I just bought a 91 ford diesel f 350 with a, a.t.s. turbo add on. Two days after i had it the trans gave out. I had the trans replaced with a rebuilt one. The problem is that it just doesn't seem to me to shift correctly. After it warms up first to secound is short and smooth but secound to third is long and slow. Is this normal? I have never had a diesel before the guy that replaced it says that i have transmission-itis. Also there ia an occasional small hit when i take off from a stop unless i really lay into it
Anybody got any ideas?

 

A slow shift on an auto is comprable to riding the clutch...no good. auto's need to shift quickly, so maybe take it back to the shop that did the rebuild and see what they say. Maybe a second opinion is in order too.

Wayne 60 F-350
e-mail
https://www.ford-trucks.com/users/whomrig

 

I also recently purchased a '91 diesel with 115,000 miles and the E4OD auto. Find out if your tranny shop replaced all the weak aluminum Ford parts in that unit with the beefed-up aftermarket planetaries, torque converter, and shift kit. If he didn't, he shouldn't be in business. Most of the diesel E4OD's shredded early (often from driver stupidity) and have now been upgraded. This tranny is completely electronic. It has five internal solenoids that control everything it does; they get signals from a TECA (Transmission Electronic Control Assembly) located under the drivers side kick panel. Any malfunction in the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor), throttle position sensor, RPM sensor, or TECA itself will cause shift problems. An E4OD with all the aftermarket upgrades and getting good signals from the TECA will shift firm and strong and last a long time for a driver who understands the diesel/automatic combination.

 

Just for your info. They pulled the trans back out and the torque converter went belly up. Also they informed me that a shift kit is not availible for an E40D. Now there trying to nail me for any charges they can. ANY ONE INTERESTED IN BUYING A TRUCK

 

I'm curious to know what you paid for your rebuild. Transco, S&K, and Superior all make aftermarket shift kits for the E4OD, and there are probably many others. Most of the flimsy aluminum parts in that unit also have beefy steel aftermarket upgrades. The factory torque converter problems in that unit are legendary, and NOBODY should put one in a good rebuild job. Perhaps your tranny shop needs to, shall we say, go back to school. Are the good parts expensive? Yes. If you want a 200,000-mile tranny instead of a 50,000-mile piece of crap, the shops around here (Northern California) will charge about $2300 (average) for a hand-built, beefed-up E4OD with every available upgrade.

If you want to find out whether you've been ripped off, call about 5 REAL tranny shops in your area; not the ones whose names start with "AA", talk to the ones who have been in business for 20 or 30 or 40 years in the same location, and ask what they charge for a quality rebuilt E4OD with every possible aftermarket upgrade; and compare it to what you paid.

 

I paid 2,300 for the trans installed i was told by the shop that installed the trans that the replacement would come with any current updates. What ever that meant? The shop that put it in did not rebuild the the trans they got it from a state wide rebuild shop. Which i ended up takind it to for the warranty work. This shop told me that it had a heavy duty torque conv in it. Their shop said my wiring harness was bad but when they put it back in they could find nothing wrong. Go Figure?
What i have been told is that i should not tow in overdrive and to leave it off when driving around town as this will burn the torque conv up.
Still the shifting from 2nd to 3rd gears is very differnt then from 1st to 2nd. Would the A.T.S. turbo change the shifting characteristics?
I should have gotten in touch with you before this mess started now i'm just trying to not lose 2300.00 hard earned dollars.

 

I'm not sure if the turbo will change shifting characteristics. Turbos did contribute to the early death of the factory torque converters however, and will also increase the strain on the upgraded TC. The extra torque generated by the turbo is converted to heat in the TC until the TC locks in 3rd and 4th. This is why the shift between 2nd and 3rd only seems slow - the tranny will slip into 3rd with the TC unlocked until it senses higher RPM/lower throttle, then the TC locks and you see your tach drop down a few hundred. The same thing happens between 3rd and 4th.

