Hello fellow Fordies,
I recently bought a 1996 f250 7.3 powerstroke. It had some shifting issues when I bought it. After getting it home I decided to do a rebuild on it. The input shaft twisted into the O.D. planet (now its a cool looking boat anchor) the O.D. planet is from a 93 or older( steel, 4 gear, 1 7/8" hub) all my pistons have lip seals ( which is 95 and after) and the casting number on the case is from 1990. I am trying to figure out which input shaft and O.D. planet I should replace with. And by the way this is my first trans rebuild, what a monster to pop the cherr....... If any of you pros know what parts or any tolerances I should look to stay in I sure could use some help. Thanks

 

Automatics are fairly easy to reseal, but many people are scared of them. I did my first E4OD last year and I started with a 95 transmission. I used steel gearsets from other transmissions. The OD gearset is a 4 planet and the other two are 6 gear planets. I put in additional clutches in all the clutch packs. I had to do some additional machining of one of the coast drum to get one more clutch in it.

I posted a thread of my butchery.

There are plenty of E4OD videos and people really like the transmission bench videos. All I got to say is he is very boring. Might be good if you never looked inside an automatic transmission. I can't see you making a mistake if you follow his video.

I prefer Marshall Sanders videos. He tends to explain things a lot. Some people get lost on what he is saying. If that is the case, it's because he is talking over your head. It's you, not him. I like his approach because I want to know why certain things happen when they do. The transmission bench just says to take this part out and install this part back. No explanation why.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ0...=dd&shelf_id=0

I spent a good 3-6 months researching before I purchased a core transmission and rebuilding it. I did install all new wear parts. That includes bushing/bearings, clutches, discs, etc.

If you search hard enough, you will not need to buy any manual. They are all on the internet for free downloads. Update manuals too.

 

Thanks for the reply 1butcher! I have never been in a AT before. I did order a service manual, should be delivered today. Transmission bench gave me enough confidence to open my first, but it is just step by step replacement. What I have is different parts from different years but you're telling me that is OK? Because checking the what ever it takes catalog different years parts have different dimensions end to end. Example: up to 93 o.d. planet had a hub length of 1 7/8 and after hub length of 1 7/16 both steel 4 gear and 2 different input shaft length year not specified. Wouldn't different length affect how it all fits? I am just a sparky, but that seems a pretty big difference. Or does that not matter because of some variable I am not seeing? I will watch the video link you sent because I like to understand things I work on not just parts swap. Thanks again!

 

I'm not saying anything will fit together. One thing for certain, if you do not know what you are doing, you will not know what to look for. I certainly would not trust anything that someone would post.

I spent a lot of time looking, understanding, researching, and after the months of doing that, I felt comfortable about taking this core transmission apart, installing different parts, looking at those parts to confirm they would bolt up and more importantly work. I measured and remeasured. I confirmed that gearsets and clutches were moving freely. Most of this experience is from repairing other automatic transmissions. The school of hard knocks is expensive but you will not have a better teacher. Researching till you think you can teach the class allows the school of hard knocks to be a bit easier.

I am not the person to ask about what will/will not work. There are many more people that know these transmissions and can probably ID any part with a bind fold. I cannot. There are two update manuals that Ford made. Both are online for free. I would find them and download them. One is for the E4OD and the other one is for the 4R100. They are the same transmission but different.

You are new to this, we all start where you are. The only way out is to find the answers and that takes time. I tend not to ask questions until I have exhausted all avenues. The transmission is old and there are plenty of sites that explain things better than I. Not many share their upgrade secrets. I guess I would be the same way. Marshall shares the well known tricks. When I started my thread a year ago, I did share how many clutches I was able to add and what I did to get them to fit. I only went with the thinner discs in one clutch pack. I can't remember which one.

I just got a Kenne-Bell supercharged 351W and I use the truck 95% of the time towing. I am building a 408 and swapping out a larger supercharger. That is the purpose of overbuilding my transmission. I'm not certain how much this transmission will hold, but I suspect it will not be the weak link.

 

I just watched the video link you sent, that guy lays it out straight, rambles a little, but wow he know his S. I watched his vid on e4od upgrades and know it all makes sense. Some one before me did most of the upgrades already which is why I have different year parts. I thought some one just threw what was laying around in the case. I feel much more confident in the parts I need to order now. Thanks again 1butcher for pointing me in the right direction. I will post updates as I finish the build and test drive. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!