torque converter leak ?2000 f250 ...need help now guys ...thank you

theicecreampeople

Adventurer
hey guys my buddy (street wolf ya a rover guy ..lol..)has my f250 (only 65000 miles )in california ,he is helping me get a travel trailer from texas to morro bay california ,about 80 miles from morro bay through the hills there was smoke ,he was thinking that the tranny was leaking on the exaust and smoking ,so he stoped and let the truck cool off ,and called ..i found a shop close buy and has father in law meet up with chris ,told them to baby it to town and get it checked out the tranny fluid was full never went down ,they drove no smoke or any issues to the shop ..the guy told them it was the torque converter leaking ?and they were good to pull the trailer 75miles to destination ?,but not to drive the truck back to texas as it would fail?they made it to morro bay no issues ,my question of the day is do you think the shop could be right ?im getting a second opinion there but getting this fixed could blow alot of time ..what are your thoughts ????mine drive it back ,there was no skipping ,shaking anything ?if that happens we need to get her fixed ,thanks guys ..you expo guys rock:bike_rider:
 

bftank

Explorer
my opinion is if it is good enough to drive 75 miles towing it will be good enough to drive back empty taking it easy.

i doubt it is a blown torque convertor, i could be wrong but i would think if you lost pressure there you would also lose power and forward momentum.

have your guy take some pics if possible. usuallly you can tell where the oil is spraying from.

if the torque convertor leaked it would leak out of the bottom of the tranny not on your exhaust most likely. unless it was getting blown on it farther down the exhaust system.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
"It's not a leak if you can't see it dripping."
"It's not a big leak if the fluid level hasn't dropped."

Ok, I'm confused. What made him think it was leaking? Puddle? Drip? Loss of power? A little smoke that goes away deosn't count. I don't think you actually have a problem.

You can take a brand new truck to a mechanic, and If you tell him you think your trans is broken........he's not going to argue with you $$$.
 
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shortbus4x4

Expedition Leader
Was the trans overfilled to begin with and then pulling a trailer up a hill the ATF got hot, expanded and went out the trans vent. I can't remember where the vent is on a Ford trans of your vintage but I know on some Dodge trans the vent is in the bellhousing and it looks exactly like a bad front pump seal when ATF goes out it.
 

zack05

New member
The 4R100 auto behind the '02 and earlier Super Duties is known to leak out of the front seal (torque converter hub seal) when towing and it is hot. The seal will allow fluid to escape, then when the truck (trans) cools, it will stop leaking. Most of the rebuild kits have an improved seal, or some trans shops will machine a keeper to prevent the seal from "pushing out". If it stops leaking when it cools, and it is the front seal, its not that big of a deal. My buddies Excursion does it, and has done it for years.
 
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theicecreampeople

Adventurer
thank you guys so much ,not being there was hard to figure out what it was ,bftank my opinion exactly ....well took it to another shop to be safe ,nothing wrong ?zack05 i think you nailed it ,shortbus4x4 could have also been the vents ,how the first shop thought it was a torque converter ?who knows ..the boys made it back to texas today no problem with the truck at all ..going to get a bigger tranny cooler before i tow anything big agin ...i love my old truck glad she is ok..
 

TreeTopFlyer

Adventurer
The first shop saw two guys in a truck with out of state plates in the middle of BFE pulling a camper and saw "sucker" written all over it. Pretty sure he would have come back and shown them the tranny pan with fresh metal shavings he had just tossed in. There is an inspection plate to drain the oil of the torque converter when doing a flush. There would have been oil all over the bottom. But it would have had to travel a good ways over to get to the exhaust pipe. Glad it all worked out. Get a gauge on that thing along with a pyro. With a 6.0 tranny cooler and synthetic ATF was I hitting 200 degrees. I guarantee yours was well over that with that little 7.3 tranny cooler. When's the last time you flushed it? Might want to do it again just to be on the safe side. Not sure how much heat the oil can take.
 

jronwood

Adventurer
I had mine over heat and come out at the front of the converter. Mine is a 2002 F-350 DRW, so it has a gauge and I knew what was happening and pulled over. It was local, back road, low speed (very little cooling available) AND CRAZY trailer weight. 53' Trusses, doubled (sistered together) 13' 6" high. I was nervous about low wires!!! I ditched the gooseneck and ran home and welded a gooseneck ball on my F-550 standard flatbed and hauled it home. My buddies 2002 Excursion did the same thing down at the "shore" while on the beach stuck. He is my mechanic, and said "dont worry"

Jronwood
 

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98roamer

Explorer
The 4R100 auto behind the '02 and earlier Super Duties is known to leak out of the front seal (torque converter hub seal) when towing and it is hot. The seal will allow fluid to escape, then when the truck (trans) cools, it will stop leaking. Most of the rebuild kits have an improved seal, or some trans shops will machine a keeper to prevent the seal from "pushing out". If it stops leaking when it cools, and it is the front seal, its not that big of a deal. My buddies Excursion does it, and has done it for years.

My brother-in-law's F250 ddi this when he snow plowed too aggressively. He would let it cool down and then drive to the next job. He drove all summer before fixing the issue for the next plowing season. Just watch the fluid levels like a hawk.
 

Greggk

ZombieSoldier
do yourself favor and in the morning contact Jon Woods Transimission which is down by the arizona- california border. he is the elite know everything about our transmissions in our powerstrokes. describe what happened, the original diagnosis and see what he suggests.

366 Maple Ave
Holtville, CA 92250
ph: 760-356-1734
fax: 760-356-9421
alt: 760-356-9421
john@jwtt.com


http://jwtt.com/products

are you even sure its the tranny? have you checked engine oil level? have you checked the HPOP o-rings? have you checked the low pressure oil system plugs at the back of the motor see if they are leaking? fuel filter bowl o-rings? the drain valve on the fuel filter bowl? all of these will cause a leak that would cause smoke from the area listed as they would all go back the valley of the motor and down the backside of the motor to the tranmission.
 

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