torque converter shutter?
 

good day to all. its been a long time since i have been here so bear with me. my 96 F150 has developed a strange vibration and nothing i have done seeems to help. once it has shifted into drive it will shutter or vibrate under a light load. if i let off throttle or give it more throttle it stops. seems to be most noticable from 30-55 mph. i am thinking it is torque converter locking and unlocking but not sure. if it is torque converter does the converter lock and unlock electricly? if so where is the sensor on the bellhousing? i have looked around and cannot find anything as i was going to unplug it to see that was indeed the problem. its a 4rw70 tranny. any help appreciated.......thanks Donald

you need to drain transmission, torgue convertor, put in new fluid. this may halp if not too late.

Try changing the fluid and filter first, if that doesn't work they sell an additive that I have used before that will eliminate most if not all of the shudder. I bought mine from a transmission shop but can't remember the brand name of the product.

make sure your trans. fluid says it helps fix shudder.

the product 95 f150 is talking about is: dr. tranny, instant shudder fix. do a search on the web for where to get.

your torque converter IS locking up and it is a somewhat common problem with that transmission. fluid change aint gonna help. conversion/calibration kit will.

good luck

arkie150

sorry to tell you that my truck had what felt like a washboard under it and changing fluid and filter solved it.

The other treatment that works other than Dr. Tranny, is Lubegard in the red bottle, for Fords. I drained my Torque Converter and refilled it with the Lubegard and the shutter went away. Mine is a C-6

Shutter Problem
 

thanks all for the replies. sure didnt expect so many replies so quickly. i will be going to localy owned tranny shop tomorrow and talk to them to get some more input as they come very highly recomended by other family members. i actualy was thinking of a power purge so as to purge tranny and torgue converter of all the old fluid. i didnt state in original post but this truck only has 63000 miles and the fluid on dip stick looks very clean. i have owned it for a year now and it has come on slowly till just recently has become a major problem. all i use it for is a daily driver no towing or anything.

Shudder is a common problem with the E4OD/4R70W, even with low miles. The torque converter clutch is engaged hydraulically through a passage in the input shaft. This hydraulic pressure, in turn, is applied under control of a solenoid inside the transmission pan. The solenoid is grounded by the PCM to bring about a lockup. There are no "sensors" on the bellhousing.

There are various anti-shudder additives that are worth a try. Fluid changes usually help, at least for a while, although the shudder rarely goes away for good. Any shift kit that increases line pressure may help apply the torque converter clutch a little harder and thus stop the shudder.

It is not necessary to put such additives directly into the torque converter as the torque converter fluid is constantly exchanged with the fluid in the rest of the trans.

I don't think that a C6 transmission ever came with a lockup converter, but I could be wrong...

Thanks fefarms you answered my question well. the only sensor i could find on the outside of tranny controls the overdrive circuit. you and others have mentioned additives that will get rid of the shudder but you state that it will not get rid of it permanently. how long would this kinda fix usualy last and will just doing a pan drop and filter change swap out enuf fluid to do the job? the truck is used as daily driver and spends most of time on highway as i drive 35 miles one way to work everyday.
thanks again........Donald

you need to drain the torque convertor also. it is very easy, small plug at bottom of housing out, click starter until bolt lines up.

you said in an earlier post that you were going to take it and have it power purged or something like that. just change it yourself, it is not that bad a job.

i disagree with fefarms, my shudder and many others went away and stayed away.

Ford went to Mercon V to fix the shudder in there 4R70w transmissions and I have have used it in trannys as early 1992 to fix this problem and it works. Just drain out as much fluid including the torque convertor change filter and add Mercon V.

i do not think mercon V is recommended for these transmissions. it has an addititive that does not work well with theses trans. i may be wrong though.

Only use Mercon in the C-6 There is a tranny I think 4R70W that Ford has advised that it is ok to retroactively use Mercon V in place of the original Mercon. Do not use Mercon V in your C-6 or AOD it has too much FM's and will cause slippage and other problems. Phone Ford if you want clarification and don't quote me -but I think Ive remembered it right.

I thought i would post back and say that i did stop at the tranny shop today and they had some (Dr Tranny's Instant Shudder Fix) and has seemed to cure the problem. when they say instant they werent joking lol. So far so good thanks for the help folks. :)