I have a 97 f-250 7.3 with an automatic transmission. the truck has 98,000 miles on it. I am having problems with my trans shifting very hard. I am not getting an o/d light flashing just hard shifting. the overdrive buttom does work. If i unhook the neg cables and let it sit for a bit it will shift fine for a couple drives then right back to banging into gear. about a month ago i took it to a local ford dealer they put it on there computer they did not find any error codes. But did mention it was not reaching 100 percent throttle. Im really not sure where to start with this any help would be appreciated thanks in advance

 

Hey, welcome to the site!

There are a couple (relatively) easy things you can try to get this issue resolved. The first is to check the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). It is on the end of a two wire connector on the top of the rear differential. There is one bolt that holds it into place, and after removing the bolt you can use a big screwdriver to very carefully pry it out of its hole. It is a good idea to clean up the area around the sensor as well as possible so a bunch of crud doesn't fall into the rear pumpkin when you pull the sensor. These are a magnetic sensor and have a tendency to collect small shaving of steel from the rear end. You'll see it on the sensor when you pull it out. Wipe it off good and put it back together. If this is the issue, often you will see the needle on the speedometer bounce around some at road speeds. Since these transmissions are electronically controlled by the PCM, the input form the VSS is very important. Take a few minutes to trace out the pigtail for the sensor too and check for any damaged or chaffed sections of wire.

The other easy thing you can do is to check the wiring connectors on the side of the transmission. Pull the connector out and inspect for any corrosion or dirt. Clean it up really good and reconnect it. You can use some dielectric grease as well if you like (spark plug boot grease works just fine).

I assume that you have checked the fluid level already?

Give those simple things a try and let us know if that fixes it.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot, for the accelerator pedal fix, here is a link you can take a look at.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-makomark.html

 

i will check those suggestions first thing in the morning. I did a search on the site i have seen some guys having these problems which are similiar to mine the only thing mine is not doing is flahing the o/d light. but the shifting is off and it slams into gear unless u back out of it then it will shift just fine

 

Welcome to the site. In addition to what Nate suggested, I've also found out (becasue I'm still having these issues) that the Manual Lever Position Sensor (MLPS), aka Transmission Range Sensor (TRS) could also be the problem. That's the sensor connected to the wire on the transmission that Nate mentioned above.

If your transmission also acts like it's slipping out of gear, (up, down or into neutral), the MLPS / TRS could be failing. Check the VSS and wires as suggested. If those are good and the problem continues, you may need to replace the VSS (depending on its age).

Take a look at this site, Shift Pointers 10-98

It's a bit of reading, but this is what lead me to believe my MLPS / TRS is the culprit in my case, not the VSS, wiring or connectors (I'm not finding any damaged wires or connectors and my VSS is clean). There is a test procedure you can perform to determine if your MLPS / TRS is bad.

If needed, there is an upgrade kit from Ford (F5TZ-7A247-AA). The instructions say to "use new nut supplied"; there is no new nut supplied with the kit. It also says to "align using the E4OD MLP sensor alignment tool"; this tool is not needed. The alignment setting is molded into the sensor body. My transmission mechanic said he never needed the alignment tool and has never used one because of the setting molded into the sensor body.

 

Okay i pulled the sensor in the rear axle looked nice and clean. Also checked the plug for the mlps sensor on the side of the transmission it looked clean as well. To my knowledge all these are the orignal sensors. The truck has 98,000 miles. If i unhook the ground cables it will run like a brand new truck for a bit next time i go somewhere its shifting hard again. Anymore help would be greatly appreciated

 

Here is an old thread I remembered where transmission line pressure was increased due to a bad Baro sensor. Your problem sounds similar so it's worth a look ...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-sensors.html

 

so i took the powerstroke to a highly recommened tranny shop today to see if they could diagnose my problems. So they hooked it up to there computer. drove it while it was hooked to there computer for like fifteen minutes was hard shifting the whole time didn't get one damn code not a bad sensor nothing. Said they would haft to do some more diagnostics at 80 dollars an hour. This is really making me mad

 

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I'm having similar issues with my transmission. Aamco in Rapid City, SD told me it needed to be rebuilt to the tune of $3K. I'm not entirely sure it isn't one of the other issues listed above.

BE SURE to get a VSS from FORD if you get one. I bought one from O'Reilly and the speedo bounced about 20-30 MPH anytime above 60MPH. The new ones are a different design. The new one from Ford is decent, but my speedo still bounces about 1MPH, truck surges a bit and tach bounces about 100-300 RPM. The old sensor didn't do any of these things.

I'm interested to see what you find out.

 

i'm not sure what i am going to do leaning towards rollling up my sleeves and trying to get it done on my own. with all the knowledge everybody here has to offer

 

anyone know what that hose does that comes off that brass nipple on the front of the transfer case. The hard rubber hose has a 90 at the end of it and is capped at the end. but right where it slides on the nipple it has a long split in it. links to the pics above

 

Does your high mount brake light work (one on cab) if not replace and take it for a ride