I have been slowly working on the 01 e350 ( tie rod ends, ball joints, camber/caster adjusters, Heat/AC fan switch, bumpers, grill, shelves) and finally took it on a 100 or so mile trip.

The transmission worked well, shifted smoothly, until I got to about 50-60 mph. then a shudder would develop.
If I took my foot of the gas, the shudder would lessen. When I reached 70mph the shudder would disappear.

I attempted to see if it was overdrive causing the problem so I depressed the button at the end of the gear selector shaft, the "OD off" light lit but there seemed to br no difference in the shudder.

In later attempts to test the overdrive, the button switch seems 'stuck'. It does'nt pop out or go in, the 'OD off' light stays off.

Do I have 2 problems?

Is there any common issues with the OD switch malfunction?

Is there any thing I can do to eliminate the shudder? It appears at what could be the most common highway speeds.

Thanks,
Skip

 

The shudder sounds like a wheel out of balance.
The switch sounds like it a dirt in it and needs to be cleaned or replaced.

 

Yeah, the shudder is likely a wheel out of balance or bent, or a drive shaft issue (bent or a bad u-joint).

The button is a momentary switch. If its stuck "in" then you need to either clean or replace it.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

No its not a wheel LOL Mine does the Exact same thing When the transmission shifts into overdrive it shudders and vibrates enough to skip my cd player. on mine when i take my foot off and feather the pedal it goes away or if i turn the overdrive off. i have yet to figure it out. as far as the switch it prolly has gunk in it or something i dont think they are used every often so they dont stay in top condition. i think they just pop in might be able to take it apart or spray elecrtical cleaner in there if not replace it and it should be way easy to find, TON and TONS of ford used them, my ranger had it , my F150 had it and even my villlager had the same switch.

 

I found the 5 amp fuse that supports the TCM OD switch was blown. I will replace it later today after I get 1 ( or a few from the local advance auto).

The shuddering does not seem like an out of balance conditon. It appears to co-incide with a tranny shift. It will occur at different speeds and goes away around 65-70.

Thanks,
Skip

 

I have driven litterally thousands of vehicles diagnosing transmission problems. You can have the exact same symptom description be any number of problems. Yours could be an engine miss resulting from bad plug wires, a torque converter shudder, or an overdrive clutch shudder.

The key in the symptoms Skip listed is that canceling OD makes no difference. If canceling OD makes no difference, its not likely the transmission.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

BUT
If his switch isnt working then he cant see if when he turns the overdrive off it still does it and im guess when he gets the fuse replaced it will stop when OD is off

 

May be... I thought he said the switch quit working after the fact. Maybe I missread it.

Either way, a shudder in OE is just as likely to be an engine miss as a transmission/clutch shudder.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Update:

I replaced the 5A fuse, it was the OD switch problem. I set OD to off and took a quick trip on/off the interstate - reaching about 60 mph and experienced no discernable shudder. I repeated this with the OD on. Again, no discernable shudder.

Could little use contribute to the shudder and the recent trip resulted in 'freeing up' trans components?

Is it possible that my short on/off interstate trip was not long enough to truly evaluate the issue?

Thanks,
Skip

 

The OD switch wouldn't effect an OD shudder. My first thought is it didn't have time to get hot enough. If its a torque converter clutch or OD clutch shudder, then the switch won't have any effect. A clutch shudder is the result of that clutch slipping. A slip would be cause by either a pressure loss or a burnt clutch.

A momentary torque converter shudder can occur on TC clutch application if the fluid is old and in need of changing. But that isn't a sustained shudder.

There is always the possibility that its an engine miss.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Well, I know the engine runs well and strong, in the 250 miles I've run since I acquired this van, there has been no engine problems (yet). It hasn,t even given a hint of a 'miss'

However, the state of the fluid is unknown and I should very well change it. I intend to do so once I get a spare moment.

My effort now is to get the van back to normal (bumpers on) and the interior outfitted with shelving.Then I can start using it rugularly

Thanks.,
Skip'

 

Skip, the shudder is OD *is* evidence of a miss. That's one of the first signs you will see on some vehicles. Its common on GM 3.8 fwd cars, typically due to old spark plug wires. Less common on these vechicle but it does happen.

The first thing to do when diagnosing a possible transmission problem is to check the fluid. Level and condition. Low could cause a shudder as could burnt or contaminated.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT