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For applications where an alternator is present, the alternator must deliver between 14.0V and 14.7V when measured at the Battery’s terminals. Consult the ODYSSEY battery technical manual or owner’s manual for any necessary temperature compensation. Alternators that do not have a regulated charge between 14.0V and 14.7V (no lower than 14.0V and no higher than 14.7V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such alternators with the Battery will also void the Battery’s warranty.
If so, an automotive alternator/regulator is normally set to 14.4ish volts, although that varies somewhat due to temperature. So the alternator should be running holding that voltage when the engine is running, although it might drop off a bit at idle under a heavy load. But that's not what I saw yesterday, so I'll need to investigate further.
Jim - My son told me yesterday that a couple of punks broke into a car in his neighborhood in STL and got it running but couldn't figure out how to drive the manual tranny so left it. Apparently it isn't just a joke. Anyway, I do agree that a ZF would be a perfect tranny in Big Blue. As for shift improvements, all I'm aware of is a short-throw shifter and that would only help people try to shift it faster, which isn't a good thing.
Rowdy - I had similar problems with my ZF. There were spots in the reverse gear where it would not go in and you had to move the truck to get into reverse, so you had to be careful and not park downhill against a parking stop. Turns out the reverse synchro was broken in half. And all of the synchros were badly worn.
Jim - Makes sense about the clutch and flywheel. However, I suspect there is a way around it as I found a ZF clutch disc that would work with the 11" pressure plate on Dad's. On the other hand, that means the next time the clutch goes out you have to remember to get the odd disc, and since I have the right flywheel why not do it correctly. As for the E4OD shifter question, I'm going to see what Bill Vose used.
Brandon - I'll check out what the FTE'ers say about the E4OD, thanks. But I don't think 380 HP and 500 ft-lbs is more than many of the diesels that tranny was behind - right? Yes, I'd like a bullet-proof one, but it wouldn't have to be able to withstand cannon shots, just a .357 Mag. And, you may be onto something re the shifter. Thanks!
When you look at these sites and see what they charge as well as what HP and TQ numbers they list while comparing it to the link you provided something doesn't add up is all I am saying.
I am curious as to how hard it would be to use column and shifter components out of a newer truck. The convertor lock switch could be as simple as adding a switch to the dash. I have read where guys have done that. One of the guys on the diesel forums was running like a video game joystick as the shifter on his truck. It all electronic to a point.
Brandon - First, are you going to be around tomorrow afternoon for a trailer return?
Second, I see what you mean, the prices are all over the map from the $1800 I found though $6800 for a really serious one. But, E4OD's came in Lightnings and held up. And one of the guys in the FTE thread says he's running a Ford rebuilt one with no problems, so I'm confused. I'm not expecting Dad's truck to be towing at all or raced seriously, but it does need to be reliable.
Hmmm, more study is required. There isn't a hurry to put the ZF in Big Blue, but I need to be making a decision about Dad's truck soon so I can get the right tranny for it.
Then again I think the E4OD trucks only have P R N OD 2 1. Now they do have the switch on the end of the shifter that locks and unlocks the convertor. So a regular C6 indicator would work it just would show D instead of OD.
I was talking to another member who is doing a EAOD behind a 300/six and he did not want to add a switch to the dash for the OD switch.
He is looking into taking a newer shift handle that has the switch but the inside part is different and will not bolt in to or Bullnose trucks.
He is looking into grafting the newer switch end onto the Bullnose column end.
Some to look into is aftermarket speed control switch that bolted or slipped on the shifter or was it the turn signal lever? But that could be a way to go?
How often do you turn off OD? Maybe a floor switch like a dimmer switch type thing to turn on/off.
Dave ----
He is looking into grafting the newer switch end onto the Bullnose column end.
The more I think about the subject I recall several different makes and models of vehicles where this switch comes factory in a remote location on the dash or center console.
Also, Gary I am about to start my Dad's Dodge front end rebuild. Probably taking place around Tue-Thurs of next week. I was hoping to use the ball joint press for that. I could return it ASAP (Friday). You can bring the trailer back anytime or I could come get it Friday. I am sure it probably in the way at your house. So whenever is fine with me. I will make time if you want to come tomorrow.
I talked to a mechanic several years ago about the E4OD, he said Ford finished all the worthwhile upgrades after 1995-96. He said he always buys a Ford remanufactured E4OD when he puts one in because they are all upgraded to the 95+ specs, and because they have a good warranty.
I know some people have high horsepower cars and trucks and thrash on their vehicles, but I have never been that way. Years ago I needed a c4 transmission for my 65 fastback, and found one at a good price from a early 70's car with a Ford six cylinder engine. I swapped it in, but then found out later talking to people that the six cylinder c4's had less clutches in the clutch packs compared to one behind the v8. My car has a mild v8 with a 4bbl. I have had that transmission in that car for years now, I don't baby it, I drive it like I suppose any other "normal" person would drive it, and haven't had any problems out of it.
Has anyone here ever driven an NV4500 and a ZF5 to be able to compare them? I haven't driven either of them, but the ZF6 in my '08 F-250, and the ZF6 that Ford replaced it with under warantee, were the two worst shifting transmissions I've ever driven (much worse than a worn out T-18, an NP435, the non-synchroed 3 speed in a 1929 Model A or whatever trans a '70 vintage U-Haul truck had). And the NV5600 I drove in a friend's Dodge pickup was a lot better than all of those old transmissions. It was heavy and slow shifting, but it didn't complain if you tried to shift it fast, it just wouldn't shift fast.
