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Hello all, my 2012 E350 van Transmission decided to stop working in 3rd and or 4th gear. When I put the shifter in Drive it starts out but at about 15 or 20mph it suddenly slips out and the engine just races. If I put the shifter in 2 it will drive but never upshift and the rpm’s are at 2500 doing 40mph. We were on a comping trip when all this happened. Took it to a local mechanic to see if any codes were there but he couldn’t find any only said that the RPM of the trany was lower than what the computer said it should be. Didn’t quite follow him on that part. I’m not sure if it is in limp mode as there are no check engine lights or anything.
Any ideas?
and do you think it would be ok to drive it in 2nd to get it to my local mechanic, about 39-mile trip?
Thanks for any info
Last edited by MojaveRed; Sep 21, 2025 at 07:15 AM.
Reason: spelling
Is it a 4R75 4-speed, a 5R110 5-speed, something else? I assume you checked fluid level and it's to spec. You know at what speed it cuts out so the speedo's working which means there should be a good VSS signal. It should be fine to drive it as is if there's a safe place to pull over if it gives up completely. Maybe driving will force a fault code and you'll know what you're up against. Good luck!
Thanks Tabijan, it is a 4R75E trans. I did check the fluid it was up and didn’t smell burnt so I think the fluid is fine, I’ll check it again today when it's cold, outside temp here should be in the high 80's to 90 today. I had to move it yesterday after it sat for the night, when I started it there was a whine from under the van. Thought I would have the wife start it today and I’ll get under to hear it better. The whine only lasted a few seconds.
A high pitched whine can be cavitation. Not specific to a 4R75 but I've seen where a filter had a bad seal and/or came off its attachment which inhibited the pump from drawing fluid. You can try a fluid drain and fill to see if things improve but that's unlikely given the symptoms. There isn't a pan drain unless you added one. I use a vacuum extractor through the dipstick tube to empty the pan without mess or going under the van. With the pan empty, it's less unpleasant to remove the pan to replace the filter. If you're lucky(!) you'll find the filter sitting in the pan or a failed filter seal.
It would be great if you could get Mark Kovalsky's or manicmechanic007's attention.
My guess is that the direct clutch has failed. Does reverse still work? The direct clutch is also used in reverse.
You could drive it in second gear for 39 miles. The only worry would be temperature. It could get hot, so you might need to stop and let it idle in park for a while to cool it. It may or may not need that stop.
Thanks Mark. Yes reverse seems to works fine, have used it a couple time since we got home. Hopefully it won't over heat when I drive it. I'm wondering now if it is the way I was driving. I was towing our 20' R-pod trailer up a pretty steep mountain road (hwy 18 up to big bear) when it happened. I have O/D off when I tow even on flat land. At first I thought we were stranded but when I put it in 2nd it drove. We were about 8 miles from the campground so we headed there. Had it towed home. The whine noise I heard yesterday morning did not happen this morning, possibly because the van was flat and level this morning yesterday it was on a slant front end down.
Thanks again
Thanks Mark. Yes reverse seems to works fine, have used it a couple time since we got home. Hopefully it won't over heat when I drive it. I'm wondering now if it is the way I was driving. I was towing our 20' R-pod trailer up a pretty steep mountain road (hwy 18 up to big bear) when it happened. I have O/D off when I tow even on flat land. At first I thought we were stranded but when I put it in 2nd it drove. We were about 8 miles from the campground so we headed there. Had it towed home. The whine noise I heard yesterday morning did not happen this morning, possibly because the van was flat and level this morning yesterday it was on a slant front end down.
Thanks again
Nothing unusual about that. I've been up that road a bunch of times in various vehicles. It does sound like something gave up inside though. When all is said and done, I suspect you're in for an overhaul.
Thanks Cathedralclub, it's at the auto shop now. He drove it and checked codes, no codes but said that something was broken / went bad. He is Ordering a rebuilt trans, should be here today or tomorrow. Said he would drop the pan and check for metal when the new trans gets here.
Personally I like driving the mountain roads like that.
Update on Trans. My mechanic replaced the trans in my van and is working fine.
Have only driven it once for a 70-mile round trip so far. We are planning on a short camping trip, about 100 – 110-mile round trip to see how it does pulling the trailer.
I do have a couple of questions. 1, On the transmission dipstick (photo attached) where should the oil show? After my 70 trip it was just at the H on the photo, is that ok or should it be to the top of the dimples?
What’s the best way to monitor the trans temp?
What would be the top speed you would drive with O/D off? I usually drive at 60 to 62mph, tach at around 2600.
Thanks for all the great information and help. Fluid was up to red line
Anywhere in the knurled section is good. Don’t worry about it.
Speed vs rpm depends on rear end ratio. We run the van loaded plus a 3000# trailer at 70-75. Sometimes it’ll drop into second (4R75 and 3.73) going up hills. I don’t know what the revs are but they’re up there. What I won’t do with a load is accelerate hard.
We use a ScanGauge II through the OBD port to monitor transmission temp. It took a lot of trial and error to find the right PID settings for transmission temp. Maybe it’s easier with the ScanGauge III or more modern device. Pretty much need a loaded van and a trailer to break 200*F. I’ve seen it as high as 210*F running uphill with a trailer. Then we crest and it returns to 170*F. I haven’t seen 200*F loaded without a trailer. This is with the factory transmission cooler.
Thanks Tabijan, Wasn't quite sure on the dip stick level, was thinking that more fluid would help keep the trans cooler.
My van is a 2012 E350 S/D XLT, not extended, it had 3 rows of seats that I took out when we got it home. The trans is a 4r75e and rear end is the same as you have 3.73. I know 3000 on the tach isn't that much but it sounds like a lot when it down shifts I guess into 2nd, I try to keep the rpm's under 3k, just my opinion. Our trailer max weight loaded is 3500#, I don't think we've ever hit that mark.
Took a look at the Scan Gauge, that's some product looks like it will monitor just about everything. It'll be awhile but I'm probably going to go with the SG2 when it's time.
Thanks again.
OK Got it. As long as it’s in that dimple area when it hot it’s fine.
I did read all those pages about checking the fluid but after your post and going back over it, I think I overlooked the part that shows the arrow pointing to the overfill position.
The transmission that failed was always high in that area, not quite to the overfill point. We bought it certified from a dealer so I just thought that's where it should be. I stopped going to the dealer after a couple of years and started checking everything myself.
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