Thanks, I'll let you know. Going to take a ride to a few yards this weekend and see if I can dig up an electric fan

 

Update.

I'll start off with.. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but the truck has a 3" body lift installed, which includes the fan shroud drop brackets. The bottom half of the shroud is also missing. But that seems moot, since with the drop brackets, the bottom would hang off a couple inches. The fan itself also hangs lower than the rad support, which is bothersome to me. I hate body lifts btw..

Having said that, I decided to experiment. Knowing that the top of the radiator is the hottest, I removed the shroud drop brackets and mounted the top half in its original position, then drove it. The gauge still made it up to the AL area, but the swing down was much MUCH bigger. It would come down to the OR area of NORMAL. I still lost 1st gear for the most part, but did get lucky at one traffic light. The gauge was holding at OR for a minute or so before the stop. BOOM! I had 1st gear. I know.. I know.. not solid evidence, but pretty darn promising.

Anyway, I picked up a new t-stat and gasket. I'm starting with this since the temp seems to climb, even when I'm driving. So the t-stat is sticking, or there's an obstruction. I will likely flush the system since I'll have it open anyway. The t-stat is the 192 OE temp, Stant brand.

Also, I got my hands on 2 12inch electric fans for $40. My plan is to mount them somewhat mid radiator, on an angle. One high near the inlet side and one low near the outlet side. I may have to build a shroud for them, but that's not hard. Some sheet aluminum and brackets will work if needed.

I'm going to use the Hayden adjustable fan controller. I'm looking to use the the thread in style, if possible. This is obviously the most accurate and optimal method.

This leads me to the following questions.

1) Does anyone know what the size and thread of that plug on the water outlet? It looks like 3/8, but I can't say for sure. My thought was to install the controller sensor right there, since it would be the best location for it. The sensor, according to Hayden's literature is 1/8. I would like to have the reducer ready so I don't have to make any mid-project hikes to the store.

2) What temp should I set the controller to? I can't find anything on a search. The default for the controller is 160, but has a range of 90-210. I'm thinking I should set it to around 200, as I don't want the fans running all the time once the t-stat opens, and would like to avoid the stat from cycling open/close. I do not have an IR thermometer either. And I do intend to wire in the A/C override for the controller. My A/C blows cold, so I'll use it. lol

Oh.. I will also be getting a new starter. The random times of having to bang on the starter are already getting old. lol

 

I don't know if the drain plug port would be a good place to mount your temp sensor, I would look to put it closer to the engine and in direct circulation of the coolant. I would imagine that the coolant is going to be significantly cooler than what's in the engine, especially with a sticking t-stat. I would also wait to get everything set up to dial in the controller for temp. If you put the sensor in the radiator you may need to set the fan temp at a lower temp than if you put it in the engine.
Buy a good starter, the last cheap advance auto starter I bought was dead in 6 months...
I'm still not sold on heat being the issue with the transmission but I have been wrong on these things before. Hope everything works out and this fixes your issues.
Post some pics when you get the fans all set up. I'm interested in seeing how you set it up with a temp sensor (my setup was just wired to run with the ignition).

 

Not the drain plug. On my engine, the t-stat housing has a threaded port, that's currently plugged. According to rockauto and other sites, it's marked as a bleeder port, but no bleeder included. Unfortunately, they also don't indicate thread pitch or diameter. As I said, my best guess is 3/8 fpt. I'll add a pic for clarification.

As for the starter, I've got to go economical. At least for now. I'll be in better shape in a few months, so if it lasts that long, the next one will be MC for sure. I am in desperate need of tires now. One of my sidewalls cracked and the tire is done. The previous owner bought used BFG M/Ts for it, plus a 5th rim and 1 new M/T. I knew the 4 on the truck weren't long for this world, but was hoping to make it a few more months. That's a big nut to crack.. For now, I just have to use the truck sparingly. I'm just glad it's not my daily, or I'd truly be up a creek.

I agree.. It'd be weird for sure. But, I did talk to the local trans shop. They said it sounds like it's trying to use limp mode, but may not be getting so hot as to let it go completely. He said to fix the overheat to be certain and once it's "normal" again, he can take a look at it. He also said it's very weird that it's not going full limp mode, but noted that with electronic stuff, anything is possible. Hell, at this point, if it's this simple, who am I to argue? lol

I'll definitely keep you all posted. And I'll for sure post pics once it's done. Here's a pic with arrow, just to clear any confusion. Sorry if the pic is too large. That port is where I thought about for the sensor.

 

Ok, so t-stat replaced and temps are more normal again. Still no fan install yet, but I'm waiting on the controller for that. As suspected, the trans problem still exists.

So I will move on to testing sensors. But, now I'm not so sure that's the problem either. PSOM was set at 9.73 for the factory 235/75/15 tires (roughly equivalent to 29 inch tires). I re-calibrated it to 8.13 for the 35 inch tires on the truck. I immediately noticed better shifting, overall. Runs out the gears longer and I thought(hoped) it would be the problem, since it's all electronic. NOPE! Once the truck warmed up, back to 2nd gear start. Wiggled and checked all sensor connectors, all seems clean and well. (I'll still check them to be sure.)

So after beating my head on a wall, I remembered that I have a friend who's worked in a Ford dealer for close to 20 years. I described everything to him and what I'd done. He then talked to a buddy of his, who is a "Ford trans guy". His response came pretty quick.

He said, "95 wasn't that high tech. Sounds like the seals in one of the clutch packs blew out and it was common for this. Once the fluid gets hot, it blows past the seal."

GRRRRRRRRR... was hoping to avoid this, but somehow thought it would end up this way.

Looks like a nice winter project. And an excuse to buy some more tools.

He also recommended a shift kit and torque converter since I'll be rebuilding it.

Anyone have recommendations for said shift kit and torque converter upgrades? Also, any recommendations for manuals? I'm definitely competent enough to do this, but don't have enough background to do it blind. A good manual would be excellent, obviously.

Thanks all, for the input thus far. As well as continued input. I'll still post pics of my elec fan setup once it's done.

 

Something about that rebuild diagnosis isn't sitting right with me. If it were a temperature related pressure issue, the symptoms would be continuous once the truck is at operating temperature. But, they're not. As stated, once I lose first, I can get it back by turning the truck off and starting it again. Now, this only lasts until it shifts to 2nd gear, but it works every time.

Turns out, I've got friends in good places. The borough mechanic where I work has a Snap-On MT2500 scan tool.

No transmission codes.

KOEO:
121 TPS out of range
552 Air Mgmt 1 CKT problem

KOER:
121 TPS out of range
311 Therm Air system not working (BANK 1)

TPS Closed voltage is .73 goes up to 4.48 at WOT

Scanner is showing proper position when cycled through the gears. It seems there is a slight drop in voltage, per position after it warms up. It's still within normal range in Park, but in Man 1 position, it's low and out of spec.

So I'm ordering a TPS, I'll look in to those other two codes. But frankly, I'm just going to replace the speed and range sensors at this point. This is something I would be doing when/IF I have to rebuild it anyway, so why not try it? This includes the rear speed sensor on the pumpkin. Upon checking connections, I noticed a broken clip for the plug. So I'm also replacing the plug pigtail. All Motorcraft parts from RockAuto for right around $100.00 before shipping.

Time to trust my gut.