Hello Folks -

I'm looking at picking up a 1994 Ford E350 Type III Ambulance with, I assume, an e4od transmission. The vehicle has under 50k miles on it but the owner indicates that it will need to be towed due to "transmission issues". (It's priced accordingly.)

The only background info I have from the owner is, it was in service until it had a transmission issue: "it will barely move forward and no reverse. We have had issues with the overdrive being intermittent previously."

I will likely have it towed home but I'm hoping you guys can offer me some starting points for diagnosis or other threads to review. I know my 1990 IDI w/ a 5 speed pretty much inside and out, but autos are a totally new (scary) world for me.

If the tranny is toast, I'm not opposed to pulling and swapping it but it seems unlikely it's fried with less than 50k? From the sounds of it there are many sensors/plugs that can create issues.

Thanks to the many wise folks who contribute to this forum - there is so much great information on the site - I can't say how many times I've used this as a resource for troubleshooting issues over the last 12 years with my '90.

 

There are no sensors or plugs that can cause no reverse. It's a mechanical issue inside the transmission. The only possibility that it may not need to be replaced is if the feed bolts under the valve body have loosened.

To check them, drop the pan and remove the valve body. They are located here:




If those bolts are not loose then the transmission is done.