09KingRanch

This is somewhat of a rant but I recently took the F150 on a road trip. Had the cruise control set at 80MPH and there was a bit of a headwind. The transmission continually jumped back and forth between 6th and 5th gear about every 30 seconds. I understand that the cruise is trying to keep the speed constant but with no overdrive lockout this is very frustrating and can't be good for the transmission or fuel economy. After awhile I got fed up and took it off cruise and with the gas pedal I was able to keep it in 6th gear most of the time and still maintain a fairly constant speed. Am I the only one frustrated by this? Would a tuner have any affect on this or is there a way to decrease the sensitivity of the cruise control to allow the truck to slow down slightly on small grades without kicking down into 5th gear all of the time?
I love my truck, but the 6 speed transmission has been a source of irritation for me since day 1.

kdjasper

Since you have an '09, have you ever had a TSB applied for the tranny? I have read a lot about the '09's having tranny shifting issues that are fixed by TSB. Here is a link to a post I made to share where you can learn about the TSB's, so maybe it will help you...

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/tsbs-link-listing-51356/

On a side note, if you are setting cruise at 80mph you should not be too concerned about gas mileage, because it will probably be down at that speed anyway would be my guess.

09KingRanch

Yes, Transmission TSB done at 3,000 miles. Now at 10,000. Not as concerned about the MPG as wear and tear on the transmission shifting all of the time.

Spider8408

My transmission did the same thing on my first trip. I just turned the cruise control off and all was well. Does it suck, yes, but there is not much we can do about it. That is the price we pay for a 6 speed tranny.

k-stater88

where to start..... I sent my truck back because of similar issues and they gave me a new o ne that does what you describe but not quite as bad as the first.

I did the gotts mod w/ k&n filter and magnaflow exhaust. doing 75 instead of 80 i have noticed helps quite a bit. With the mods done to my truck I have seen an improvement, it still kicks down some, but not near as much .

soldierguy

New guy around here. I'm considering buying an F150, but one area of concern is what the OP mentioned. I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to gear selection, and I learned this about myself when I had a vehicle in which I couldn't lock out just top gear...the overdrive button locked out the top two gears, so the choice was live with constant shifting on varied terrain/headwinds or hit the button and have the engine scream along.

So based on the above, I have a couple of questions to which I'd really appreciate some feedback. I can't go out and test drive myself...I'm in the military in Korea right now, so no test driving other than on post (25 mph and under).

- what rpms do you run at typical highway speeds (60, 70, or whatever).
- what gears do you have
- what does the OD button on the console shifter handle do? Lock out 1 gear? 2 gears? What gear are you in and what are your rpms at 60, 70, or whatever you typically go after hitting the OD button?

Thanks very much...I really appreciate any feedback you have. Cheers!

Nutty 5.0

Unlike the older trucks, all gears are there, but holds gears longer. Its no longer the o/d off light, its the tow/haul mode on light.

soldierguy

Thanks! that's a help already...I've only seen pictures, so when I saw the button on the side of the shifter I assumed it was an OD on-off switch. Does using that cut down on gear hunting?

Nutty 5.0

I'm told it does, but I only have 900 miles on mine so far so hard to say lol! I don't think I've even touched the button.