Hey yall, gosh i haven't posted in awhile dang work/school taking up all my time! I planned on doing alot of work on the truck but for awhile i didnt have any time to really finish up my list. My first question is my truck which is a 95 f150 XLT 4x4. ext. cab with the 351w and E40D came with which looks like a factory transmission cooler. How rare is this option? Heres some background info on it before i get into the details. It has 215k miles on it, shifts perfectly without any problems OD still works great without any problems, transmission has been serviced religiously throughout its lifetime, i dont do any towing really anymore sense i got out of the landscaping business and when i did tow it was always under 1800 pounds so nothing that would cause the truck to really work. Now for the details, i have been contemplating how long this transmission would really last sense it came with a factory transmission sense everyone knows heat is the number 1 killer of a trans. I know they used the E40Ds in the f250s and the 350s also i believe? so i am guessing there built fairly well? I have been reading articles on the E40D but i haven't been able to find any info. on how much a transmission cooler from the factory would effect its longevity... obviously it should make a huge difference right? so when i go to rebuild the 351w and plan for 325+ rwhp should i really plan on rebuilding that E40D or would a few upgrades be fine? Once again i greatly appreciate you guys taking your time out and helping us youngin's out

 

which style factory cooler on the front and ya the psds used them all the way up to the 6.0liter it was revised as the 4R100 if im not mistaken in 99 and i would do a flush and shift kit from transgo i have a friend with 15 psds and hes only replaced one tranny at 325000 but keep in minjd running a transmision to cold is worse than to hot btw use motorcraft merc V its the only thing that transgo recomends (says it doesnt break down under heat as fast) full synthetic is a wast of money in my opionion

 

Thanks for the quick response! It is the smaller one mounted infront of the radiator on the top left side i believe. I want to say its a 13-15000 btu, I plan on getting a trans. temp. for sure and have always really wondered how hot it runs after driving for awhile. I live in TN so i dont think it will ever run to cold figuring it never gets below 50-60 degrees during the winters, it may drop down to 30-40 for a few days. I had the fluid changed when i got it back when it had 185k miles and the fluid still looks new so at least i know the actual inside is staying clean. I have been recommend to get a aftermarket valve body? i am not to well educated on trans. parts... I know the few basic things to help the performance of a trans. like a trans. cooler and shift kit.

 

they do a decent job even 50 to 60 is to cold for them some get new valve body id save the money and just do a kit id maybey do a tank style cooler that takes up about half the radiator with the lines commin in from the side or bottom a in line thermostate and a temp guage and shift kit maybe a aux filter also id change fluid and filter 20000 to 30000 miles if im not mistaken arnt line pressures pretty low in these somebody chime in

 

215k is a LOT on an E4OD tranny (Any tranny for that matter). BUT,....the 95-up models ARE stronger than the 94-back units.

If it was me, and money permits, I'd plan on doing a rebuild to the tranny. Especially since your raising the bar (HP wise) BUT,....keep in mind, they're not cheap to build and they're a little more complex than say a C-6. Make sure your tranny guy knows what he's doing and has a good warranty.

 

The E4OD is a good trans, especially the latter versions and especially with regular maintenance. You have 215K and it still works good, so that should tell you something. If you're planning on 400 FWHP then it would be smart to have the trans gone through, even if it had less than 100K, because you'll probably be looking for enhanced performance features anyway like a stall converter & valve body, premium clutches, bearings, etc..... Your late model E4OD would be the best version to start with since it has the most factory upgrades. Spend some time lurking on the Lightning forums to get some ideas of what they do.