Lame daily driver tranny question

[recoiljunky]

Sorry for adding another stupid thread to Ford tech but at least it's not a tire size question.

A client's 2004 Ford F150 was rear ended recently. The truck has 165k miles on it. The auto transmission is now slipping. Coincidence or could the two be related? The impact bent the receiver hitch way up under the truck but did not bend the frame.

Thanks in advance.

[fatdan460]

i'm going to go with a big fat no. not seeing any way a rear end collision could cause a trans to slip unless for some unknown ridiculous reason he was in reverse and got pushed forward for a few blocks, but that is a huge fawking leap of unpossible

and if this is for an insurance claim, don't even bother. i'm pretty sure they will laugh at you for even imagining it's a possibility.

[recoiljunky]

That's what I was thinking but I haven't kept up with what Ford has been doing with their engineering in the past decade or two. I remember being in a T-bone accident in a late 80s Escort. The Escort wasn't damaged too bad but wouldn't start so we had it towed. I later learned about the inertia switch for the fuel pump.

[4x4prepper]

> Coincidence or could the two be related?

Unlikely, I would say the auto was on it's way out with 165k and towing.

That said, I have seen wierder things. I assure you, the frame bent on impact, even if it sprung back, if the receiver folded under. Same as the rear axle being pushed forward towards the transmission.

What I would do is look at the bolts for the transfer case / transmission / engine and look for broken ears and then put a socket on each bolt and see if I could easily turn them clockwise. I have seen them look fine, until they vibrated loose, and then you notice the broken/cracked ear.

Likewise check the exhaust system for kinks.

Then check under the hood and see if the body hit the engine/intake.

If a regular cab, check the back of the cab. On a Ranger I worked on the woman hit it hard enough to dent/bow both sides of the cab wall.

Check the harness on the left side that the towing harness plugs into. If it gets ripped out (like when someone forgets to unplug after dropping the trailer) it is a real hassle to repair. Plus, it usually blows under the dash too.

[f350n4.6ranger]

Was it towed awaty? If they just left it in neutral on the back of a snatch truck and towed it a good distance, trans damage might have occurred.

[deceptivex]

I have seen damage from impact in transmissions, a really hard collision can jam the driveshaft into the back of the trans, while things may flex back after impact, there's a good chance this happened.. Or damage from being towed

[recoiljunky]

Originally Posted by 4x4prepper

> Coincidence or could the two be related?

Unlikely, I would say the auto was on it's way out with 165k and towing.

That said, I have seen wierder things. I assure you, the frame bent on impact, even if it sprung back, if the receiver folded under. Same as the rear axle being pushed forward towards the transmission.

What I would do is look at the bolts for the transfer case / transmission / engine and look for broken ears and then put a socket on each bolt and see if I could easily turn them clockwise. I have seen them look fine, until they vibrated loose, and then you notice the broken/cracked ear.

Likewise check the exhaust system for kinks.

Then check under the hood and see if the body hit the engine/intake.

If a regular cab, check the back of the cab. On a Ranger I worked on the woman hit it hard enough to dent/bow both sides of the cab wall.

Check the harness on the left side that the towing harness plugs into. If it gets ripped out (like when someone forgets to unplug after dropping the trailer) it is a real hassle to repair. Plus, it usually blows under the dash too.

Thanks for the great info!

[recoiljunky]

Originally Posted by f350n4.6ranger

Was it towed awaty? If they just left it in neutral on the back of a snatch truck and towed it a good distance, trans damage might have occurred.

Originally Posted by deceptivex

I have seen damage from impact in transmissions, a really hard collision can jam the driveshaft into the back of the trans, while things may flex back after impact, there's a good chance this happened.. Or damage from being towed

I didn't think about it being damaged while towed.

The truck wasn't really damaged other than having the receiver twisted up under it. I realize this is not vitamins for the frame but it doesn't sound like I'll have much luck proving the tranny was damaged in the wreck. I'll have the mechanic check the bolts though.

Thanks again.