2013 F150
I have a 2013 F 150 with the 5.0 V8. It has just over
103k miles and has been well maintained and used
lightly as my wifes daily driver. It began
downshifting into 1st gear at highway speeds out
of the blue. We stopped driving it and scheduled an
appointment for diagnostics at a trusted local
mechanic. While the truck was in the shop we
received a recall notice from Ford. We then setup a
date for the recall work to be done at a ford
dealership. When we retrieved the Truck from the
local mechanic he informed us that cylinders #4
and #8 were slightly low on compression (3% and
8%) and the heads above #4 and #8 cylinder
looked like someone had sandblasted them, not
like water pitting but very small pitting. There has
never been a noticeable power loss in the vehicle,
only a slight stumble upon startup on very cold
mornings that goes away quickly. We then took the
truck into Ford for the recall work. They performed
the recall and also informed me of the misfire
codes along with a quote for $6000 for a new
engine. Thinking the dramatic downshifts would
cease after the recall was done I got on the
interstate and went to drive Home. Before I made it
home the Truck downshifted into first going
80mph, locking the rear tires up and overspeeding
the engine. I turned around at the nearest exit and
went back to the dealership slowly on the shoulder,
the truck shifting erratically the whole time until a
wrench popped up on the dash, I lost all guages
and the truck went into limp mode giving me 3rd
gear only. When I got back to the dealership they
accused me of clearing the codes, performed the
recall again(supposedly) and the service manager
test drove it. When he got back he said it did it to
him as well but only downshifted into 2nd gear at
80mph, he didnt lose control of the vehichle and
the recall was doing what it was meant to do. And
that the lead frame sensor needed replaced. I
bought the lead frame sensor and replaced it that
night along with a trans fluid and filter change.
Now when the truck is warmed up and at highway
speed the speedometer occasionally goes crazy,
bouncing back and forth between the actual speed
and 0, the transmission will downshift into 5 and
then 4, and then complete power loss until the
speedometer returns to normal. I have been
researching everything I can find on the internet for
what else it may be but everyone I can find with a
similar issue says the lead frame fixed the issue.
The only other thing I can think is the transmission
harness. Just looking for answers to make this
safe to drive again. Should I haul it to a different
dealer for the recall to be performed again? Are the
parameters really so tight that a 3% to 8%
compression loss on 2 cylinders woukd make ir
behave this way? I am at a loss
