Hello all,

I am having an issue with my 1998 5.4l Expedition. It will not up-shift from 2-3.
It feels almost like it's in a 4x4LOW shift schedule.

I've done a lot of research on multiple forums and read, read, read until my eyes bled. I was really hoping the fault was inside the valve body and a stuck spring or valve.

I went ahead and scanned the computer and I have no codes. The O/D light does not blink. I can toggle it off and on via the button on the end of the shifter.

I watched the gear data correlate with the shifting to eliminate the cable. The reverse lights come on when in reverse, manual 1 works, reverse works, and I can get it to upshift to 2nd with manual two. In {D}, 1st gear runs until the engine is @ apprx 4,000rpm and if i let the throttle go a bit, it'll upshift to 2nd. Speed will keep increasing until the engine is screaming at 5500rpm.

It does not ever neutral out. It just wont upshift..

I pulled the TRS harness off to inspect, and I checked for codes whilst it was unplugged just to be sure I can read TCM codes. The TRS code showed up.
I tested the TPS sensor and it checks out good.
My speedo works fine and as well as my Tach.

The fluid was not low on initial check with the onset of symptoms. So, I went ahead after doing my tests, drained the pan and dropped it. I pulled the accumulator body and as well as the valve body. I could not get the solenoid off today. I will tomorrow and I will ohm it out.
I inspected the valve body and accumulator body and to be honest, I do not know what a stuck valve or accumulator looks like or what it would feel like.

• The one third to the right didnt like right at first, but I can feel a little movement when pressing it in

• My camera basically washed out, but without disassembling the individual valves, they look intact via the spaces.

• The last one on the right is stationary..

• I cannot tell if these look right (they are unaltered)

• The one on the left felt like it was catching when being pressed in

I could use a little advice. I really hate to drop the trans and was looking elsewhere for the problem and praying I do not have to drop the trans!
What else could cause no upshift and no codes?

I've been looking on Identifix, IATN, Diesel forums (since the diesels used the e40d) and my symptoms surely matched the famous stuck springs.

Thanks in Advance!

 

I've never seen a stuck spring. Stuck valves, yes, and that's likely causing your problem.

You are pressing on the plugs in the end of the bores. That doesn't tell you anything at all about the condition of the valves. It's like standing on the front porch pressing on the front door to see if the toilet will flush. It's just not related.

You need to remove these plugs to get to the valves. If you don't know what you are doing here it is probably worth the money to takes these to a trans shop and have them look at it.

 

Thanks Mark. I love the analogy!

The bad part is my auto trans class does not start until next semester, which is why I am not familiar. I torn down manuals and found it simple compared to this. I very much do appreciate your reply and thank you.

I shouldnt have been in a panick.. Today, I inspected the valve body closer and saw how the valves worked. I found the 2-3 shift sticking in the bore and catching when it moves inside.

Ill post pics as soon as I get home, but I found a few rub marks on the valve it self.

I also found the 1-2 accumlator valve does not rest fully against the wall in the valve body. I can move it with no effort, but I am not sure if that is it's natural resting position.

 

I went ahead and cleaned up the 3 lower valve bodys (next to the solenoid pack), and made sure none of the shift valves didnt stick. I put the accumulator valve body and tested the soilenoid pack.

Shift Solenoid 1 = 20.1 ohm
Shift Solenoid 2 = 20.3 ohm
Torque Converter Solenoid = 20.1 ohm
Coast Clutch Solenoid = 20.2 ohm
Electronic Pressure Control Solenoid = 6.0 ohm


So, I placed everything back and put back in 8 quarts of Mercon back in.

I started it up and ran through all the gears, and then tried my luck. I had one code inside the gem which was an P1836 "Transfer Case Front Shaft Speed Sensor Circuit Failure"

When in drive, It'll shift from 1st to second but not at normal RPM range. Once first gear and engine is at 4500 or so rpm, I let the throttle back some and it'll shift to second.

