Well, this is a bummer

[upther]

I've got a 2004 XLT and started getting the dreaded O/D Off message of death on Monday night. Took it to the trans shop yesterday and was told that it was throwing a code for a bad TCC solenoid. He didn't have a new one in stock but could get one by this morning. He pulled the old one out this morning and it ohm'd out and passed the voltage test but he put the new one in anyways. No luck, still throwing the same code which means it's the torque converter itself. Ugh. He's working up a quote to replace it but I know that I don't have the money for that job at the moment. Gonna nurse it around town for a couple paychecks until I can get the cash together. Guess it's a diet of raman noodles and hot dogs for me!

Only 45K miles and a bad torque converter, smh

 

[MidnightRebel07]

That's why I stay away from deep mud , I bet you got some into the trans either through the vent tube or just getting through the seals. Mine ahs been blinking for about a year and a half, it's had the shift flare for roughly four months now and has gotten to the point that I don't want to risk it crapping out completely on me so it's getting parked and I've started on my SOA, SAS, 351w, C6, manual transfercase swap.

 

[Levittown Ford Parts]

I've got a 2004 XLT and started getting the dreaded O/D Off message of death on Monday night. Took it to the trans shop yesterday and was told that it was throwing a code for a bad TCC solenoid. He didn't have a new one in stock but could get one by this morning. He pulled the old one out this morning and it ohm'd out and passed the voltage test but he put the new one in anyways. No luck, still throwing the same code which means it's the torque converter itself. Ugh. He's working up a quote to replace it but I know that I don't have the money for that job at the moment. Gonna nurse it around town for a couple paychecks until I can get the cash together. Guess it's a diet of raman noodles and hot dogs for me!

Only 45K miles and a bad torque converter, smh

Let us know if you need help sourcing an OEM one, Ford offers them remanufactured for a reasonable price.

-Benny

 

[upther]

Well, I just picked it up and there's a small glimmer of hope that it isn't the torque converter. The code it's throwing is a P0741.

- Low transmission fluid level
- Dirty transmission fluid
- Faulty torque converter clutch solenoid valve
- Torque converter clutch solenoid valve harness or connectors
- Torque converter clutch solenoid valve circuit is open or shorted
- Transmission internal mechanical problem

I know the solenoid is good and he said the fluid in the pan looked great and there wasn't any metal in the pan so that knocks the first 3 things off the list. There's a chance that it's an electrical or wiring issue somewhere. He thinks the trans is fine since all the gears are there.

He doesn't have time to look at it this week which is why I got it back, so I'll be dropping it back off on Monday or Tuesday for him to trouble shoot some more. He hasn't charged me for a thing yet and said he won't until he finds the problem. So far it has been a really nice experience with that shop.

 

[Levittown Ford Parts]

It sounds like you found yourself a great shop to deal with for sure!

 

[Sp0rtTr4c]

Is the light flashing all the time? Mine did this about a year ago but only would flash every now and then, plus it had the 2-3 shift flare but i did 2 transmission fluid and filter changes and put 4.56 gears in the rear end and the truck has been great ever since. Also I added a Supercips Cortex tuner which really made it shift a lot better. I can't remember the last time my trans has acted up.

 

[upther]

Yeah, it does it all the time now. We're pretty sure it's an electrical issue somewhere. It goes back into the shop tomorrow so hopefully I'll find out then.

 

[upther]

Had it at the shop again today. He couldn't find any glaring electrical issues and suggested replacing the torque converter. Unfortunately he can't guarantee that will fix the problem. Essentially what is happening is that the lockup clutch is only getting about 92% signal from the TCC solenoid instead of 100%. Anybody got any ideas? Got quoted at just over $1000 for the job.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Someone mentioned ammco doing transmission rebuilds for or rigs for $1,400. I'd go full rebuild for that instead of just a torque converter for a grand. WTH?

 

[upther]

7.4 hours of labor at $85 an hour. $226 for the torque converter but that also includes the TCC solenoid he already replaced that didn't fix the issue. He already has a couple hours in and hasn't charged me a thing yet.

There is an Aamco just north of me so I'm gonna get up early Saturday morning and check it out. I've got a coupon for a free diagnostic and also $100 of a transmission rebuild. Got nothing to lose at this point.

I also just found out there's a shop in town run by a guy who used to be a Ford mechanic. Gonna take it to him first thing tomorrow morning and see what he says.

