I have an 01 expy with 83K on it. when I'm getting on the highway and get up to cruising speed i hear a noise that sounds like im running over rumble strips from the rear of my truck when it drops into low gear?
I am totally illiterate when it comes to working on cars. Can anyone help me?

I love this truck but it's turning into a money pit and I don't want to get ripped off on repairs.

 

If you are on the highway at cruising and your truck drops to low gear you have some very serious problem and are lucky you did not loose your motor due to very excessively high RPM
Now if you mean shifts to high gear or most likely converter lockup mode you may have a converter shutter. This can some times be resolved by a complete fluid change and an additive like Dr. tranny Shutter stop.

 

no, it makes the noise when the rpms drop down, when it goes into overdrive.

 

Still sounds like it might be tranny fluid change time...the Expy's are known to start "shuddering" when the fluid gets dirty or used up...check your tranny fluid...it's probably never been done. Believe it's supposed to be at 60K miles.

 

+1 on the tranny fluid change time.

(Do a search on here and you will find a number of posts on how to replace ALL (19 quarts?) of the tranny fluid.)

 

i have a question, if you remove the fluid from the torque converter how the heck do you put it back???

 

My 02 with 118,000 was doing the same thing. I don't want to give you bad news, but I'm willing to bet you need a rebuild. I was going to do a fluid change and add the Lucas oil stuff, but decided to call my brother-in-law that own a trans shop. That is a tell-tale sign that there is major problems. He said that if I wanted to baby it for a while and just drive it locally, it might have lasted for a while. I was going on a family vacation in the mountains and couldn't risk breaking down in the middle of you got perty lips KY, or TN and be at the mercy of what someone might try to charge me or pay for a 500 mile tow. Fortunately for me he only charged me his cost, with door to door service.

 

i had the tranny flushed and cleaned last week. there was a big difference in the smoothness between gears, especially when I would step on it. it used to make a loud thud noise when it downgeared, but not anymore...but it still makes the rumble strip noise but only when Im on the highway and it goes into overdrive. its in the shop right now so i'm expecting a call from the service dept today telling me its gonna cost $1000.

I just dropped $2500 on a new head gasket, serpentine belt, and front pads and turned down rotors.

 

just got off phone with ford dealership. They checked everything. tranny, drivetrain, suspension front and back, all working properly...road tested it and got the noise, ran it while on rack and saw that front passenger tire shimmys aroung 65 to 70 miles per hour. found that rim is a little bent and tire is cupped. told me to drive on it for another 4 to 5k miles that it might conform to road.

i am happy that it won't cost anything but are they correct?

 

Yeah, that sounds like it could be it. Sometimes its really hard to describe noises online.

 

Sounds like it might be the real hub bearing on either or both sides. Remember the days when the wheel bearing was a simple bearing that you packed with grease? Those days are over. Now it is a bulky electronic device costing nearly $500. It ties into the ABS system.
I replaced mine at the tire shop i use (I thought the noise was a tire issue). They showed me how the bearing was not spinning frictionlessly (smoothly)

 

Had this same problem a couple years ago, was told by several people and shops "time for a torque converter and rebuild". well being cheap I did research and found a trans shop that said something VERY VERY similar to this...


I (the trans shop) did exactly this, and solved all my issues. That Dr. tranny stuff works. Never thought a tranny shop would NOT sell a rebuild. Total service charge under $175.00, Total rebuild with converter $2,500.00. Yeah, Ill try the cheap way first!