Those of you that don't have smooth transmission shifts, please chime in!

[KingDavid]

My current mods are in my sig.

I made this thread to ask what engine oil viscosity and brand are you currently using?

I made a mistake when I last change my oil because I'm illiterate (my first oil change on this truck) about 2k miles ago, and the trans was shifting a little rough like when I got it. It would bang selecting gears from R to D. I got tuned and it was better but it was still present and would lurch like it wanted to launch sometimes when I went into drive. Thought it was normal and no big deal. The oil I used by mistake was Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 5w-30. I have no idea what oil was in the truck when I got it in May, but it was still slightly rough then. The oil life meter for the Penn Platinum died & went to zero very quickly; less than 2k miles. I changed my oil just now to Pennzoil ULTRA Platinum Full Synthetic 5w-30 and it shifts like butter. It goes into PRND as smooth as baby shit. It shifts gears as smooth as baby shit. Any speed; baby diarrhea smooth. It's unbelievable. It's smoother than my best friend's '19 coyote screw.

I'm not saying that switching to this oil will help if you have serious trans harshness, but if you've been using motocraft or some other oil, give this a try and let us know.

I truly hope it helps others like it just helped me. This is insane to me because the engine oil couldn't possibly be a factor, but here we are.

I used 8 qts (one 5qt & 3 individual qts) for $61.48 after taxes from Walmart.com and the WixXP oil filter for $11.78 from Amazon. WIX 57502XP Oil Filter https://a.co/d/jcq1U13

Try this combo if you have problems. I'm still dumbfounded. I'm hoping Gros Ventre (sincerest apologies if I got your name wrong) can chime in with what's happening because I'm lost; I plan on using his info he shared to make an e40 mix in my 36 gallon tank.

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[Tomatoboy]

That doesn’t make mechanical sense. There’s no exchange of fluid or fluid pressure from the engine to the transmission. That feels like pure coincidence or a tune related issue, not the engine oil, as changing the oil viscosity should not impact transmission operation. If it isn’t coincidence, I’d be really stumped to come up with an explanation on why it worked.

 

[KingDavid]

That doesn’t make mechanical sense. There’s no exchange of fluid or fluid pressure from the engine to the transmission. That feels like pure coincidence or a tune related issue, not the engine oil, as changing the oil viscosity should not impact transmission operation. If it isn’t coincidence, I’d be really stumped to come up with an explanation on why it worked.

I said the same thing and agree with you. I'm genuinely confused. The engine oil has no effect on the transmission. Yet all the harshness appears to be gone. I'll keep driving and update you all. I finished changing the oil a few of hours ago. I wouldn't come on here making stuff up like this. I'm waiting for it to completely cool down and go for a drive while the trans temps are cold. Seems too good to be true.

EDIT 8/1/23: The viscosity didn't change. Just the oil quality. Pennzoil Platinum does not have the Ford-required additives that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum has. The other thing I didn't mention below is that the engine is quieter than it's ever been since I've owned it and idles even lower than before. This is baffling me. I KNOW the engine oil does not have anything to do with the transmission. Was all the nvh I was experiencing from the engine? I'm really confused. But I think everyone with any issue should try that oil and filter once and see for themselves. Now I want to change the trans fluid, but idk which brand to go with.

 

[Bpnorr]

I said the same thing and agree with you. I'm genuinely confused. The engine oil has no effect on the transmission. Yet all the harshness appears to be gone. I'll keep driving and update you all. I finished changing the oil a few of hours ago. I wouldn't come on here making stuff up like this. I'm waiting for it to completely cool down and go for a drive while the trans temps are cold. Seems too good to be true.

EDIT 8/1/23: The viscosity didn't change. Just the oil quality. Pennzoil Platinum does not have the Ford-required additives that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum has. The other thing I didn't mention below is that the engine is quieter than it's ever been since I've owned it and idles even lower than before. This is baffling me. I KNOW the engine oil does not have anything to do with the transmission. Was all the nvh I was experiencing from the engine? I'm really confused. But I think everyone with any issue should try that oil and filter once and see for themselves. Now I want to change the trans fluid, but idk which brand to go with.

The 10r80 will never be good. Too many inputs and too many computer controls. Maybe a gen 2 or 3 will solve our problems but that won't help folks like me with a 2023 f150 with 3.5. New problems just keep popping up. Harsh shifts and down shifts just occur at will. Ford has no idea what to do. I now have a shudder while at speed when climbing a slight hill that feels like it is going to stall. It needs to down shift but does not. A friction modifier might help but need to find out if Fords Lubeguard works for our 10 speeds. Lemon law. Sell it or just continue working thru the problems is the choices. The Ford rep on this site Is a ploy to shut you up. I got a case number and no one ever contacted me. Dealer heard nothing. Love this truck except driveline. Too bad Ford can't fix it.

