Well, I would hope that the 4R70W would hold up to more than 300 lb/ft of torque. My 5.4L has 350 lb/ft and I haven't had any tranny troubles yet. Changing the fluid every 30,000 miles will keep them in good working order.
The 4R100 is the stronger of the 2 tranny's , but the 4R70W will last just fine when properly maintained. The problem comes from not keeping the fluid changed and these tranny's have alot more clutches in them than the old C6's and as normal wear occurs, the worn clutch material in the fluid gets inbetween the clutches and causes them to chatter.
Getting a good tranny flush @ your dealer will work wonders. It's only $99 at my new dealer.
Jimmy

 

i bought a 95 f1504x4sclb 5.0 aode with 40,000 miles on it, it started shuddering between 40-45mph, i stopped by a ford dealer in KY. a mech their told my to change the fluid a couple times, and the problem should go away, well after three changes in 40,000 miles later it did, i got a total of 370,000miles of hard towing (7000lbs) and driving with without a rebuild, she was getting a little soft before i sold her, this is the reason i bought another ford, that truck truley was built tough,p.s.2 engines thou,no other major problems, she only was towed once when the first engine went at 134,000, im hoping to repeat the experance again with this f250LD

 

LXMAN 1, I don't know exact torque specs, only what I read and some of that was here so I can't back any of it up. Somewhere around 300-350 Ford goes to the E4Od/4R100 or newer versions of heavier trans. That does not mean the 4R70W can't handle it. I also know some upgrades like supercharger was not available for T-bird or Mustang in '90s if it had AODE because it couldn't handle the added power. I also know that Gen 1 Lightnings that were drag raced lost the E4OD first and went to C6 for cost and reliability. '04 F150 have a 4R75E which I would hope is upgraded and the Heavy Duty Payload Package (replacing 7700 w/ 8200 lbs. GVWR) has only Elect. 4 speed automatic trans (higher torque capacity) listed (I am assuming it has 4R100 like 7700 did). Most of the heavier trucks (heavy half, 7700, F250LD w/5.4L) came with E4OD or later the 4R100. I'm not knocking the small trans because they run fine as intended (generally but Fast Track may not think so right now) but if I had a choice I'd take the heavier ones. And they can and do fail too especially in abusive situations or behind PSD, V10, or any modified vehicle with more power. You can no longer get a 6 cyl in a F350 with the 4 sp manual. In any truck, some part is the weakest link and will be more prone to failure. We all get to change u-joints and clutches. I pay attention to transmissions because they handle a large portion of any load, especially with stronger engines. Ford differentials rarely fail (in my case but no monster tires either) and the engines are reliable. I log and my skidders run 4.33 rears 28L26 tires and 7:1 planetary giving a 28 or so final drive. With 3 tons behind and a 152 hp Cummins in front, the trans does most of the transfer. We have to replace the Clark 4 speed auto every 4-5 years @$12000. I am more used to manual trans and really like gas trucks with ZF 5 speed because I only have to replace clutch and slave cylinder components. With all that I hope the 4R70W does take more torque. I have seen it mentioned here before that the 70 is a rating for 700 something. and 4R100 is rated for 1000 but I don't remember where I saw it or if it was torque in ft/lbs or hp (not likely). Happy New Year and keep on truckin'.

 

Well Guys it is a new year and we all made it!
Tim!
Took the truck to Ford and they changed the trans fulid which got rid of the shudder between 40/45mph! Now it only shudders between 39/42mph with the OD on, (before it shuddered weather the OD was on or off) turn it off and it quits! plus it shows back up again at 70mph and above?
Any Ideas?
TED
"HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!"

 

