so i just got my 2nd bronco almost identical to the one i use to have except this one is nothing but a load of problems lol so I'm going to start big and work to small it is a 94 351w auto 4x4 with 260k. so when driving around it feels like a your towing a brick sled thru the mud no power just really slushy and if you stab the gas it it engages kick down but it sticks at 3 k rpm and doesn't shift or get higher unless you let the pedal go then it will shift. if you gradually give it gas it doesn't stick it will tach all the way it just takes a wile it also gets worse mpgs than my 74 f100 on 37s with a 390 so around 7 or 8 mpgs around town or in stop and go witch i know cant be right my old 93 got 17 in town with the exact same drive train but on the free way and long trips were the truck isn't going thru gears it gets about 20 mps which is right recently it has been surging when driving around and yesterday i think it down shifted then went back to the right gear after that. i just changed the trans filter and added a quart of Lucas stop slip to try and fix it though that did nothing next the alarm is super finicky if the door is unlocked with the key from the passenger side door the alarm goes off and doesnt stop until the drivers door is unlocked opened closed locked and unlocked again any ideas or is there a way to unplug the damn thing cause that really sucks also the drivers side lock wont stay unlocked when you use the key when turned to the up and down position it locks so the door has to be opened then the key removed or else it will just lock again. i also need to track down an inside door handle hinge this one is super stiff and worn out and keeps breaking handles any help on this would be a major help i really don't want to sell it but if it keeps going this way i may have to the only other things are a mystery water leak ac clutch making sound and the awful mpg but i have a really strong feeling that its trans related

 

You need to pull the codes with a scanner. That will help out alot. The E4OD transmission is known for these sorts of problems, its usually something electrical, so don't dive into a rebuild yet.

 

what kind of scanner just an obd 1 scanner or is there a separate trans scanner?

 

OBD II scanner

 

NOT OBD-II! EEC-IV was the system employed in EFI Broncos from 1986-1995. OBD-II did not appear until the final year of production... 1996. You don't necessarily need a scanner to pull Codes from the EEC-IV system. They can often simplify the process but if you really need to, you can pull Codes from EEC-IV with a paperclip.

 

WHAT HE SAID LOL

 

i have done the paper clip trick on a Toyota but never on a bronco where do i put the paper clip on this application and its never shown a check engine light dose that mean that it wont have any codes to show

 

I always wonder how people do that to pull codes.....How do ya do it?

 

on a yota there's a diagnostic port and you use a paper clip as a jumper between to contacts in the port then the check engine light will blink an x amount of numbers then pause then blink again then pause at that point you count the number of blinks in between pauses that number will correspond with a trouble code. im not sure how to do it on a bronco but i want to learn

 

Does your check engine light work? Check to see if it comes on at start up. Also the ecu may have them stored in memory so they wont cause the light to come on.

 

You jump the STI (Self Test Initiation) terminal and the SIG RET (Signal Return) terminal of the DLC (Diagnostics Link Connector). The DLC has six terminals arranged in two rows. The upper row has two terminals while the lower has four. The signal return terminal is the right-hand terminal of the pair in the upper row.

To be clear: The DLC is a trapezoidal 6-terminal connector that hangs on the driver's inner fender near the hood support spring. They all started out with a cap (since they sit with the open terminals facing upward) that reads (EEC-IV TEST) or something similar. If yours doesn't have the cap, not to worry, just locate this trapezoid shaped connector.

The STI is a single-wire female spade terminal that hangs next to the 6-terminal (trapezoidal) DLC. It is a completely separate connector!

Once you have made this jumper connection, turn the key on and watch the CEL (Check Engine Light). Count as it flashes out Codes. Note: The first short burst will indicate the number of cylinders in the engine by flashing either four times for a V8 or three times for the 300 (4.9L) L6.

The Codes will flash out either as two-digits with a longer break between Codes or three digits with a longer break between Codes.

For example: Code 32 will flash out as three flashes, a two second pause, three more flashes. There will be a four second pause between this Code and the next.

Three-digit Codes will flash out the same way. Code 121 will appear as one flash, a two-second pause, two flashes, a two second pause, and one flash. The next Code will be separated by a four second pause.

If you want to be able to see the Codes flash out without peering into the depths of your dashboard, you can always connect a test light between the battery positive and the STO (Self Test Output) terminal of the DLC. This is the second terminal from the left on the bottom row of four terminals. This will let the test light mimic the CEL while the test is being run.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS remember to warm the engine to normal operating temperature BEFORE running either the KOEO (Key On Engine Off) or KOER (Key On Engine Running) tests or false readings and phantom Codes WILL plague your diagnostics efforts.

 

The paperclip procedure is HIGHLY error-prone. At least half the time someone posts codes that they read incorrectly. Spend $30 on an Innova 3145 scanner and it will save you a lot of time and hassle.

 

^^What he said. Mine cost me $22 shipped to my door and it is super easy to use.

 

*Sigh* makes me wonder how my truck is different because I've NEVER pulled Codes any other way. I'll yield to the knowledge of these two gentlemen. I've just never come up short using the "paperclip method". I don't use a paperclip though... the conductivity of the nickel-plated clip sucks compared against a short length of solid copper wire which I have much more laying around the garage than I do paperclips.

 

Joe, I can't even tell you how many times I've seen people miscount the flashes, miss one of the pauses, or say, "I got codes 332 and 42 - which one should I fix first?"

I can do it without error and I've no doubt you can too. It's the folks that have never done it before that have problems.