 

[shalabama]

 

[Mtnman1]

The 10r80 will never be good. Too many inputs and too many computer controls. Maybe a gen 2 or 3 will solve our problems but that won't help folks like me with a 2023 f150 with 3.5. New problems just keep popping up. Harsh shifts and down shifts just occur at will. Ford has no idea what to do. I now have a shudder while at speed when climbing a slight hill that feels like it is going to stall. It needs to down shift but does not. A friction modifier might help but need to find out if Fords Lubeguard works for our 10 speeds. Lemon law. Sell it or just continue working thru the problems is the choices. The Ford rep on this site Is a ploy to shut you up. I got a case number and no one ever contacted me. Dealer heard nothing. Love this truck except driveline. Too bad Ford can't fix it.

There are literaly millions on 10r80 in use with zero issues. Yes, some have problems. I am on #4, with zero issues.

It sucks you have problems. No software or hardware is 0% defect free.

Your 10r80 is not good. Saying the 10r80 is not a good tranny is overstating.

 

[JBMCEQY]

I also switched to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum recently and my transmission has smoothed out a ton since. BUT at the same time as the oil change, I also reset the adaptive shift table with forscan so I'm guessing it's 99.999% likely because of that.

 

[Cajin Kevin]

I am also experiencing a shudder while climbing a slight incline, most notably when I’m towing, in my ‘21 PB. I want it to downshift but it never does. So I’ll just gas it and force it to do so. The other ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING issue I am having is that the transmission consistently shifts from 1st to 3rd (completely skipping 2nd) after a full stop. No matter how little I feather the throttle, there’s an annoying jerk when it shifts. High rev, then a clunk, and then the shift and the rpm’s drop. The only time this doesn’t happen is when I’m in tow/haul mode. Love this truck. Just turned 50k miles. Hope this is not a sign of trouble ahead.

 

[KingDavid]

I am also experiencing a shudder while climbing a slight incline, most notably when I’m towing, in my ‘21 PB. I want it to downshift but it never does. So I’ll just gas it and force it to do so. The other ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING issue I am having is that the transmission consistently shifts from 1st to 3rd (completely skipping 2nd) after a full stop. No matter how little I feather the throttle, there’s an annoying jerk when it shifts. High rev, then a clunk, and then the shift and the rpm’s drop. The only time this doesn’t happen is when I’m in tow/haul mode. Love this truck. Just turned 50k miles. Hope this is not a sign of trouble ahead.

Get a tune. All that gets thrown out the window.

Or if you want to remain stock, drive it in sport mode. Ford did not tune some of these 10r80s that great from factory. But when I got my livernois tune (and others say 5-star is even better) all that stuff is a thing of the past.

 

[JExpedition07]

The torque converter locks even through shifts in the 10R80 which can produce some rough shifts but your TC lockup clutch will last longer. The tuners allow it to slip, great for comfort, but it wears out your lockup clutch faster. After replacing the torque converter in my Expedition after it wore out—never again

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I am also experiencing a shudder while climbing a slight incline, most notably when I’m towing, in my ‘21 PB. I want it to downshift but it never does. So I’ll just gas it and force it to do so. The other ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING issue I am having is that the transmission consistently shifts from 1st to 3rd (completely skipping 2nd) after a full stop. No matter how little I feather the throttle, there’s an annoying jerk when it shifts. High rev, then a clunk, and then the shift and the rpm’s drop. The only time this doesn’t happen is when I’m in tow/haul mode. Love this truck. Just turned 50k miles. Hope this is not a sign of trouble ahead.

Hi Kevin! I can look into your F-150's shudder concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your F-150’s VIN?

 

[Cajin Kevin]

Thanks so much. Pretty tech savvy, but can’t figure out how to DM you.

 

[ReactiveD]

I also switched to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum recently and my transmission has smoothed out a ton since. BUT at the same time as the oil change, I also reset the adaptive shift table with forscan so I'm guessing it's 99.999% likely because of that.

I was debating on either resetting the transmission via forscan or FDRS. I currently don’t have a subscription to FDRS, but I do with forscan. Where in forscan is the transmission rest located? Thank you in advance.

 

[gregs150xlt]

I also switched to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum recently and my transmission has smoothed out a ton since. BUT at the same time as the oil change, I also reset the adaptive shift table with forscan so I'm guessing it's 99.999% likely because of that.

How does engine oil make your transmission shift smoother?

 

[Scott Maxson]

'21 F-150 V-8 loaded XLT with 25K miles. The trans was suffering with rough shifting and sporadic shifts when driving in slow city traffic under 40MPH or a light load. The trans acted like it could not determine what gear to use, shifting from 3 thru 6 and back and forth with clunking and rough shifting. Took it to the dealership I use and asked them to drive it, they came back and stated the trans was indeed failing. They wanted to rebuild it, but could not get seal kits from Ford. So, they talked with Ford and Ford authorized a replacement with a new trans under warranty. I asked, and they verified the trans was in fact, a new one, not a rebuilt. The tech told me, he would have preferred rebuilding it under warranty as he has rebuilt 20+, and has not had a return. He said the new trans is a 50/50 shot at fixing it. So far (3K miles) it shifts almost undetectable. The truck is also getting 24 MPG driving on the interstate at prevailing traffic speeds. Prior to the trans replace, 22 was the best it would post. Not sure they are related but it is suspicious. The Tech said during the testing and tear down, a seal was failing and the trans was losing pressure in the lower gear set.

So far very pleased with Ford and my dealership... time will tell though.

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