Last year at 15 I bought my first vehicle, a 97' F-250 5.8. I worked on it for a full year (and put over $2k into it) until I was old enough to get my license, and one week after I got my license the tranny started having problems. After a summer of denial and trying to track down electrical issues I have finally received an accurate diagnosis, THE TRANNY IS SHOT. I'm going to do a tranny swap on my own but need to know how I should go about this. Ive read that a manual swap may be a viable option? Can I swap any year e4od into the truck or just 95' -97'? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

While an older E4OD will work, in '95 there was a lot of internal improvements. You want these improvements.

You also need to get one from a 5.8L and a 4x4 if yours is a 4x4, or a 4x2 if yours is a 4x2.

 

I got a new tranny with under 100k from a 97' F-250. Anything i should replace on it while it's out of the vehicle?

 

The Installation Of Transgo's 'Tugger' Reprogramming Kit (Shift Kit For HD Hauling & Towing)

 

So the guy who gave me the diagnosis saying the tranny was shot, ran a few more tests and decided that the transmission has a sticky valve, or an internal electrical issue. Most likely in the valve body, or solenoid pack he claims. Well I already bought a new transmission so should I just swap it like I planned.

 

There is nothing electrical in the valve body. If it is an internal electrical the only thing it could be is the solenoid body.

 

should have clarified he said either a sticky valve or an internal electrical issue, he recommended me to someone else for further diagnosis

 

Taking out the old transmission, 4 of the bell housing bolt heads snapped, and only 2 removed clean. I'm trying to remove the transmission and then I'll extract the snapped bolts, but the engine just moves with the transmission. How do I remove the transmission (I don't care about the condition of the old tranny).

 

There should be an electrical harness that you will have to remove, also there is bolts attaching the flywheel to the torque converter. Run the flywheel around (the thing that has gear teeth attached to your crank that the starter turns) it should have 3 bolts you will have to remove. You will have to turn the flywheel by using a screwdriver in the teeth and prying, or bump the starter. Remove power to the ignition coil if you bump the starter. Unattach the shift linkage. Remove all electrical, remove the driveshafts. There may me vacuum lines or even a cable, I am just using knowledge from some older trucks. Just go over the whole thing and make sure everything is removed that is attached. Last is the cross member that holds the trans up. Use a few jacks with some wood and support the trans under the pan. Slide the trans back away from the motor so you pull off of the alignment pins. Once you are about 2 inches back from the motor block, you can slowly drop, checking that you don't have anything that will hold you up. You may have to remove some exhaust. Not sure if you are 4x4, but I would take the transfer case down with it if you have one. I'm sorry to hear about the bell housing bolts, good luck with those. Otherwise, I would pull the motor with the trans attached. That way you can re gasket the motor and possibly rebuild, fixing those broken bolts will be hard in the vehicle.​​​​​​

 

You have to undo the nuts holding the torque converter to the flexplate. I think there are 3 or 4 bolts for gas engines, more for diesels. Just undoing the bell housing bolts is not enough.

 

4 nuts to remove. The studs stay in the converter.

 

Kinda figured it was implied.

 

I did disconnect the torque converter. I believe that the only thing holding in the e4od at this point are what left of the snapped bell housing bolts.

 

What about the trans shift linkage, wiring? You also took the driveshaft out? All these are kinda obvious but figured I should ask. If all that is off then take some PBlaster and spray into those bolt holes. Might just be dry/rusty and some good lube might free it up enough. However, don't take a prybar to the bellhousing, whatever you do. I know you said the condition of the old trans. is not important but a good friend of mind was injured doing as I described, ended up snapping the bell housing, he stumbled into it and cut his hand open. You've been warned.

 

I'd use a transmission jack with the transmission properly secured to it; then pry between the flex plate, and torque converter with a 3 foot pry bar. Place a 2x4 between the valve covers, and the firewall to keep the motor from rocking back. You'll want to support the motor anyways from shifting with the transmission removed. If you don't have a transmission jack use pallets to support the transmission; you want it to move aft not fall.

You removed the cross member too, right?