I can keep going until I hit redline and it stays at 2nd. I unplugged the solenoid connector on the passenger side top of the e4od and Im getting 2nd and 4th...

Is it time to yank this thing out while the weather is nice for the next 2 days?
Also, my transfer case is making all sorts of racket.. I used my stethoscope and verified its coming from the transfer case. This surely has me stumped.

Would anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

Its the transfer case...

 

I'm curious about how the transfer case failing would keep the transmission from shifting properly. Any thoughts?

 

I noticed there is 2 sensors and 1 magnetic clutch inside the transfer case. I went ahead and pulled one from a parts recycler and noticed the two sensors and the wire for the clutch.

This was very confusing at first. My transmission was acting like it was engaged in 4x4Low - Even though the ESOF switch was in 2wd.

The GEM which commands 2hi/awd/4hi/4lo shows the truck was in 2wd. The obd speed parameters matched Gps and speedometer. The case was physically in 2hi (I even pulled the electric shift motor off and made sure it was in 2hi)

So, as I take off from a stop (it does not matter if I'm easy or hard on pedal),
I put the truck in {D}rive and go.. 1mph, 5mph, 18mph, 21mph..etc and Im anticipating an upshift into second.. It does not happen unless Im almost 25mph in 1st gear..

If I ease off the throttle a bit, it will shift into second and go about 33 or so and the engine rpms are screaming @ 4500 rpm and it just will not go faster or upshift into third.

I dropped the valve body and didnt find anything too bad.. Maybe a stuck accumulator when it moved inside it's bore, but I do not think it was bad.. just getting hung inside intermittinly. I fixed the hang up issue and reinstalled the valve body... etc The truck in the air, and in drive - I can hear some whining noise in the transfer case (or near it)

I then put the truck back onto the ground and saw no improvement. I unplugged the trans connector on the passenger side and it shifts from 2nd to 4th no problem.. Upon turning the corner to park - the truck went neutral on me in drive.

I got no gears - nothing is working - and attempting to place it in park, it grinds, telling me the trans output shaft is spinning. I shut the truck off and got under it, and managed to manually put the transfer case into 4hi with pliers.

She then moved.. It's hard to rotate the selector on the case to 2wd/4hi... etc.. The other transfer cases I looked at - the selector mechanism is smooth. I also have even a louder noise coming from that area where the x-fer case is.

I've been researching everything on this topic for 2 weeks now and If it is not the xfer case, Im stumped! Well, not stumped but, I am not really looking into replacing my trans @ 90k miles!

 

Ok, so you have the push button transfer case control. I hadn't thought of that. I have a manual one so I couldn't see how that would come into play. You learn something new everyday. That was my one thing, so I'm good.

 

I don't see how that could happen.
I doubt the transfer case is the problem. I suspect the computer is getting bad information from one or more sensors and that is causing all of your problems. To diagnose this you will need a high end scan tool that can look at live data. You will need to look at when the computer commands the shifts, what vehicle speed is showing, what the TRS sensor is showing, throttle position, engine speed, etc.

 

You might want to watch this video.... pay attention to 11:00 to 12:30


Here is the Valve he mentions: TransGo E4OD/4R100: E4-VL-23

 

Thank you, I caught this a few months ago and couldn't find it. Very informative!


Thanks Mark. I am in agreement. What makes me pull the transfer case is because I lost rear wheel drive, too, at the same time as these other shifting issues. I then removed electric shift motor to manually put it in 4wd and the front wheels are the only wheels that propel truck.

When it acted up, and upon putting the transmission in {P}ark, it grinded like hell! I went to move the truck again after putting the valve body back in and drove it for a few blocks, I experienced same shifting problems, no codes, and the transfer case went neutral on me again (cannot get it to spin the back wheels - drive shaft not spinning when in 2rwd )

When it went neutral on me, it grinded in park and I had to get under it again and manually put the xfer case back in 4lo to move it.

I am currently in the process of pulling the transfer case - and have removed torsion bars, crossmember, and most of the front suspension due to the frozen / stuck torsion bars in the lower control arm.