octaneforce-June 13-09:41PM

You may be fortunate to have experienced such good service from your Mazda M5OD. However, the many comments I read on these threads, and in other site, paint a less flattering picture of the Mazda 5-speed. Where there is smoke.....?

 

If you are looking for a gasser I would check into the 351w-ZF or 300-ZF combo... I know there are lots of guys who love their 302's but I'm not a big fan and think they should have stayed in cars where they are better suited b/c they like higher rpms to make power... Any reason for the 94-96 years? what is your price range?

 

kentuckyredneck-June 13-09:45PM

I have read many threads on this forum, and at other sites, wherein the E4OD is referred to as "weak", "slusshy", and "doomed to fail". I realize that one cannot believe everything that one reads on the internet. However, where there is smoke there is fire.

My engine of choice is the 4.9L I6. Two of the engines strengths are its torque/power and its MPG rating. If those two strengths are negated by a tranny which slips by design, I lose.

 

Greentruck if you click on the double paper button next to the "quote" button (bottom right in each post) you can select all the posts you wish to quote and reply to all of them at once... You'll know you've selected a post when the green (+) turns to a red (-). Find all the posts you want to reply to and turn the symbol to a red (-), then click post reply... It will take you to a reply screen with all people's text you wished to reply to [ie marked with red (-)]... Just FYI for a newbie to the FTE forum!

 

IDIDIESELJOHN-June 13-09:53PM

Don't play down our southern winters here in the Washington, DC area. The memory of the 2009/2010 "SNOWMAGEDDON" is still fresh in the minds of most locals. We have our fair of body rot from winter road salting.

 

Thats what i was saying, sorry if I made it unclear. I was under the impression the 4R70W and the AOD-E were the same transmissions, just using different names.

And to the OP, sounds like your mind is made up already. Start looking for an F250 with the I-6 and a 5 speed. Its the only setup that doesnt fall short in durability in your mind, and does not require parts swapping.

 

The E4OD is certainly "doomed to fail" if not maintained.
I have had several and heeded all the horror stories, I maintain mine MORE than Ford calls for in the service schedule, installed a huge trans cooler and a temp gauge, never had a problem with my E4ODs and I have worked them. HEAT is the big killer of these trans. if you keep them cool and do not abuse them, they are as good as anything out there.

 

papasmurf40-June 14-03:17AM

good to hear a positive report on the Mazda 5-speed(M5OD) to offset all of the negative ones I have read.

I did not know that Ford began putting the M5OD in F150s as early as 1989.

 

Blue Rebel-June 14-04:24 AM

I will not be doing interstate hauling/towing. All 60 MPH or slower. The I-6 remains my current engine of choice.

Your suggestion of swapping in a S5-42 or a S5-47 is a good one, depending on which set of gears I prefer. However I am still left with the challenge and cost of a good donor tranny. Se my response to IDIDieselJohn-June 13-09:07 PM.

 

Greenetruck, just buy an F150 with the 300I-6 and a good M5OD, and drive that combo until the tranny fails. Then pickup a ZF5 from the junk yard/craigslist/eBay and pay someone to put it in. If you look around this site, I'm sure you'll find someone on the DC area willing to do a tranny swap for a few hundred dollars and all the beer he can drink in an afternoon.

 

nstueve-June 14-11:03 AM

We are on the same page with regard to the 300 I6/ZF tranny combo. However that still leaves me looking for that very rare (let me remind you that I prefer a 2WD truck), well kept F250 with a 4.9L (uncommon) and a ZF 5-speed (common). Or I can look for F150 with a 4.9L (fairly common) and have to swap in a ZF 5-speed (costly).

I have been all over CRAIGSLIST. Internet Explorer picks it up, also. I have looked everywhere east of the Mississippi. My observation is that good '94-'96 F250s with the 4.9L/ZF 5-speed combo, and 2WD, are very rare.

 

timboslice85-June 14-11:33 AM

I do not know how much hauling and towing your father does with his '93 F150, but comments about the E4OD tell me that he is an exceptionally lucky owner.

Your comment about your '84 is typical of the comments I read about the 4.9L/E4OD combo. Bad Idea. The power and MPG potential of the 4.9L do not transfer to the ground through the weak automatic.

 

nstueve-June 14-02:03 PM

Go back to my original entry at the beginning of this thread. My vehicle of choice would be a '94-'96 F150, regular cab, long bed, 2 wheel drive, 4.9L I6, and a ZF 5-speed tranny.

Several reasons for '94-'96 preference (built with R-134 AC, the younger the truck the more anti-rust material, younger models stand a better chance of being in better condition). Price range $0 to $6,000.

 

Thank you nstueve. That makes thing simpler. Life is a learning process.

 

All the 93 ever tows is a boat and never in overdrive. My Dad actaully was a transmission man by trade. Go back and find out what the owners of the e40d trannys were hauling when it broke and find out if they hauled stuff in overdrive. I did not say it was weak. Actually it was the strongest for the time period. It was behind 460s and
7.3PSD. Overdrive creates more heat. Heat is the weak point in this transmission. I have followed an F350 7.3 pulling a 14x70 mobile home down the road and then put it in the spot where it sits today. About 30 miles pulling distance. That was plenty to find a weak point. I would have to say that the fail e40d's are due to abuse, lack of maintenance, pulling too heavy of a load in overdrive, or a combination of all 3. Those are my opinions and experiences growing up in a transmission shop.