I still have not figured out WHY it shudders. Somebody above mentioned changing fluid 3 times got rid of their problem and he then got over 200K out of it. Maybe it'll work as well for you. On the other hand maybe coincidence or something else actually solved his problem. We'll never know. I believe this only happens when the TC is "locked up" but can not be sure. It could be slipping or possibly I'm wrong and the TC isn't locked up when this occurs but it is still slipping (clutches). I'm not advocating changing TC but that is where the problem appears to be at. I'm not familiar enough with the programming and sensor inputs as to when and why TC locks up. It could be contamination inside the TC that changing fluid helps. Or line pressure at some point isn't high enough to completely engage something. I am only speculating though. I believe TC is always locked when in OD and at 70+ unless the throttle is depressed quite abit, you should be in OD. I would think any fluid or TC problems should show up in OD especially uphill or slightly loaded. By turning off OD you force the truck back into 3rd (and different engine rpm) which may unlock TC or by increasing rpm TC creates more internal fluid pressure inside the trans. The TC is a hydraulic pump that supplies fluid and pressure for the trans to work. Inside the TC is a "fan", impellor or pump depending on how you look at it. The TC is bolted to flexplate and outer structure turns at engine rpm. The inner piece (and there could be more than one depending on design and complication of the TC) has splines and slips over the input shaft of the trans. It is my belief that when the TC is locked up both the inner part and outer part will turn at engine rpm (and thus so will the trans input shaft). And it is also my belief (I'm not sure because I ain't working in a trans shop or been to mech. school) that unlocked, the TC can turn the inner part faster or slower (probably only one not both) to multiply torque and efficiently use higher rpm when needed. The pcm will lock/unlock the TC depending on certain parameters, just as downshifting or upshifting the trans as needed. I don't know all the input signal sensors. Obviously the TC unlocks when the brake is applied so you can stop without the trans pushing the truck. So the BOO switch is involved and probably your speed sensor. Engine load and truck load will affect what the pcm does but I'm not sure what will signal that. There may be some way of unplugging a wire so that the TC can not lock up but that would prevent you from using OD. You might could do this or some other test to determine if your truck only does this with the TC locked up. Someone with more understanding of an AT could explain it to both of us to help us understand what is causing the shudder.

Anyway, I don't know yet what it'll take to fix this. You might want to try changing fluid again a bit later and see if it helps. I've read here about shift kits that might help and also a way of converting to the new 5 sp AT TC but that is for the E4OD. We might have to read through some more threads. As the AT gets more complicated and more expensive, it seems that more can go wrong. There is also programming help as an add on chip to your pcm. Some of these have settings that allow you to somewhat control the trans/TC by selecting levels of performance (race, tow, etc.) but I don't know any prices on those. I'd give her more time and miles so that the new fluid can wash out more contaminants and then change it again. It that doesn't help any I'd look into a shift kit or chip. Until we find out if this is a contaminant problem, switch problem, TC malfunctioning, or bad programming (or faulty) that causes the shudder I don't know which way to go first. I wouldn't want to waste any money on something you don't need. If I find anything else out I'll get back to you. I'm in the process of moving and unsure of my phone connection/ISP for a few days so I may not get back until later next week. Good luck and HAPPY NEW YEAR TOO.

 

There is a hyd. clutch in the converter that locks when pressure is applied. This is to eliminate slipping and increase economy. The computer controls all of the functions now by using throttle position, rpm, vehicle speed, and shifter selection.
The old AOD trannys used 2 input shafts. One for R,1 &2, and another one for D & OD which was engaged when the tranny went into drive. It had a clutch pack inside the tranny that was really bad about failing. You would end up with 1st, 2nd, and reverse only.
I believe that the AODE was released in 92 which used the PCM (Powertrain Control Moldule) to determine lock-up and shifting.
I too had read about the 70 = 700 lb/ft and the 100 = 1000 lb/ft of torque, but if that was the case, then the 4R70W would hold up to anything that Ford makes because the 32v PS only has 560FT/LB of torque.

The 4R70W is the common standard auto tranny in the F150.
The 4R100 is stronger (not sure how much) and comes behind the 5.4L in the 7700 package, Supercharged engines (Lightning, Harley Davidson) and 7.3 PS engines.
It was optional on standard 5.4L F150's.

Was the fluid just changed or was the tranny powerflushed? If it wasn't actually flushed, it may not have gotten all of the crud out of the converter clutches.
My personal opinion is that it is a programming design flaw. It will lock the converter while the truck is still accelerating. This increases the wear on the clutches. I think that it should be at a steady speed and throttle for a second before engaging the converter clutch, then it would be less apt to chatter and wear faster.
Kinda like the guy who sits at the read light on an incline who refuses to push the brake pedal so he keeps lett out on the clutch then pushing it back it. Going up and back. All he is doing is adding a lot of wear to the clutch. The cinverter clutch does the same thing when it engages while the tranny is still under a load.
Jimmy

PS, does any of this make any sense? It's late and I'm kinda tired, so if I don't make any sense, let me know and I'll try again when I am more awake.
Jimmy

 

Hey, FastTrack
Did you ever fix this truck? I've been busy working on my new house, etc., met a gorgeous girl, etc. but I'm still curious 'bout your truck. Mine is getting close to 100k and needs the fluid changed, etc. but I plan on installing the TransGo into mine. I have the E4OD so my AODE/4R70W kit won't work. Also looked at Diablo chip but I don't plan on running premium gas at today's prices. Maybe when the war is over...Anyway, I didn't want you to think we all forgot about you.