I've got a 2011 F350 with the Aurora ATS 4000 Turbo. I had noticed shift flares in gears 2-3-4-5 and the torque converter coming unlocked in 6th gear at 90+ mph with light throttle. By increasing oncoming and offgoing shift pressures for 2,3,4,5 between 1000 - 2500 RPM I've gotten rid of shift flares and by changing TCC values it hangs onto 6th gear now as well. My question is how long should I expect this transmission to last? It shifts nice and firm now but is it just a matter of time before things come undone or have I actually fixed what needed fixing?
Stock Transmission Longevity
- Thread starter gilgamesh
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dsmracing1
Active member
It's kind of a crab shoot really. I've got 25000 miles on my dual pump 65.5 streetmaxR setup now and I'm getting some funky chit starting with mine too. 85000 miles total on the trans. I get a crazy rough downshift from 3-2 gear too. There was a fella on here that was running the same turbo as you and his trans chit the bed too. Not saying that's coincidence or nothing though haha.
TrickTruck
Member
My '12 had 71kmi on it when I traded...tuned since 5kmi...g3arhead...ran great, towing heavy, anything else it wanted to do too.
Nicer than the '16 in towhaul, '16 normal is a slushbox. Gotta get tuned & jenny craig
Nicer than the '16 in towhaul, '16 normal is a slushbox. Gotta get tuned & jenny craig
doo dah
Member
I have 199k miles on my original transmission. Been tuned since 145k and have fought funky shifts most of that time. At first I had canned tunes on a Torque Tech T1 and shifts were pretty good, when I went to SCT then MM and GH the problems started and they haven't stopped. I have a 1-2 shift that either bucks and flares or feels like the diff is going to blow, then 3-2 downshift is extremely rough makes the tires chirp even with traction bars, now I get a flare from 3-4 which sometimes spins like I'm in neutral until I let off the throttle and 5-6 is beginning to get extra firm from time to time. Mine is 2012 and I'm not freaking out until it starts to slip in gear. I am going to try a different tune from a different source as I have grown tired of trying GH but not sure who to try, lots of opinions. I just made a 2k mile round trip hauling my 15k lb fiver and transmission seems no worse for the wear.
doo dah
Member
I just ordered T Y rant from NL so we'll see how they pan out compared to GH.
I'll be interested to hear how this goes. My limited experience with this has been that you either need to reduce the injection quantity map closer to stock values to reduce the power output or change the oncoming and offgoing shift pressures to get rid of the flaring between gears. I also found that after reprogramming the PCM if you take it easy for a couple days while the ECU starts regenerating KAM that can also seem to have an impact on how it ends up shifting.
I suspect proper transmission tuning can get rid of this problem. It will be nice to hear if there's people out there succeeding at it. I just hacked at my shift pressures till I made the difference I was looking for.
doo dah
Member
I'll let you know!
dsmracing1
Active member
Damn that's a crazy coincidence since my transmission does everything you explain and I run traction bars as well. The 3-2 downshift will get the tires to lock as well haha.
doo dah
Member
It's a crap shoot but have to try it before I just decide to live with it. Been this way for over a year now, no better no worse after each version of transmission file from GH so on to T Y rant. I loaded them last night but haven't driven the truck so I'll report back later today.
doo dah, sounds like you have a few different tunes. Do you have the set of tow/street/performance/extreme? If so, does your transmission behave more normally in any of the other modes?
Sterling6.7
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T y rant trans tunes work better for me than the GH did. Best of luck to you. I'm running an XRT.
Holleywould
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I switched from GH to PPEI and can't express the difference transmission shifting is and how happy I am with the tuning compared. However worth noting that I never got in touch with GH to have them change anything, I switched for EZ Lynk
doo dah
Member
Shifting was the same regardless of tune. If I'm in tow/haul on the transmission then it does shift a little different but more on the down shifts.
The T Y rant tunes shift much better. I still have a stronger shift in 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 but not nearly as bad as before. The 3-2 downshift is there but not on every single shift cycle plus the shifting strategy seems to avoid 3-2 downshifts. It either holds 3rd all the way down or goes straight to 1st if you come to a stop. I did have a small flare in 1-2 but again, nothing like before with GH. Engine tune smokes a lot more than GH and as I was leaving town Friday pulling my 15k lb fiver I had to accelerate to get around a cement truck and I got the dreaded shut down from the tune demanding more than the pump could provide. Sucked because it was heavy traffic and no real place to get over. I switched to the tow tune and didn't have that issue again. All in all I'm satisfied with the shifting overall. Might go back to the GH engine file if I continue to get the shutdown on the hottest tune.
I think that's bound to happen on a hot tune. I don't know about T y rant but other tunes I've run have said DO NOT TOW in extreme or race mode and that using the performance tune for light towing was ok but they recommended the tow tune for towing heavy. I had my truck shutdown in extreme mode with a 12' box trailer going up hill. that's when I learned my lesson.
doo dah
Member
I towed with GH extreme file with no issues, temps were good but I also didn't dog it. I tow the fiver at 65 because I don't want to risk a tire and no need to go faster but once in a while I need to pass someone so was always in hottest tune. After driving around today I'll say the GH engine file is sneaky fast and the T Y rant is angry fast. Seems to have more power but with a lot more smoke but I think that may come from the fact the trans tune seems to hold off downshifting until it is absolutely needed and that creates smoke. I haven't tried any real hard runs but running 65 and a little tap on the throttle will get you to 85 really quick without more than 30% pedal and no downshift from 6th. So far I like it. Not sure my transmission would hold up to a few hard dyno runs so I am going to hold off on that until I have $$$ laying around ready to buy a new one.
blacksmoke.r.us
Member
Just a fyi I've had a flare up on my trans after 500 miles of some abuse with a non vgt and dual fueler. Recently I replaced the trans oil and it seemed to help. Before I had to let out to make it shift from 3rd to 4th, now it has a slight flare but it'll shift without letting out. So it may be a little late for me but may help others with hard shifts and hard down shifts. I thought it was smooth throughout the other gears before but know it feels new.
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blacksmoke, what tuning are you running?
blacksmoke.r.us
Member
Midwest but I don't think the flare was tuning related cause it didn't do it for the first 500 miles or so.
doo dah
Member
I have a few miles on the tune now and issues are the same but much less noticeable. 3-2 downshift doesn't bark the tires anymore and the 3-4 flare tends to go away once things warm up. I also notice the more highway driving I do the more the transmission likes it. City traffic makes the transmission whack out until it relearns. I'm going to take it easy and see how long it will hold up.
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let me know if you want us to try some more adjustments on your files. always game to try and get the GH where you want them. each tunes have their pro's and cons .
