hey guys,

I have a '92 Bronco w/ E4OD and have been experiencing a very slow and smooth shift into drive/rev when i first start the engine at a cold start.

it is just like i had a manual tranny and i was letting out the clutch way too slowly...except it is an automatic E4OD.

it only does this on the first start up of the day or when it has been sitting for many hours. the rest of the shifts are fine and once it has been running, it won't do it again unless it sits for a long time.

is this my mlps or neutral safety switch?

thanks

p.s. the filter and fluid are new/clean

 

tankhokie,
Send me your email address to:

thecabin@datasync.com

and I will send you a zip file which will give you the test procedures for the MLPS and the other sensors. R.A.

 

thanks for the info dieselzen...

i am now questioning if it is the MLPS. the symptoms don't match.

what do you think of this....

the tranny is in a 1992 bronco with the 302/5.0 liter. for that engine, the same as my 96 explorer, i would think it would have a great pick up on acceleration. but it is no where near the explorer. i know it is heavier and older than the explorer, but i still wonder if the tranny isn't doing it's job and losing power somewhere.

again, it shifts great, no lock up, falling out of gear, etc, just the delayed engagement that i wrote about originally.

am i expecting too much out of this tranny? the delay is enough to make me think these things could be wrong. but i just don't know the trouble signs of a tranny in need of a rebuild/seal replaced/whatever.

any ideas or experience with something similiar?

thanks again!

 

No direct experience but it sounds to me as if there may be a line pressure problem. Look at the doc., "linepress.wri". You, or a shop, could do a pressure check to see if the shift line pressures are within parameters. Might be some gunk in the accumulator valves. Or could be the pump is going bad. Some thoughts......R.A.

 

i see the linepress.wri file, any quick way to describe how to actually do the test?

tranny in? tool? press. gauge? etc..

thanks again!!

 

Transmission stays in vehicle.

You'll need a hydraulic pressure gauge which reads up to at least 300psi. Ford part# T57L-77820-A or equivalent.

You may, or may not, need a tachometer for the stall speed tests. I don't know how your Bronco is set up for gauges.

For idle Hot measurements, back wheels stay on ground though you ought to block the wheels along with using the parking brake. Gotta be careful with this part.
For stall Hot measurements, back wheels must be securely off the ground. Gotta be EXTREMELY careful with this part.

General Procedure:

1. Get engine and trans. to normal operating temp.

2. Attach h.p. gauge to the E4OD's main line tap. Main line tap is located on Driver's side about a foot forward of the MLPS. You''ll see a plug which has a hex head going horizontally into the trans. case just above the pan. Incidentally, I've been told this is an excellent place to install an trans. oil temperature monitoring gauge.

3. With wheels on the ground, go through R N D 2 1 and note each line pressure to see if it's within specs.

4. With wheels off the ground, bring engine to stall speed and note the line pressures in each of the shifting ranges. The stall speed in RPM's for a 1992 Bronco with the 5.0L is from 1,955 to 2,240.

I got your particular rpm parameters from a 1992 Ford Tech. CD I bought off Ebay for $15. Quite a good investment, has lots of good information. If you do the tests and find you have abnormal pressures idle or stall, in any of the shifting ranges, write back and I will look up in the Ford tech. CD what ought to be looked at.

HEY, anybody reading this, in particular, rclarke, archangel, Jim Henderson, Mark Kovalsky, if you find something wrong with my procedure, or have nice little tranny tech. tips to add please, please do so as to help tankhokie get this job right. R.A.

 

4. With wheels off the ground, bring engine to stall speed and note the line pressures in each of the shifting ranges. The stall speed in RPM's for a 1992 Bronco with the 5.0L is from 1,955 to 2,240.

Good Morning, Richard...
I might add to your safety point here. The stall speed is WITH brake applied hard, no wheel movement. Bring engine up until will not increase RPM further (ie STALL), then pressure and RPM should agree with the chart. In case tranny is slipping, engine RPM can EXCEED safe red-line, so watch it! If the brakes are poor, obviously watch the front wall of your garage...

 

Thanks Tom,
You know the "linepress.wri" alluded to using the brakes to keep the wheels from moving but I couldn't find confirmation in the Ford tech. CD and it is such a contrary thing to do to the poor engine and brakes that I thought I'd ask a tranny tech. to chime in. Guess it is the only way to get the RPM's up to the stall speed.
R.A.

 

I agree it isn't a pleasant thought to have your system straining against itself, and that's why it is only done momentarily, just long enough to check the guages. Makes sense to also let the tranny cool a minute or two in neutral, between the test in each gear range, while you jot down your results.
But what you are testing is the maximum load capacity of the fluid system (pressure). If the wheels are spinning, there is no need for the clutch pressures to rise, and all readings will be low.

 

hey this is great stuff, i have been putting up a fence all weekend, so i haven't run the pressure checks yet.

i really appreciate the expert help!

i'll let you know how it turns out.

tankhokie

 

Good luck,
Forgive a couple obvious questions, as I am not a real Ford tranny nut... your symptom ONLY when cold causes me to ask are you SURE your fluid is at proper level. Perhaps it is low, and sucking some air until the fluid expands and covers the filter properly...
Also, have you checked for any stored codes in the ECM?

 

hmmm, you have a point that i haven't thought about.

the dipstick reads full, but i am the 3rd owner here, and the govt. was the first owner....could have lost a dipstick, swapped out, etc. and maybe i am low, just don't know it.

may be worth the time to fill it up past the full mark, run it and see if it helps. also check to see if it is blowin any out the breather tube.

and no i haven't pulled codes recently...will it store codes without setting off the cel?

i can't remember if some codes get stored while not tripping the cel.

thanks for the level idea...could be onto something.

 

Yes, it keeps some codes in memory, even if the light no longer shows. I think there is a file in that .zip collection about codes, if not, post what you find and someone here will chime in with info. IF you get two code 11's, a single and two more 11's, then the computer is clear...
Don't know if I would purposefully overfill it, unless I really suspected the wrong dipstick or something. If you try that, no more than half-a-qt should show you if that was the problem...
(search for my headache threads, after my son OVERFILLED hit tranny!!!)
Maybe you can locate a friendly soul in another 92 that would let you compare your stick to his...

 

i will check the codes, but the cel has never come on in the past 3 years. (whew)

as far as an overfill, i always thought that if you overfilled, the tranny would just blow it out the orfice/breather tube with no harm done other than to my asphalt driveway.

so you think the damage came from you boy's overfill...hmmm.

anyone with their 92' e4od dipstick length from tip to hilt? (not a personal question)

 

His from top of cap (not the ring-handle) to top of fill crosshatch is 24.5" . This is a 91 Eddie Bauer 5.8L with E4OD. The handle is down by firewall, well below the valve cover.

In his case, he overfilled about 4-5 qts. No one ever chimmed in with an answer to that basic question, but I've always thought that it could block exhaust channels from the valve body, resulting in excess pressures and blown seals, possibly. At any rate, his was FINE, until he did that, and the problem was immediate. Whether it was a coincidence I have no idea. Perhaps he bumped the wiring harness, which was a definite problem, with the rotten insulation.

At any rate, good luck finding your grimlin...