slipping stopped by itself -- why?

[John G]

A month ago my '01 4WD began slipping on the upshift from 1 to 2. Soon after that, the OD light began flashing after a few minutes of driving, and the truck seemed like it had little power pulling away from a traffic light.



The local automatic transmission shop owner told me that Ford had lots of problems in the trannies for the 4.0 engine, and that a clutch part was likely broken. I was just about to take it in for a rebuild when



.... drum roll ....



... the problem mysteriously vanished! For about two weeks now, the slipping and OD flashing have not reappeared.



I can't imagine how this could be if it were a broken mechanical part. The only thing I can guess is that there's an electronic part that has failed if the outdoor air temperature is warm, but works okay in colder weather.



Any ideas?

 

[John G]

I should mention that I live in Iowa, where the temperatures have been mostly below freezing, and I use the 4WD about half the time. The slipping previously occurred both in 2WD and 4WD, and it has now vanished for both.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Where are you? Our son-in-laws family live in Tipton, Iowa.

 

[Paul H]

Because the tranny is in default mode right now. It dumped all its programming and is re-learning. You may have the common issues of the valve body gasket, and silenoid pack that is known for going in the 01 transmissions.



Paul H

 

[FlipTrac_511]

Because the tranny is in default mode right now.

Does the gen1 tranny go into 'default mode' on its own w/o disconnecting the battery? Or is this some kind of fail-safe thing due to impending tranny malfunction?

 

[Paul H]

yes it can go into default mode by itself. It does this to protect anything further fom happening, but you must take the truck in before the transmition breaks down.

Paul H

 

[Gerald Pierce]

PaulH, IF it went to default mode, wouldn't the OD light be flashing?



noheat, Regardless, given the history of these tranny's, get it in and looked at. maybe you only need the gasket/solenoid right now, instead of a full rebuild.

 

[Paul H]

cruzrtwdgt...No, the OD light will turn off in default mode due to it is re-learning how to shift. The OD light came on and normally the valve body gasket, and solenoid pack are the culprit so the tranny does need to go in for service immediately, as those problems will and can cause more problems down the road.

Paul H

 

[Gerald Pierce]

thanks for the clarification paul.... that's what I love about this site, I don't have to remember all that stuff -- especially handy since I suffer from CRS.







gp

 

[EddieS'04]

Cruzrtwdgt, I have CRS also. I asked my doctor if there was a cure yet. He said there is no cure for the disease. I asked him what disease...:lol:

 

[John G]

Paul, what are the indications of being in default mode?



Searching various forums, I've found some people say the blinking OD light indicates you are in default mode. Other people have said harsh shifts occurring at unusually high rpm.



When my tranny stopped slipping, the OD light no longer blinked, and that's how it remains now. My shifts don't seem harsh or unusual now.