Super Duty Trans Question

[jeep937]

What kind of 5 speed manual does my '99 Super Duty F350 have? It's a v10.

[jeep937]

It grinds in 3rd sometimes.

[Taragon]

Its a ZF

But does it have 5 or 6 forward gears?

In which case its a ZF-5 or a ZF-6.

[jeep937]

5 forward gears. I this a good trans? The truck has a trailer hooked to it most of the time. Towing a load of mowers or a dandy dump with 6 and a half yards of mulch is the norm. Any comon problems I should know about.

[kooters94yj]

The ZF is Ford's version of the NV4500. Its a very stout tranny that is quite strong. Its basically the same 5spd as all pickups except the F150's. It came behind V8's, V10's, and the diesels.

[7.62FMJ]

I thought all the SD's came with 6-speeds? My buddies '99 Dually is. Does your shift knob state:

R135
L24

[u2slow]

AFAIK, the gas superduties got a 5-speed.

[Taragon]

3rd gear is the only common and generally known problem. But a lot of those problems are also driver related.

[rocknbronco]

Most manual issues are operator related....

[jeep937]

Yea, it only does it when cold. I've never changed the fluid and probably should. I could shift in a 2 section patern to get to 3rd but when I first get in the truck I usually just woke up and am in a bit of a hurry, so trying to just go directly to 3rd causes a grind. I also live off a busy country road and sometimes have to get on it pulling out of my street. Before I took my Jeep apart I was used to my TJ's AX-15. I could bang gears and chirp tires in that thing with the best of whatever beater imports would test me. The big Ford shifts and rides like an old semi. I should change the oil in the old ZF and see what happens.

How close to an NV is this trany? Do they share any parts? Does an NV feel the same when shifting? What could be wrong with 3rd?

A tranny rebuild is the last major thing that I haven't done myself so I don't quite know what goes on inside them. I've got an old T-90 that's first in line to go under the knife and a spare TH350 I could tear apart.

[kooters94yj]

The ZF doesn't share any parts with an NV. I was mearly saying the ZF is Fords heavy duty transmission as Dodge uses the NV4500.

I would have to guess that your third gear problem is most likely a synchro going bad. You could try to change the fluid and use Royal Purple or Redline MT-90 to bring some life back to it. In the long term, a rebuild is probably going to be the road your going to have to venture down.