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On an '89, if you have the 4-speed auto trans, the button would be on the dash to the right of the steering column. Either 1989 or 1990 was the 1st year for the E4OD trans so I am betting yours has the C6 3-speed auto trans.
Someone asked if my truck was 4 speed OD or 3 speed w/OD. How can I tell? There is no button on the auto gear shift on the steering column.
The only difference between a four speed overdrive and a three speed with overdrive is spelling. Each has four ratios, with the highest one being overdrive.
What does it say on the gear indicator? PRNODD1, or PRND21?
Someone asked if my truck was 4 speed OD or 3 speed w/OD.
This is/was popular manual transmission speak and it can get confusing because there was just about every possible combination available in 3, 4, and 5 speed gear boxes over the years, smart people first indicate the number of forward gears the trans has and then specify if OD is present.
Originally Posted by Ford SD
How can I tell? There is no button on the auto gear shift on the steering column.
How many times does the trans shift up when accelerating? If it is 3 times then you likely have the E4OD 4spd automatic with the top gear being on overdrive ratio, if it only shifts twice then you have the 3spd C6 trans which does not have an OD ratio. The AOD 4sp auto was also available in the late '80s to early 90s but it wasn't factory installed behind the 5.8. That doesn't mean you don't have one because it will bolt in there are work just fine with the correct flexplate, but it would have been swapped in at some point by a previous owner.
My 1990 F-Series brochure says this about the E4OD: "Introduced in select heavy-duty models in 1989, availability is expanded in 1990 to include selected models under 8500-lb. GVWR."
dealership salesmen freaked out when i ordered the 91 and 92 trucks with the C-6 trans. "why get that when the E4OD is a much better trans"
6 trucks, all with the same engine and same trans means only one part is needed in stock, not one part per truck and try to figure out where the part needed for that truck was at 2 am to get the truck back running.