Ok, My 89 F-350 crew cab has been having tranny problems since i bought it last may. This truck was in rough shape when i bought it from an auction for about $400.00. alot of minor things like tires, glow plugs, leaky injector, fuses etc. When i first drove it (limped around the block) it would slam when it shifts. Now i am not going to list the countless times i took it to different places (including 3 ford dealers) but they all told me to rebuild it. I replaced a couple sensors and it would work most of the time but not all the time. Ford found a code that tells them its something internal. So I rebuild it, change every sensor related to the tranny ( i think there is 6 or 7) chase down a broken wire and bad ground and it still does not work everytime!! It has not slammed since the rebuild but sometimes when i start the truck it will not go out of 1st gear.

 

I can manually shift into 2nd but it wont shift on its own. So everytime i start the truck i hit the overdrive button, and if the light comes on i know the transmission will shift. If the light does not come on i know i have to turn the truck off and restart it until it works. The guy who rebuilt it said not to bring it back to him, he doesnt know whats wrong.....man did that **** me off. Does anyone have an idea as to whats wrong? can i get the computer reset? I'm assuming it has a computer since they can read codes off it. I am just at a lost i have spent about $5000.00 altogether on this truck and it is almost perfect except for the tranny. I wish i had just gone for the upgraded tranny in the first place. Thanks for any advice fellas.

 

When does the tranny slam? If the trans was rebuilt the right way, it should shift correctly (i would think). The is a controller mounted on the injection pump, unplug that connector there and see how the trans acts. I had a trans rebuilt and the rebuilder drilled out a supply port in the shifting plate in the trans and made it shift like it would jerk your teeth out. There is a "computer" to control the shifting of the E40D trans, but that is about all it does control. The unit is located inside the cab, to the left of emergency brake pedal, behind the kick panel. To remove it you have to go under the hood, dirvers side fender at the firewall and remove the 10mm bolt holding the wiring harness to the ecm and remove the wiring harness from the ecm and then remove the ecm from inside the cab. Pay attention to the way it is mounted if you do remove it
Let us know how you make out.

 

the tranny shifts fine now that it has been rebuilt. The problem is on start up something does not engage it, its almost like there is no power to the transmission and the only reason i can get 1st, 2nd and reverse is i manually shift it into those gears. This is what i have come up with. Is there a way to test the computer or reset it? i mean i guess i could pull it out, would i be able to replace it? Sorry for all the questions but i do not know much about this.

 

Is the trans fluid at the proper level? I dont understand - you manually shift the trans into gears. How else would this happen other than you moving the shift lever into the selected gear? Perhaps the linkage is not adjusted right?
The trans is powered by the converter which turns the pump to make pressure. When it was rebuilt, did he engage the converter properly?
Sorry for being lost but YOU are there and I am here reading.

 

I use the overdrive light to indicate if the transmission will shift. After i have started the truck i will push the button and if the light comes on (which means the overdrive is turned off) I know the transmission will shift through all the gears. But if the light does not come on i will only have 1st gear in Drive. Also I can move the shifter to 2nd and have 2nd, and move it to 1st for 1st gear the same for reverse and park (all selected gears work) the tranny will not shift to any gears in drive. So the whole problem is this:
when i start the truck will the tranny shift? or will it just sit in 1st gear. I feel there must be something wrong with the computer because it is truely random and not affected by rain, cold, hot or any other condition. when the transmission does shift, it shifts perfect with out slamming or slipping. Thanks for trying to help me out with this, It took me a couple of weeks before i finally posted because i knew it would be difficult to explain.

 

Redjackt88,
It seems you have tried all the professional sources for help on your E4OD, and because they have not solved the problem, are now going to try to fix the problem yourself.
As I own a van, some of the areas where components are located will be different, but I will try to compensate for it. Have patience and try to explain questions fully when answering my, or other's, replys, please.
The E4OD's shifting is controlled by a computer known as the TECA (Transmission Electronic Control Assembly) relay. It uses several sensors to tell it when to shift the E4OD.
You can communicate with the TECA by using a code scanner. It sends error codes and you watch and write them down to be looked up with accompanying manual later. If you are interested in trying to solve your tranny problem yourself, I would suggest your buying a code scanner. Mine is called the Actron III, Model# CP9015. You can find it at Advanced Auto, Autozone, Walmart and probably several other places. Equus also makes one. It will cost you between $20.00 to $30.00.
You can reset the computer ( clear it's memory of error codes ) but I wouldn't advise you to do so until you have bought a code scanner and drawn the codes it now has in its memory. That way you could compare codes drawn before and after the computer has been reset.
To reset the TECA, just unhook both positive battery cables and leave them off for approx. 20 minutes then re-install them. Then attempt to drive the vehicle so that the computer can input the things it is finding wrong with it's ability to shift properly.
I have much more detailed information but we must get through the basics first.
On a mechanical note, what is the condition of the u-joints? My van had symptoms of not wanting to shift out of 1rst. I'd have to get the vehicle speed up to about 40 then let off the accelerator, re-apply accel., and the tranny would shift into 4rth. Once I replaced the u-joints, I had no more problems as far as that was concerned.
R.A.

 

I do not think it is a mechanical problem. i will go out and get a scanner and see what codes i come up and post them. thanks for your help.