The advice about not towing in OD and leaving OD off around town is important; you'll still get a lockup in third. I leave mine off unless I can maintain 60 MPH or higher. Towing or not, you never want to have your "foot in it" with the TC unlocked and bearing the load; this and jackrabbit starts are what kills auto trannies in turbo diesels. Pretend there's an egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal and your tranny will last a lifetime. I'm glad you're at least getting your repairs covered under warranty.

 

Up on the fuel injection pump there is a black plastic switch that looks like a vaccuum switch with a couple vaccuum lines coming out of it. This is what controlls your shift points based on throttle position. Make sure the vaccuum lines are hooked up on both ends, that they're not leaking and that the vaccuum switch is correctly adjusted or not defective and that your vaccuum pump is good (if the power brakes are working OK the pump is probably OK too).

 

I had a trany rebuild last year on my 93 no turboed 7.3. . the trany shop i took it too showed me the inside and explained the workings of the trany and troque converter... I had 207,oo km on mine when I started to have trouble.. to keep the fins in the torque converter in place ford just bent a tab over and consiquently the fins failed.. laying over and not doing thei r job. this trans shop I took it too welded the fins and the spline ring in place.. the first thing they do is put in a shift kit , the reason being is the preasures that ford has in the trans are just the bare minimum to opperate it consiquently any loss in preasure and you have a fault show up, there were , I believe 5 or 6 upgraded steel components to be installed if you wished for the full upgrade. the rebuild cost me $2300 Cdn. the trams has been performing well other than needing a speed sensor installed. the only complaint I have about the trucks is """more power""".
hope this helps

 

What sensor failure did you get when the torque conv. started to go? I keep getting a fiple sensor code. I am in the process of taking it to another shop and paying more money to have somebody else look at it. I really don't think the place I got it from put any updated parts in it at all. This is the third time i've had it looked at. this is getting pretty pathetic. You would think that FORD ENGINEERS could produce better!!!!!!! But alas My Chevy roots are starting to return. Why doesn't somebody produce some kind of replacement that will work? Or am I condemed to Keep fixing a ford ranger trans that they haphazardly threw into a f-350 desiel

 

It's unfortunate that our beloved Ford, with 75% of the diesel truck market and an otherwise fine product, can't seem to build a good automatic transmission. We deserve better than to wait until our trannies die an early death so we can have them torn apart and built correctly. At least in the free market system, dozens of aftermarket suppliers step in with the parts and engineering to make the funky E4OD live up to its potential. God bless America....

 

I have 93 f250 7.3l nonturbo . It has 300,000miles on it and all the sudden it doesnt know when to shift + the tach doesnt work until you step on the gas and when u decealarate the on / off switch for the over drive flashes , could it be the controller Is there a comp controller , fluid is bright red and no burnt smell , If it is a comp is the 89 comp the same cause I have an 89 f250 that has been converted to gas cause I didnt want to spend the money on the 12 (yes 12) transmission with 590,000on the motor with not even a broken belt . Any help would be appreciated , thx

 

there is a trans module undre the dash but i would look at the rpm sensor this is what tells the trans to shift. Is there anyway to put a code reader on it with out getting charged an arm and a leg ?
I am seriously looking at just ripping my trans out and finding a manual trans to put back in. If any one has any info on this let me know
My e-mail is changing
please reply to maxim@cc.usu.edu
thanks

 

Many transmission shops will scan your E4OD for free if they're not busy and you are a repeat customer. I've been taking my rigs (all autos) to the same shop for years for routine service, so I get free scans anytime. Otherwise the cost seems to range from $15 to about $50. Sounds like you need an RPM sensor. With 300k miles, your E4OD must have been rebuilt at least once; if not you're on borrowed time anyway. The flashing OD light is the tranny telling you it's sending a trouble code which the scanner will pick up. The trans control module from an '89 may or may not work in your '93. They changed the TCM slightly in '94s and up, but some late 93s may have gotten the newer module.