My '94 F-350 7.3 non-turbo w/automatic trans will occasionally, usually when the weather is warm, abort it’s fluid. When this happens I have to pull off of the road and allow it to cool off before I can add new fluid. The fluid drains out of a small tube at the front of the transmission just back of the bell housing. If fluid is added imediatly after this happens the new stuff drains out as well. I replaced the radiator last summer because it had a hole in it and was beyond repairing. I had hoped this would also fix the tranny problem as the bottom portion of the radiator is the tranny cooler and i had assumed it was simply plugged. This was however not the case and has done it twice since i replaced the radiator. I don’t know much about the basic operation of an automatic and would appreciate any ideas. Thanks
Just a thought as I have zero knowledge of this vehicle. Did you ever check the cooling lines from the transmission to the radiator to see how hot they get? That would at least tell you if the fluid is circulating to the cooler. Also, the difference between the 2 lines temperature would let you know that the cooler is working to cool the fluid. I have no idea what the temps should be but I would think that the info would be available. Maybe really hot so be careful.
Good luck
Steve
I have put my hand on those lines and yes they are hot, can’t recall if there was a difference in the temp between the two
Could you have gotten water or coolant into the transmission? Water from fording a deep stream. Coolant from the leaking radiator.
A transmission service with torque converter flushing might help out.
Probably a stopped up vent. These transmissions also had a lube issue in the back of the trans. Changing the trans fluid is a good idea but ONLY after the cause of the overheating is fixed.
transman
What would the vent look like? Maybe rubber line going up to the engine compartment?
Are you sure the transmission is not overfilled? The only symptom you may notice is it spewing fluid when it’s hot. Doesn’t this vehicle have a transmission temp warning light as part of its standard equipment? (not that it’s necessarily working)
If you think it is indeed overheating, invest $50 in a transmission cooler. These look like a little radiator that mount in front of the vehicle, and the transmission cooler lines that go to the radiator are routed through this instead. They do a much better job of keeping the tranny cool than the radiator will. Since your vehicle seems to be pretty heavy-duty, it may already have one of these as standard equipment though.
The fluid level as indicated on the dip stick shows that the fill level is correct, my radiator has the standard cooler built in the bottom of it. I have considered adding an additional tranny cooler, but it seems to me that there’s got to be something else going on. But that may be what I have to do. And no there is no warning light that i know of.