F53 Transmission Issue

[McCharlie]

Some additional info on how my issue exhibited itself. The RV dealer thought the leak was the front pump seal so he replaced it. It still leaked. Replaced it again with the same result. I took it to a ford dealer in the Seattle area and he also thought it was the front pump seal, replaced it and got the same result. He then removed the tranny and discovered a pin home leak in the torque converter housing. torque converter was replaced and while he was at it he serviced the transmission. No more leak and I swear the transmission works better than I remember.

[Solask]

Originally Posted by Chabago

Some additional info on how my issue exhibited itself. The RV dealer thought the leak was the front pump seal so he replaced it. It still leaked. Replaced it again with the same result. I took it to a ford dealer in the Seattle area and he also thought it was the front pump seal, replaced it and got the same result. He then removed the tranny and discovered a pin home leak in the torque converter housing. torque converter was replaced and while he was at it he serviced the transmission. No more leak and I swear the transmission works better than I remember.

On a 2011 tranny.. Geesh. At least you were under warranty. I'm fortunate enough to have a Ford dealer close by that has a large chassis fleet service business. They do expert work when I need it on the F53.

[alanjan]

After looking at my transmission and running a scan, the mechanic could see nothing wrong that would suggest a leaking front seal. He found fluid on top of the transmission and was convinced that the fluid came out the breather tube on top. He ultimately concluded that nothing is really wrong with the transmission; it was just overfilled with ATF. After checking it out thoroughly, he refilled it with about a half quart less ATF than was put in by Broadmoor (he reused the same ATF they had put in). To make sure we didn't have a repeat of the near fire he installed a recovery system on the transmission vent so that if we a reoccurrence the escaping fluid will flow to a bottle mounted just behind the drivers side front wheel. This will prevent the fluid from falling on a hot manifold and catching fire. He then had me drive it for 70 miles over a mountainous freeway and bring it back to him for another check, which revealed nothing amiss - tranny worked great and there was no fluid in the recovery bottle. Based on this I think we will continue on our trip.

I did notice tonight in looking at the invoice from the shop that did the initial service on the transmission that they used Service Pro Global Synthetic MATF. I know Ford recommends Mercon LV. Could the synthetic fluid have been part of the cause for our troubles?

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your comments and advice!

Alan.

[jamesrxx951]

Originally Posted by alanjan

I did notice tonight in looking at the invoice from the shop that did the initial service on the transmission that they used Service Pro Global Synthetic MATF. I know Ford recommends Mercon LV. Could the synthetic fluid have been part of the cause for our troubles?

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your comments and advice!

Alan.

If you ever have a failure due to the fluid or not I cannot answer. However I can say that a fluid that can be used with Mercon V, LV, FNR5, Premium, Ford would not endorse or recommend that fluid. And what is really odd is why it cannot be sold in California.

[NadaThing]

DO NOT trust anything Broadmoor RV says. Get a qualified, professional inspection/opinion from anywhere else.

Yes, I'm speaking from experience.