Overdrive Usage
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Overdrive Usage
1994 Ford E – 150, 4.9 L straight six. 4 x 4 conversion.
my van is quite heavy since doing a build out conversion and loading it with all my travel needs. My question is what is the proper way to use overdrive or not use overdrive. I am getting conflicting mechanic suggestions. One says turn overdrive off all the time because the the heavy load. What are the experts recommendations on when and when not to use overdrive in my particular situation. In my vehicle overdrive is always on unless you push toggle it off.
my van is quite heavy since doing a build out conversion and loading it with all my travel needs. My question is what is the proper way to use overdrive or not use overdrive. I am getting conflicting mechanic suggestions. One says turn overdrive off all the time because the the heavy load. What are the experts recommendations on when and when not to use overdrive in my particular situation. In my vehicle overdrive is always on unless you push toggle it off.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Roseville, MN
Which trans? If it's an AOD it's not up to moving heavy loads in OD. If it's an E4OD it's perfectly capable of pulling a load in OD.
But with any automatic trans you don't want it "hunting" between gears. If you find it downshifting frequently, then you should manually lock it in the lower gear.
But with any automatic trans you don't want it "hunting" between gears. If you find it downshifting frequently, then you should manually lock it in the lower gear.
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My mechanic in California suggested since it is so heavy and the engine is only a V-6 it’s not characteristically capable of accommodating the existing load thus I should never use OD. In addition he shared that probably a good idea to stay at 60 mph or under. However, I am interested in other opinions. And I thank you all for the help.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Roseville, MN
My mechanic in California suggested since it is so heavy and the engine is only a V-6 it’s not characteristically capable of accommodating the existing load thus I should never use OD. In addition he shared that probably a good idea to stay at 60 mph or under. However, I am interested in other opinions. And I thank you all for the help.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Listen to your truck.. it will tell you what it needs. As Mark stated above, if the trans is constantly shifting between D and OD and back again at highway speeds in certain conditions then lock out OD, but that doesn't mean you have to do that all the time.. only in those conditions. On flat ground you should be able to use OD unless the axle gear ratio is all wrong for your rig as it is now equipped, once a vehicle is moving at speed it doesn't take a lot of power to keep it there, but climbing hills or running intro a heavy headwind you may find the vehicle struggles and in that case you should probably both slow down and lock out OD.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Saint Augustine, FL
More importantly, it its geared correctly for the load it will pull OD normally.
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This is the original transmission as far as I know. The van had a 4 x 4 conversion done around10 years ago. Not sure if that changed anything.The added weight comes from very good yet hard and heavy tires and the build out conversion. All that coupled with lots of travel gear, including six surfboards, and abundance of tools a ton of other things crammed in every possible space available. So the load has been increased significantly. My understanding is that this was originally a passenger van intended to carry up to 10 persons. The weight of the van now is somewhere around 7500 pounds. I was having problems with transmission overheating going through some of these treacherous tropical mountains in Mexico and central America. It was these mountain roads coupled with my heavy load it started to send my transmission towards possible terminal situation. Lots of slipping, loss of power, the practically null second gear and the advice from my credible mechanic in California led me to taking the van into a mechanic before an all out breakdown. So this inquiriy is for how I best proceed to preserve integrity and longevity of the work done.
from what I gather thus far, and I thank you very much for your advice that I proceed with overdrive on the straights and when not pulling load.
now, with all that said to help preserve the integrity of the brakes when descending( here in Guatemala especially there is less regards/restriction on how steep a grade can be, had my brakes done several weeks ago) I presume OD off is the better selection.
from what I gather thus far, and I thank you very much for your advice that I proceed with overdrive on the straights and when not pulling load.
now, with all that said to help preserve the integrity of the brakes when descending( here in Guatemala especially there is less regards/restriction on how steep a grade can be, had my brakes done several weeks ago) I presume OD off is the better selection.
Frmr Ford Trans Engr
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: SE Florida
How fast were you going when the trans got hot? I'll bet you were not going fast enough (at least 40 +MPH, even more at heavy throttle) to even be in overdrive. So if you had overdrive turned on or off it would not have made any difference at all.
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Correct I was not going very fast. For one I could not the grade was so steep the maximum velocity was 35 mph and more precisely less than 30 mph at Max throttle although I tried not to max throttle for fear of Engine overheat. I had not the knowledge of transmission overheating. When I get back to Mexico or the states I may have a larger better transmission oil cooler installed.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Saint Augustine, FL
Yep. Mark is right. Full throttle at 35 mph for extended periods of time would generate a lot of heat in the torque converter. You will want to add some additional cooling for the transmission.
Also, what gear ratio do the axles have? And what size are the tires? I suspect that you need to regear the axles to a lower ratio (numerically higher).
Also, what gear ratio do the axles have? And what size are the tires? I suspect that you need to regear the axles to a lower ratio (numerically higher).
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From: South central, Minnesota
If your mechanic is calling it a V6 find a different mechanic!!! The 4.9L is a inline 6 .
My 96 E250 weighs around as much as your van. Plus I haul some heavy loads with it. Mine's a 5.8L. I've just gotten use to shutting off the OD when I'm not running on the highway. When I'm running highway speeds I click the OD on ( unless pulling a really heavy load ) . It just becomes second nature. Mines got over 250,000 miles on it and I'm just trying to milk out a few more miles/months/years before the E4OD craps out.
My 96 E250 weighs around as much as your van. Plus I haul some heavy loads with it. Mine's a 5.8L. I've just gotten use to shutting off the OD when I'm not running on the highway. When I'm running highway speeds I click the OD on ( unless pulling a really heavy load ) . It just becomes second nature. Mines got over 250,000 miles on it and I'm just trying to milk out a few more miles/months/years before the E4OD craps out.