An age old trans question

joediesel

joediesel

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May 16, 2007
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67
how much power can you put through a stock trans with upgraded VB and TC and have it live for a while
 
So far its been holding and Im puttin down 327 hp and 678 Tq on the ground.
 
Like he said. Im putting down around the same number. And mines been good to me. (Knock on wood). If you do regular maintnence. Keep it from overheating. And do the VB and TC before you get to crazy with the mods. It will be good to you. But id say anything around 400hp on the ground. Start looking into something more beefy.
 
Upto 400hp, what will a VB and TC cost me? What is the next step?? say to hold 500 hp?
 
A new trans and a new TC. I have heard alot of good things on suncoast trans. Dont know what they run. But I think alot of companies will give you a good price on a running core.
 
pardon me while i pick your brains some more, but what is it that breaks when running a VB and TC at 500hp? Would billit imput/intermediate/output shafts and larger trans cooler do the trick? How far would that get me?
 
so a VB, TC, Billet imput/ output, and billet flexplate.... how far would that get me?
 
You are speaking of a 7.3 PowerStroke, right? ......is this motor built? I don't see it, a stock 7.3, living past 400 RWHP. Knowing the actual HP would give us a much better Idea.

.......Stock trans runs a wee bit warm. Does the truck have a winch? Does it pull heavy? How about mud bog'n, do any? The 7.3 trans cooler isn't the best thing going.
 
yeap 7.3 , from what ive learned here the 7.3 with forged rods will live till around 500hp, then your playing with fire. The truck doesn't pull much anymore just very occasional float trailer with bobcat on her.... again this is very rare. No winch. No bogging. I use the truck mostly to haul a few dirtbikes to the track, and general goofball behaviour behind the shop. Id like to know what i can do myself before having the trans sent out to be built. To catch you up it seem stock trans with a VB and TC will live around 400hp. Im wondering what the next step is to hold upto 500hp. can i do this with the VB and TC if i thro billit shafts and an aftermarket trans cooler?
 
I can still drive my truck in the 420 rwhp area up till about 65% throttle from a dead stop. It bangs like crazy until the torque converter is locked and then the shifts are 50/50 either good or bad between 2nd and 3rd and 3rd and od.

My temps have been WAY up since the new motor - stays between 180-190 but that's getting on it a lot going down the road and having a completely STOCK tranny and STOCK cooler.

That's going to change very soon.


FWIW, my truck has over 100k miles on it CHIPPED to 300+ rwhp on the stock tranny. It was doing OK up until about 3 or 4 months ago.
 
I am in the process of having mine built as I type this. I have 180k on my original tranny. I do tow a couple times a month but other than that i've only had a 100 hp program in it for a couple days and I normally drive like a grandma with the 40 hp tow tune. I was meticulous with the maintenance and added an extra cooler to it. From the research I have done and the input from the tranny shop it's gonna be your 2nd gear planetaries that go first. That's a very common problem and the fix is a forged steel planetary setup.
 
ahh finally, thanks for the info... only if it would keep pouring in.....
 
what year is the trans? I just had my stock trans die on me at 107K miles and it was COMPLETELY stock until about 106.5K miles...

apparently in 2001 Ford used a mechanical diode somewhere in the trans that likes to break. I lost 3rd, 4th, and Reverse gears, but still have 1,2, and OD..

I was having a vibration in my steering wheel for about a week before it went and ahve sinec been told that was likely the converter going... so seems mine didn't like being stock :(

The 4r100 is stout as hell, when built... but stock -- you're playing with fire.. some go for thousands of miles putting down 300 + hp -- and some go a few hundred with just a chip and their trans breaks.. (although I have also been told by several trans guys, the chip had NOTHING to do with my trans breaking, it was going to go no matter what...)

seems when most build these trans, the VB and TC are the first thigns to change -- then the planetaries and bands and HD clutches. Then the hardened shafts.
 
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