Hi there, i have a 95 f150 XL. it has a straight 6 300 motor in it. and it runs great! but..my transmission is having problems. and i dont know how to tell what transmission i have! when i put it in reverse, its shifts really hard, kind of making the truck "jump". it doesn't do this all the time though. sometimes it makes the truck stall. also, when i put it in drive, theres a small waiting period until it actually shifts. when im driving, if im accelerating to fast, it shifts perdy hard. if you have any suggestions on whats wrong with my tranny please feel free to help! now, my codes are as follow:
MB / Type-GVM / Body / TRANS / AXEL / TAPE / SPRINGS
133 F142 CV4 E H9 K I

If anyone can tell me what ANY of these codes mean it would be much appreciated.

 

I hate to bring up the obvious, and I'm not trying to make you the fool, but when is the last time you checked the fluid level? And what color is the fluid- red, brownish, is there kind of a burnt smell to it?

Beyond that, the primary problem with hard shifting is the computer. This doesn't necessarily mean the computer is bad, it just means that it could be getting some incorrect data. For example, about 2 years ago my truck began shifting extremely hard for, apparently, no reason at all. Fluid level was accurate and in good condition. I ended up narrowing it down to a bad MAP sensor. The computer was getting bad readings from the MAP sensor, and so it was shifting the tranny incorrectly based on that.

As to reading codes, you have a couple of options.

1: Go here and follow the instructions- Ford Fuel Injection » How To Run a Self-Test

2: Go to your local auto parts store and buy the cheap code reader. I bought mine for $30 @ O'Reilly and it has served me well for the past year. This is what I have...

Equus Innova 3145 - Digital Code Reader | O'Reilly Auto Parts

It's very easy to use and comes with an instruction/code definition hand book. Just remember that codes are meant to point you in the right direction. Getting a code for, say, a bad ECT sensor could actually be caused by a separate problem.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

Trans code E should be the E4OD trans and axle code H9 should be 3.55 axle ratio with limited slip diff.
As DBG says you should check for trouble codes.

 

well i checked the trans fluid and it is brown and i guess it could have a burned smell to it..what does that mean?

 

and thank you Lazy K

 

DBG, i recently changed my oil and i checked my trans fluid, everything seemed fine but it did look a bit brown and stunk. now this MAP sensor, was it hard to find and replace? did it solve your problem?

 

What does that mean? Either it smells like it's burnt or it doesn't. I can't give you an exact description of what it would smell like- just to say that it would have a burnt or burning smell to it. If you're not sure, stick a funnel in the dipstick tube and take a whiff- it would be more concentrated and easier to tell.

As to what it means, since the fluid appears to be brown, you'll probably need to flush it out, and changing the fluid filter probably wouldn't hurt. Have you been running the truck on low transmission fluid? That can cause overheating which will burn the fluid as well.

I want to be clear that I was only telling you of my MAP sensor problem as an example that the computer can shift incorrectly based on data it receives from a bad sensor. Your truck might be having the same problem, it might not, this is why it's important that you pull the diagnostic codes.