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7.3 PSD - Ford F350 with the 4R100 AutoTrannny.

Is it plausible / even common for a seized brake / caliper to cause a tranny to overheat? I've never had this occur previously on any vehicle, much less a vehicle like this one which is made to tow 20k lbs and has a rather beefy transmission.

After fixing the brake, I have seen normal tranny temps (70-100 degrees f. above ambient - not towing). The overheat (about 240 degrees) did occur while climbing a hill (again, not towing). Should I still suspect possible tranny issues and if so what exactly or is it more likely this was all caused by the brake seizing?

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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maplemale
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1 Answers1

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A seized brake / caliper sure could cause overheating.

Braking while driving (in your case a stuck brake) will put a load on the engine and transmission just like towing will. To overcome the resistance, the engine and transmission must work harder. Working harder creates heat. This explains the higher trans temps.

Once the brake is fixed, the opposite becomes true.

Less resistance + Less work = Less heat

CharlieRB
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