On the E4OD, Mark Kovalski posts on the '87 - '96 forum quite a bit. He was a Ford auto trans engineer and is a world of useful information. But expanding on what Gary said, I'd guess the PowerStroke diesels that lived in front of E4ODs were more torque than Gary has, so I don't think one would need a radical build to live in Dad's Truck.
I have an E4OD in my '97 F-250 (460) and I had one in my '95 F-150 (351). I don't like automatics in general because I don't like it when a trans shifts when I don't want it to (ir doesn't when I do). But the one in my '95 was the least offensie auto I've ever driven (the one in my '97 downshifts too easily). But if you want an auto, and if the aftermarket controller gives you the flextbility to adjust the shift points well, the E4OD sure seems like a good trans.
My work truck is a 09 f350 cab and chassis with a utility bed. It has the diesel and some sort of automatic. I really like that setup, it has a tow/haul mode, and really holds back a load when going down a hill or trying to stop. Delays the shifting going up so that lets the turbo stay spooled up longer.
I am thinking those aftermarket controllers may have some different modes you can use that the older trucks didn't have from the factory. If they do, that would be great.
When the E40D went out in my 97 F350 box truck, none of the local tranny shops wanted to deal with it, for whatever reason. My mechanic ended up buying a rebuilt on line, I think from a place in Texas.
Brandon - I don't need the press right now, so do your Dad's truck. No hurry. As for the trailer, it isn't a problem, but I could bring it back tomorrow afternoon if you are ready for it as I have an eye checkup in the Utica area tomorrow at 3:40. Or, you can pick it up another time. Your call.
As for the alternator, it has this Powermaster unit from Summit:
On the transmission, it sounds like the consensus is that a well-built E4OD should be able to handle the engine aptly. Possibly even one from Ford. But it won't take a terribly serious unit since they were put behind engines with more power than mine.
Then there's the controller. I've asked Bill Vose/85lebaronT2 to join the discussion as he's running a Baumann controller on Darth. Here's what the manufacturer says about it:
The E4OD light-truck transmission was introduced in 1989 as Ford's first fully electronic transmission. While slow to gain acceptance at first, many improvements throughout the years have yielded a strong and reliable transmission. The large size of the E4OD makes it difficult to fit into regular passenger cars, limiting it mostly to truck or big-block swaps. The E4OD is the only automatic overdrive transmission that will mate with Ford big block (385-series) engines.
Most famous for its use in the F150 Lightning, the E4OD is a good choice for heavy-duty and big-block retrofit applications. Our US Shift Quick 4 TCS provides complete tunability for the E4OD transmission and allows it to be retrofitted to earlier vehicles.
And, it may be that one of the 4 modes you can have will be good for towing, so a 4-position switch would be needed somewhere instead of a push buttom or toggle switch.
The controller above looks fairly complicated. I think it would give total control over the transmission, but you might have to call them if you wanted the best set of parameters for towing. It looks like you have to set everything you want, then store it as one of the 4 programs that you can switch to on the fly.
I am not positive about this, but from the feel of my work truck, I think they are keeping the torque converter locked at all times when in tow mode. I think in regular mode the torque converter clutch is released each time I take my foot off the pedal so it will coast. Here's something I found in the controller features website for the Baumann controller.
OFF-RODE ™ TCC mode for manual ranges *
Allows a true manual transmission-style experience and better control for rock crawling, autocross racing, and more. You don't have to sacrifice instant low speed throttle response and engine braking just because you're using an automatic transmission when it's operated by the US Shift Quick 4 controller. TCC can also be disabled in the manual ranges if a more traditional automatic transmission experience is desired.
I would think that would work well for towing, but it would be nice to have the tranny shift down automatically according to road speed, and not have to move the shifter lever.
Brandon - I don't need the press right now, so do your Dad's truck. No hurry. As for the trailer, it isn't a problem, but I could bring it back tomorrow afternoon if you are ready for it as I have an eye checkup in the Utica area tomorrow at 3:40. Or, you can pick it up another time. Your call.
As for the alternator, it has this Powermaster unit from Summit:
On the transmission, it sounds like the consensus is that a well-built E4OD should be able to handle the engine aptly. Possibly even one from Ford. But it won't take a terribly serious unit since they were put behind engines with more power than mine.
Then there's the controller. I've asked Bill Vose/85lebaronT2 to join the discussion as he's running a Baumann controller on Darth. Here's what the manufacturer says about it:
The E4OD light-truck transmission was introduced in 1989 as Ford's first fully electronic transmission. While slow to gain acceptance at first, many improvements throughout the years have yielded a strong and reliable transmission. The large size of the E4OD makes it difficult to fit into regular passenger cars, limiting it mostly to truck or big-block swaps. The E4OD is the only automatic overdrive transmission that will mate with Ford big block (385-series) engines.
Most famous for its use in the F150 Lightning, the E4OD is a good choice for heavy-duty and big-block retrofit applications. Our US Shift Quick 4 TCS provides complete tunability for the E4OD transmission and allows it to be retrofitted to earlier vehicles.
And, it may be that one of the 4 modes you can have will be good for towing, so a 4-position switch would be needed somewhere instead of a push buttom or toggle switch.
Gary, I am not running a Baumann controller on Darth, I am using an EEC-V (OBD-II) PCM and direct flashing it.
Anyway, I do agree that a ZF would be a perfect tranny in Big Blue. As for shift improvements, all I'm aware of is a short-throw shifter and that would only help people try to shift it faster, which isn't a good thing.
And all of the synchros were badly worn.
