Long version:

This is a long story but i wan't to provide as much information as possible in the hope that someone can help me identify the problem so please bear with me. A couple years ago i decided to fool around with using the EBPV as an exhuast brake. I just wired it up with an on/off switch and played around a little with it around town for a second or two at a time while coasting in 3rd. I didn't bother with doing a torque converter lock up switch since i never planned on using the ebpv as an exhaust brake long term. After just a day or two, i noticed i was having to use more accelerator pedal to get out of my driveway and things just felt a little more sloppy than usual. I immediately stopped with the EBPV experimentation in hopes of preventing further damage. The next time I went on a short road trip i noticed the transmission temps were heating up a lot faster and got much hotter than usual. I could maintain 160 on the highway but as soon as i pulled off and was in stop and go traffic the temps would just keep climbing. This was quite alarming but i was already more than halfway to where i was going so i got back on the highway and the temps went down a little bit. As i was going up a long steady grade the overdrive light started flashing and i would soon find out the the trans had gone into limp mode. The trans was very hot by the time i got to my destination, over 230 if i remember correctly. It turns out the code set was p1728 for trans slipping. I changed the fluid and i have been driving the truck ever since, close to three years now, and nothing has changed for better or worse. Symptoms are less responsive accelerating, and mileage in town went from around 18 to around 13.5. Highway mileage has stayed the same, around 21 mpg. In town as long as keep trips short its fine, cruising steady on the highway seems to be okay but as soon as i have to slow down temps start climbing fast. I usually take a break for a couple hours halfway through the 100 mile trip to visit family when i have had to take my truck. 99% of my driving the last three years is just short trips around town so overheating hasn't been an issue and in all the driving i have done since initially setting the p1728 code, it has never come back and neither have any other codes for that matter.

I have always hated the automatic in my truck and I obviously hate it even more now. My original plan was to do the zf 5 conversion and spend a penny opn this dang e4od. Since i havent had the time/money/parts to do this, i have decided that if i can fix the e4od without a complete overhaul that it will be worth it in fuel savings alone and later when the time is right i can do the conversion.

Short version:
1) used ebpv as exhaust brake
2) trans feels like slipping more
3) trans heats up faster and gets much much hotter than ever before
4) set code p1728 on long steady grade
5) in town mileage goes way down
6) been driving it like this for three years with no change and no codes set

My questions:
has anybody experienced anything like this?
Is it possible that only the torque converter is bad, or something else that is not in the internal part of the trans?

I have always hated the automatic in my truck and I obviously hate it even more now. My original plan was to do the zf 5 conversion and not spend a penny opn this dang e4od. Since i havent had the time/money/parts to do this yet, i have decided that if i can fix the e4od without a complete overhaul that it may be worth it in fuel savings alone. Plus it will be nice to get back the responsiveness and to be able to go on long road trips without having to worry about the tranny overheating on me.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!!

 

Well, I can tell you Valair sells TQ's, but other than that, I know nosing.

 

Thanks. good to know. I was planning on using a valair clutch for the conversion because of all the good things i have heard on here about them. I had no idea they do torque converters as well.

 

AC parts too. =)

I sell them all.

 

I think that the general consensus is that if the converter lets go then any damaging particles are still in the transmission , you risk damaging the new converter .
I don't think the evbp had anything to do with the transmission malfunctioning , chalk it up to coincidence ?!
ZF5 time .

 

I see what your saying but i was hoping since i changed the fluid shortly after i became aware of the problem, and seeing as it hasn't gotten worse in three years of driving, maybe i can get away with a band aid fix. I just need to know where to put the band aid since i basically know nothing about automatic transmissions.

 

Service the tranny again , drop the pan and see what's going on in there . That will give us an idea of the health of the tranny , post pictures of the pan before you clean it if possible

 

Bumping my old thread. I forgot to mention i have autoenginuity. Is there any sort of test i can run or parameters i can monitor with ae to help diagnose this?

 

Yes, there is. In the PCM there is a parameter called SLIP_ACT. I don't know if you can read that with an AE. That is the actual slip across the torque converter. When the converter is unlocked it can be as high as 1800 RPM, when locked it should be less than 15 RPM. The P1728 code will set at 50 RPM slip when the converter is supposed to be locked.

 

My truck had a slip code a few years ago.My buddy replaced the torque converter and the teflon seal on the stator shaft.It has continued to work properly ever since.I plan on doing the coon mod this week and hopefully the stock shifting will be improved as well.

do you have the torque converter rattle like the sd's have when the converter comes apart? That was a big thing on them,not sure obs trucks ever had that problem much.That is the biggest problem to cause sluggish takeoff in my limited experience.

 

Thanks i will try this out tomorrow and report back.

 

I cant say I have noticed a rattle but maybe i just need to pay better attention. Never heard of that symptom, maybe i should go do some searching in the superduty section.

Did you put in an up graded torque converter in your truck or just a parts store one?

 

unfortunately just a reman from our local converter rebuilder. wish it was upgraded.but at a stocker it was not high on his list.i will someday.i wont have anything but an auto personaly.

 

So with AE i was able to monitor "Torque Converter Actual Slip". Drove around for a bit and the weird thing is that it was read zero RPM slip no matter what which doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Also, i forgot to mention in my original post another thing i noticed since this problem started. When coasting in third with tc locked up, when i get back on the accelerator there is some sloppyness that did not exist previously. Almost like in a vehicle with a manual transmission and really worn out motor/trans mounts.

 

Kellen - i just posted on your other thread and followed your link to read up. i'm experiencing similar symptoms with my E4OD and wondering if you ever got the 'TC Slip' parameter to read, or pinpointed the actual problem before switching to the ZF5.

i am a new owner to this truck (bought it cheap knowing it had some problems), so i can't speak to the history of the problem, and i don't have a temp gauge on the trans, so can't compare temps behavoir to yours, but i definitely have a slipping trans - just not sure of the exact cause.

also, the slipping is not constant on my truck. it'll drive fine (and plenty strong most of the time), but every once i'll get no power to the wheels with the tach going up well past 3k. seems to happen in any gear as well. i get no trans codes, though and no codes at all for that matter.

i'm not terribly concerned by all this as i do have my zf5 replacement ready to go in along with 2 backup PCMs (one manual that i'll try first, then the auto from my other truck), so if its a PCM or trans problem, they'll both be gone with the swap. i'm just trying to figure it out since the trans is still under warranty from Jasper and i'd like have them replace/fix it so i can try to sell it as a properly functioning E4OD (an oxymoron to some, i know) and help cover the costs associated with the ZF swap.