing a long incline the engine was cycling boost through the waste gate in proportion to how much throttle I was giving it. More throttle resulted in faster cycling of wastegate and more aggressive jerking of the truck. The problem did not occur again. However, while climbing out of MOAB on Hwy 70, a series of high pitch noises developed. They sounded like vacuum leakers and coincided with the increase and decrease of the engine fan. As I noted previously, the truck was down on power, but still pulled sufficiently to maintain speed. Engine and trans temp gauges never moved from normal operating temp.
My belief is there a two separate issues with the truck. The engine based issue is something that happened before and Ford claimed to have fixed, but has now returned, leading me to believe they addressed the problem, not the cause of the problem. Typical Ford, throwing parts at the problem. The transmission issue is brand new. From reading other posts, I believe it is a solenoid or clutch issue. I appreciate any input to get me on the right track. Please ask questions if more details will help.
Thanks.
I have a 2003 F250 6.0L 4x4 with 188k on it. I am the original owner and the truck has been well maintained. While coasting down a hill 5%-6% grade, locked in 3rd gear so I didn't have to ride the brakes, the truck suddenly free wheeled. Tried switching into 2nd and drive while rolling, but it made no difference. Stopped at the bottom of the hill. Switching to ANY gear made no difference. The engine idle speed fluctuated slightly when switching gears, but apply gas just resulted in rpm's on the motor and no movement. The OD light was flashing. I turned off the truck for approximately 30 seconds and restarted it. The transmission engaged long enough for me to get about 1/4 mile down the road, the started "slipping". Pulled to the side of the road again. Checked fluid and it was full, pink and smelled clean. Looking underneath, everything looked ok. No loose or frayed wires that I could see.
A little back story. I am currently on a 10 day Boy Scout outing, writing this from Great Basin National Park in Baker, NV. The drive out to Utah last week was uneventful until we stopped for gas. After shutting the truck off and fueling, the truck was extremely slow to accelerate from a stop with a fair amount of black smoke. Once moving drivability was fine although it seemed to be down on power and downshifts were sluggish with a puff of black smoke when it finally kicked down. The engine light did come on, but went back off after a couple hundred miles. This problem occurred in the past, Ford replaced injectors and said the programming had been cleared or something. While in Utah, with no load in or behind the truck, while climbing a long incline the engine was cycling boost through the waste gate in proportion to how much throttle I was giving it. More throttle resulted in faster cycling of wastegate and more aggressive jerking of the truck. The problem did not occur again. However, while climbing out of MOAB on Hwy 70, a series of high pitch noises developed. They sounded like vacuum leakers and coincided with the increase and decrease of the engine fan. As I noted previously, the truck was down on power, but still pulled sufficiently to maintain speed. Engine and trans temp gauges never moved from normal operating temp.
My belief is there a two separate issues with the truck. The engine based issue is something that happened before and Ford claimed to have fixed, but has now returned, leading me to believe they addressed the problem, not the cause of the problem. Typical Ford, throwing parts at the problem. The transmission issue is brand new. From reading other posts, I believe it is a solenoid or clutch issue. I appreciate any input to get me on the right track. Please ask questions if more details will help.
Thanks.
