My E4OD went into reverse very quickly before i had it rebuilt, after it takes about 2 seconds to grab. I was told this is normal, but it bugged the crap out of me...

 

yeh your right mine takes about 2 seconds to engage in reverse too. but it goes right in drive. mine had been rebuilt 40,000 miles ago so the po told me, then a trans shop put my shift kit and did a spring upgrade and he said it had been rebuilt it was very clean inside still

 

The brake lights do cause the converter to unlock, but you usually don't feel it cause the PCM also does what you described and by the time you move your foot from the throttle to the brake the converter is already unlocked. Try this tho, next time you're on the interstate keep your right foot on the throttle nice and steady, and with the left one lightly tap on the brake pedal, just enough to make the lights come on but without actually building any brake line pressure to slow the truck down - you'll notice the converter unlocking then. And by the way, that exact behavior where the converter unlocks when you let off the throttle is the most common reason for installing the manual switch - you need the converter locked for engine braking, and the E4OD in its factory trim will not allow that, with the switch you can keep the converter locked and thus use engine braking. Or you can wire up the switch to keep the converter unlocked most of the time, like you did. Or you can have it like mine on full-manual lock/unlock, with no input from the PCM at all. Or you can wire it up
where you have manual unlock, manual lock, and full-auto where the PCM takes over...

 

i was trying to move that over here LCAM screwed up something. my converter dont unlock with the brake pedal i tryed it it just dont. may be supposed to but......

 

You don't see the RPM jump when you tap on the brake pedal while still holding the throttle steady? Are you sure your brake lights are actually coming on? I had that problem with my truck when I first got it, the spring in the BOO switch was too darn stiff so the lights would not come on until the master cylinder had started to actually build up some pretty good pressure - darn thing scared the heck outta me the first time around when I tapped on the brake pedal to disengage the cruise while taking a ramp off the interstate (which it promptly did), and then a few seconds later the cruise came back to life with a vengeance and went WOT to make up for the speed I lost while coasting up the off ramp. Turns out it was the vacuum dump switch that temporarily disabled the cruise, and not the electric BOO switch that was supposed to permanently disengage it. So yeah, back up against a wall or something, and make sure a light tap on the brake pedal with the engine running actually powers up your brake lights, cause other than TCC-related annoyance that's actually a safety concern too...

 

This is true.

Thinking some more about the OP, I wonder if a wiring problem could cause this. If a wire was grounded, would it not try to lock as soon as the transmission is turned over?

I've never done a lockup mod though, so I don't know if the converter can be applied in 1st gear or if its simply a case of it being possible to keep it applied when downshifting from a higher gear.

I'm wondering if the valve controlling the lockup might be nicked or had side loading wear on it (side loading of anodized aluminum alloy valves is one reason I never liked plug & play "shift kits" that simply up the line pressure because this is one place that is vulnerable). This in theory could cause it to jamb in one position until the fluid pressure changes enough that it can get free again (putting the transmission in neutral for example).

Just a theory though. At this point I would check easier to troubleshoot possibilities first.

 

I'm not sure if it matters whether the TCC is applied or not while the trans is in park or neutral, in theory it shouldn't do much cause if you think about it in park and neutral the turbine is still spinning only it's not connected to the rest of the transmission internals - locking the converter would just speed up the turbine, but that's all. Also I have a vague memory of engaging mine in neutral at least once, and it did nothing... Of course I may be wrong, in which case someone please do correct me.

 

i pull my trailer with this truck every day its never unhooked rarely my tool box is mounted on the front of trailer, when i mash brakes i can see the lights burning (reflection) on my box. but yea i tryed several times at different speeds.

 

Mashing the brakes is one thing, I'm talking about barely touching it to only trigger the brake lights, without actually slowing down - this is often used to let someone know they're too close behind you for comfort, also as I described in my previous post it is what disengages the cruise permanently instead of just temporarily like the vacuum dump switch does... Altho I do plan on installing a manual vacuum dump switch, in case my cruise decides to go stupid one day and hang at WOT without responding to the commands from the buttons on the steering wheel.

In any case, not sure why your converter ain't unlocking, it should tho... See this is where the problem is with the E4OD, the PCM looks at like gazillion things to determine the shift schedule...

 

from what i,ve learned.. you got that right

 

UPDATE:
Rewired transmission, and overrode the system with LCAM's help (THANK YOU!!! the diagram was great). Unfortunately, the overriding of the PCM did absolutely nothing to help!!!! The torque converter is STILL LOCKED UP! What does that mean? How the heck do I unlock this thing? any ideas would be VERY helpful. THANKS!

 

What you did is the exact same thing I have in my truck, and mine works great... Few question:
1) do you have the indicator LEDs?
2) if yes, is the yellow one lit with the transmission in park and neutral, and does it remain lit when you put it in gear?

One final check, to rule out a screw up somewhere in the manual switch wiring - pull the purple/yellow wire on the TCC side from pin #30 on the safety relay, and let it hang lose somewhere where it can't touch anything metal. Let me know if that changes anything, and if it don't (which is what I suspect will be the case, unfortunately) then it's very likely that either the TCC solenoid valve is jammed as David85 suggested, or maybe the solenoid pack itself is effed up.

Also, someone bought up a good point - the Banks shift kit you mentioned, is that the electronic box that plugs into the transmission harness, or is it an actual hardware shift kits (valves and springs and stuff) that has been installed inside the valve body? If it's the electronic box, unplug the darn thing and plug the harness like it was from the factory, and see where that gets you...

 

I'm on it, will update shortly with answers to the above questions.

 

Actually I meant the converter regulator valve, or control valve - both are located in the pump body at the front of the transmission. Its possible that the solenoid could be jambed but those generally don't fail in the on position.

 

Oh, THAT valve - I sure as hell hope that ain't the problem, cause it would require pulling the trans to get to and repair... But at least my mod got his PCM to drop the FMM and return line pressure back to normal - converters and pumps are easier to replace than direct drums and clutches and stuff.