99 7.3 F250.... I was towing a car trailer with a truck on it (about 8000-9000 lbs) and i get home and see a trail of transmission fluid coming from my truck so i follow it and its about 10 miles long turns out almost all the fluid is drained ..... I didn't see hear or smell anything on the way home so i go and buy transmission fluid and fill it up... so i can move the truck and unhook ....and it has almost completely stopped leaking .... has anybody had this happen to them or heard of it and/or have any idea what could have happened???? maybe a seal?? torque converter? i have no idea i have never had a truck this size or a diesel for that matter ..... any assistance is much appreciated

 

i had a simmilar thing happen it turns out the the transmission overheated and dumped the fluid out of the overflow. if it doesn't leak anymore you sould be fine. but if you plan of towing that kinda weight more you should get a transmission oil cooler

 

Alright Thank you ... yeah somebody just told my dad that and they also told him to change it a couple times(The fluid that is)... which is probly a good idea cause it probly got burned and its overdue for and i was also wondering if you knew if it has a filter??? again thanks alot for the help

 

A big *** trans cooler would help

 

all that sounds good the only filter i know about is in the transmission you'll have to drop the transmission pan to change it

 

How many miles on the truck/trans? Any 'OD' light flash?

Future reference..

The 4R100 DOES NOT like to push heavy loads up steep grades in reverse.. They tend to heat the fluid 'very quickly' if pushed hard in reverse.. Even when towing/pulling, if this is a high mileage unit, they can if heated up (not necessarily overheated) push fluid out of the torque converter seal and then quit or slow when cooler.. Front pump gasket/oring as well can be an issue but usually not the case.. If this truck was built PRIOR to 2/6/2000 then it may have needed (if not corrected) the larger cooler upgrade offered in TSB 00-24-4 for unit overheating in severe/heavy usuage.. Ford recognized the 'lack of cooling' issue early on for this application.. The service intervals are 15K severe duty/30K regular usage, and the fluid now is to be replaced with Mercon V during a complete flush.. Fluid shear/heat will degrade the fluid as well as viscosity.. If you lost fluid over a 10 mile area, chances are it needs to be 'front sealed' at the least, a cooler flow test if the issues repeat to check for suffiecent flow prior to any reseal.. An overfill, or overflow/expansion leak can be easily be seen as fluid running down from the trans vent (usually puddles in the case webbing) at the top of the trans case, at the base of the bellhousing.. A small inspection mirror and light will help to see this area.. Most times they leak from the lower cover area indicating front pump/converter seal leak/s especially under heavy/towing conditions..


......................HP...................