Hello all,

I have a 1994 E-150 5.0 Timeless conversion with 65,000 miles on it. I noticed an odd down shift or slippage on the highway yesterday (engine revs as though shifting, but did not shift or have a corresponding increase in speed . . . I think. I really don't know what the heck I'm talking about, so keep that in mind.) Otherwise everything was smooth. Also, this only happened once before, also on the highway.

Because I like to have some basic knowledge of whats going on with my vehicles I started researching transmission problems. Step one, of course is determining what transmission I have.

The VIN decoder says I have a C6, BUT I also have that little "Overdrive Off" button (which I never touch) on the end of the shift lever. My limited research tells me that the C6 did not not have Overdrive from the factory (which could be entirely mistaken).

As a side note, the "Overdrive Off" button now does not light up when the button is pushed. It did 5 years ago when I bought the van, which is the last time I checked.

The ultimate question is how do I figure out what transmission I have? Does a C6 transmission not have overdrive? And if it doesn't, why did Ford put that "Overdrive Off" button on the shift lever?

Automatic transmissions are just boxes of mystery to me . . .

 

The C6 does not have overdrive and would not have an "Overdrive Off" button on the shifter. So it doesn't sound like you have a C6. It would be pretty unusual to have a C6 in a '94 anyway. No OD and no lockup torque converter made it pretty unattractive by that time. It might have been available as an option for "dinosaurs" who didn't want any of that new-fangled crap. But then odds are it wouldn't have been ordered with a 302 either.

I think the "Overdrive Off" button indicates it's an E4OD, which is the heavy-duty 4 speed automatic overdrive. That's a pretty solid trans (Ford put it behind 460s and PowerStroke diesels), but it's not indestructible (heat is its biggest enemy) and '94 was a while ago...

Ford also had the lighter AOD, that morphed into the AODE and then another trans that had a bunch of numbers and letters in it (sorry, autos aren't my forte either). But I think the "Overdrive Off" button means E4OD. Unless I'm wrong in which case I hope someone who knows what they're talking about straightens me out.

 

You have one of two computer controlled transmissions, the E4OD or 4R70w. Check the trans code on the decal on the drivers door edge or door pillar, E=E4OD and U=4R70w. In either case the fist step is pull codes, a problem with ANY sensor anywhere in the drivetrane can result in strange transmission behavour.

 

Those were the numbers and letters I was thinking of. And Conanski is definitely someone who knows what they're talking about.

 

Hey Thanks! The trans code is "U." On to the code reader . . .