1991 7.3 idi f350 automatic e40d

I had the transmission rebuilt around March this year and about a month after i got it back i noticed sometimes the truck would hesitate to downshift. After weeks of that it started stalling when come to a stop (keep in mind its an automatic) so i started throwing it into neutral when coming to a stop and putting it back in drive after stopping and that would help bandaid the problem. I was busy most of the summer wildland fire fighting and didnt drive it much but at some point i realized i could just manually shift from drive to 2 when slowing down, as it wouldnt want to shift from 3rd gear to 2nd, and after i did it manually it would shift between 1st and 2nd just fine and i would shift back into drive when getting back up to 3rd gear. Now, months later, it also wont shift from 2nd to 1st, and i have to do that manually as well. After getting down to first i can put it back into drive and it will up shift relatively fine, downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st is the problem, it just wont do it automatically and will stall if i dont do it manually.
Anyway I got back from fires a little over a month ago and took my truck straight back to the shop who rebuilt tranny, who said they would look into the problem under warranty. 3 weeks later they gave up and said its most likely a TPS (Throttle position sensor) issue and thus not cover under tranny warranty. They apparently messed with the tps and couldnt get it dialed in and suggested i take it to a diesel shop. Its been a bit worse since having it back and 3rd gear is being really shy and often i am in 4th when it feels like i should be in 3rd, and the manual shift into 2nd is a little rougher. I also noticed just today that the gas pedal seemed to get stuck a couple times today until i tapped the brakes. I'm assuming its related but could just be sticky linkage, gonna check it out tmr probably.
I guess my question to anyone who knows about these trucks is if that actually sounds like a TPS issue or if maybe the shop is being lazy and trying to avoid spending time on it under warranty, which is the impression i got thru the 3 week ordeal of them messing around w it. Im probly gonna buy a NTK TPS off rock auto and try to calibrate it myself. Any tips on that would be appreciated as well.
I feel i should also mention its had a pretty bad diesel leak for a few months now, seems to be coming from above the torque converter area. Not sure if thats related because the shifting issue has been going on much longer than the leak

Thanks for your time and any info that might help,
Josh

 

I notice that there isn't a Motorcraft TPS available on RockAuto. Hopefully someone else has a recommendation on the TPS available. Did you double check your fluid level with the engine HOT and idling?

 

The TPS from Standard Motor is just fine and actually performed better than a couple Motorcraft NOS units I tried. This link should cover the TPS replacement/adjustment, https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ions-only.html

I found that getting the idle setting at 1.2 with RPM at about 650-675 was more important than worrying about the voltage at WOT.
The Torx bolts that hold the TPS and TPS bracket in place can be super tight and I would recommend bit sockets to remove them.

Edit: And your diesel leak is likely related to the rubber return lines on top of the engine--look for wet/damp spots or with engine running you may see fuel seeping out of the black plastic caps over the injectors.

 

Before replacing ANYTHING you should check for codes. Here's how: www.troublecodes.net/ford

 

I did check the fluid level after the shop refilled it (hot and idling) and it was a little high. Maybe i should dial that in? Would be nice if it had a drain plug lol but oh well.

 

thanks for the info, i saw this a little to late and went ahead with the NTK. We'll see how it goes when it arrives on dec 2nd.
You were right on the diesel leak, i replaces return lines and such early this year. I did a quick check a few weeks ago when the leak started and they all looked good but i took i deeper look yesterday and the problematic hose was behind the air box. Clamp was not on all the way. Got it fixed thank you !

 

I'll keep this in mind thanks

 

An inexpensive ODB1 code reader is useful if you own an E4OD, $33@Autozone for the Innova code reader.