 

[boominXplorer]

Did he by chance retorque all the valve body bolts when the pan was off? I know the 5r55e is common for pressure bleed off between the valve body plate and gasket.

 

[upther]

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that question.

Here's what it's doing along with what the first guy told me.

I get a hard shift into second and then a less hard but still noticeable shift into third. When I decelerate it will go into second and be fine, but if I come to a stop it will hard shift again. According to the mechanic what's happening is that it's skipping second and going right to third. That hard shift into third is caused by the computer being confused and going into third again. He said the TCC solenoid is only giving out a 92% signal and because of that, the lockup clutch in the torque converter isn't locking up and that's causing the skip.

I get no other skips or hard shifts other than second. It goes from park to reverse and drive really smooth. My thinking is that if the torque converter really was bad, wouldn't I be getting more hard shifts and skips than what I'm getting?

I stopped by a different shop before work this morning and the guy gave me a weird look when I told him $1000 to replace the torque converter. He'll be running a diagnostic on it tomorrow and I'm taking it to Aamco Saturday morning.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

That first guy had no clew and just wanted to leech you for everything he could.

 

[upther]

Yeah, I'm starting to feel that way myself. He had the truck all day yesterday in order to make sure it wasn't a connection or electrical issue. All I got back was a "nothing jumped out at me" statement and a quote for $1035. I'm questioning if he even bothered looking at the truck.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Just pay for the part he replaced and don't walk, run away.

 

[upther]

Had a second shop take a look at it this morning. Pulled up the same code about the TCC solenoid which has already been replaced. He said that it's not an electrical issue. The PCM is sending the lock up command but the torque converter isn't accepting it. He gave me an 80% chance that replacing the torque converter would fix the problem. 20% that it's a valve body in the transmission. He won't do the job though because he doesn't like to charge for work that won't fix the problem. Especially if that means having to take everything apart again. Suggested a complete rebuild and ball parked it at $2200.

I called Aamco and the guy I talked to doesn't believe I only have 45K miles and then quoted me $1800-$2500 depending on how much needs to be rebuilt.

Fun times.

 

[upther]

Because this is just the way things go sometimes, it sounds like the lower ball joint on the passenger side has given up the ghost. I'll be doing that this Saturday before taking it into the transmission shop on Wednesday.

It's all leading me to believe that this thing sat for a long time somewhere before I bought it. It's one way to explain the low miles and all the things breaking.

 

[upther]

An update. My Trac has been in the 3rd shop since last Thursday.

Yesterday he had the pan off and said the fluid looked great, no water or metal pieces, which was to be expected. Both the overdrive and intermediate bands were at least a half turn out of adjustment and a couple of the bolts on the valve body were loose. The latter was probably the main issue since it was causing a pressure loss. He drove it around this morning and said everything shifted great and there wasn't a code thrown.

He discovered another problem once back to the shop though. The transmission fluid was boiling hot. Upwards of 230F. Turns out the radiator has a small leak on the passenger side, I don't recall seeing any spots on the ground, and the condenser is clogged up. So now it's getting a new radiator and condenser and an upgraded cooler. $1200 later, I'll have truck back. Boy have I missed it.

Strange and aggravating that the first trans shop didn't pick up on the valve body bolts or the temperature issue. In the last couple days before dropping it off at this latest shop, I would occasionally catch a whiff of a burning smell but figured it was the lock up clutch in the TC burning up. The first two shops said that was bad for sure so I didn't put much more thought to it. Fortunately it doesn't seem like I messed anything else up.

 

[Levittown Ford Parts]

Hopefully you can close the chapter on this , It sounds like you went through alot!

 

[upther]

3 long weeks later and my Trac is finally home. My wallet is a whole lot lighter now too.
A list of what was replaced, in order.
Radiator
Condenser
Upgraded trans cooler
Valve body
Updated valve body plate
Computer with updated prom
Torque converter
Trans dip stick tube
All for just over $2800.

This drove me and the mechanic crazy. Every time one thing was fixed, another problem would pop up. We also discovered that the transmission had been apart before and that water had been inside it since there was rust on the valve body plate. It makes me question where and how long it sat before I bought it.

The general consensus from my mechanic was that my offroad activities didn't cause the problems I had, all of this would have happened eventually, but I probably accelerated things.