heY. Ok here's the deal.

STORY:
I purchased a Bronco not to long ago and I am pleased with the results. It is a 1988 302/5.0L E4OD Bronco and I thought it was awesome (it still is mind you, just not working). About 3 weeks into having the car it developed a strange problem. It began to shift funny if it shifted at all. THe problem is that as I accellerate (sp) in drive (gear) it will not up shift from 1st to 2nd. I will try to accellerate a little more and the engine will rev nice and then as I let go of the accellerator pedal it shifts up. ??? It does the same thing from 2nd to 3rd. Further, it cannot go up hills well at all. The speed it tops out at is about 25-30 MPH: the first gears top speed. Then it will bump up and go maybe 45mph, but it really won't go any higher than that. Mind you, I was able to cook at 75 for while there and that was with a bad cat and no routine maintainance. After the maintance, then a problem arose.

TESTING:
The engine is awesome. THe compression results are phenomenal and the Bronco worked great up till the shifting problem. I replaced some of the usual stuff fuel filter, distriputor cap and rotor and the spark plugs. ANyway.... I know the Cat is bad and needs replacement. SO I thought that might be the problem, so I tested that out by removing the pipe altogether from the exhause manifold. Engine roared, problem remained. I checked the TV cable linkage and movement and I checked to see if the tranny fluid was bad by replacing the fluid and filter. I have yet to top off the fluid due to a blown exhaust gasket, but I am taking care of that tomorrow. Other than that, I have been browsing repeatedly for some info on a problem similar to this. THe results are...

SOLUTIONS:
I have come to the conclusion that it must be a computer/electrical type problem. I believe that it could be the shifting solenoids or the MLPS sensor. I have a stronger feeling towards the shifting solenoids though. I am fairly new at diagnosing electrical problems so I am not sure. I just think that given the problem the solenoids seems more likely (I do believe that the MLPS sensor is also called the transmission position sensor, but I also believe that that means which gear you are in i.e. Drive, reverse or neutral).

QUESTION:
My question now is how do you think I should go about getting this problem fixed? I have been considering just taking it to a dealership and have them fix the problem, but I believe that the price will be close to $400 for the checking, replacement and labor. I have limited funds and I am not sure that is the most cost effective way of approaching this. I would like to know if anyone knows where I can find the shifting solenoids, inside the truck and where to purchase. If someone has an idea as to how to change them out completely, then that would be cool too. I am running out of options and would appreciate any input. Thanks

 

OK, I am no expert but you sound like you are on the right track. I am not sure about your tranny but on my AOD, it was doing about the same thing whereas you would have to let off the RPM's and then it would shift. I checked and everything seemed OK so I narrowed it down to my tranny. I decided to try soem Lucas Transmission Fix and boy, never shifted better and it shifts smooth as well. I just drained a few quarts and put the same amount back in to top off. It is very cheap considering the cost of a tranny rebuild so, if after further troubleshooting you still have your problem, try it. It's available from most decent auto parts stores.

Good luck and keep us up to date as to your progress.

 

parphat, the e4od was not available till late 90/91 and is an electronic controled tranny so it would not have a tv cable like you mentioned. So knowing this you have an AOD tranny. ok first off how many miles on this tranny? the fluid needs to be topped off because it does not like to be low. your tv cable could be way out of adjustment or your tranny is toast. Get yourself a haynes manual it will tell ya how to go about adjusting the tranny tv cable. also check to make sure the linkage is not binding up or bent. Stay away from the dealership they will take your money alot of money. talk to a local 4x4 shop and ask who a good tranny shop in your area would be and go there. in the long run if the tranny is bad you could find a cheap replacement at a yard for around $400 , have the shop do a build for around $1000 either way its a whole lot cheaper then if you had an E4od that runs about 2k to rebuild if not more.

good luck and keep us posted

 

I actually did take it to a tranny shop and he did not think it was the tranny at all. He said it was the exhaust and that was my reason for testing the cat. I know that the tranny is good and that the TV cable linkage is fine (although I checked it myself, so I could be wrong, though I doubt the guy I took it to would have missed it. He drove it and looked at it). As to the miles, I do not know. I think it is the original so it probably has the full 175k that the truck has itself. But as I said, I do know that the tranny is good (due to the tranny shop guy, and the way it worked before this problem. He is good at diagnosing most stuff so I think he is right that the tranny is not shot), so my conclusions come to an electrical or computer type failure.

Thanks Kemicalburns for the correction about the AOD. I have a Haynes manual and they seemed to use both E4OD and AOD interchangable so I just thought they were the same. DO you happen to know the difference/advantages. I would just like to know. ALso do you know about the shifting solenoids?

fcarruth, you said that you had to let off the RPMs. I have to do the same (hence the letting of the accelerator). Do you think you could elaborate on what your problem was? Also, is that product you mentioned is that the name? And what is it? And how much?

Also if any of you know about the shifting solenoids I would appreciate the info.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

An AOD has no shifting solenoids. Just a TV cable to control the fluid pressure. The valve body controls the shift points, in conjunction with the fluid pressure and engine speed. The E40D/4R70W has a switch on the gear shift lever to shut off overdrive.

 

Thank you stevef100s. I was not aware of that, though I was beginning to suspect that after reading different literature and whatnot. What do you think might be the problem given my information above? Further, if you have any advise about what procedures I should try please let me know. If any more info is needed for you to be able to give me your idea just let me know.

However, I have not driven it since I replaced the filter and fluid due to other problems and an extreme interior/exterior project.

I'll get more info about its drivability after I have completed some of this.

Thanks


Ryan

 

Parphat, Lucas Transmission Fix is the name and I got it at Autozone for less than $10. a qt. Mine would only shift when I let off the gas or either when I would get it really reved and barely let off the gas and one I drianed a few quarts and filled with this Lucas stuff, I have not had a problem at all and that has been over a year now. Go to www.lucas.com and read about that and their other products. I also use the power steering stuff as well as the engine motor oil additive. It brought my oil pressuse up a decent bit.

Good luck,

 

parphat, it looks like your heading down the right track now. try the lucas stuff . get back to us

 

If the Lucas doesn't help, I really don't know for sure what the problem is. This may sound far fetched to most, but my in-laws had a van that had a shifting problem that sounded similar. The transmission was fine. It turned out to be their fan clutch was bad. This I SWEAR. It was a Chevy though, with a TH400 tranny. To this day, I still don't know why the fan clutch being bad made the transmission shift funny. The mechanic who repaired it could have made big money on that one, but charged less then $50 bucks. I even drove the van myself when it had the problem, and then after being repaired. I would have sworn the problem was in the TH400.

 

i bet it was because those fans go bad and create more drag on the motor which in turn was causing the tranny to keep the motor in its sweet spot.

 

Parphat, have you tried changing the tranny pan filter and fluid. maybe after 175k there is a small clog/leak somewhere.

 

on the early e4od the overdrive off button is on the dash it wasnt till 1993 that they moved the od off button to the shift lever.

 

Jdenninger, I did replace the filter and fluid, however due to some exhaust trouble I was unable to test to see if I fixed the problem. There was no crud in the fluid, but that does not mean that the filter was not clogged of course. I still have to top off the fluid and add the Lucas. After that I'll test drive it and see how things go.

My exhaust trouble was so bad because my driver's side manifold was not only cracked but brocken. Futher the manifold on the passenger side was leaking from both where the manifold is flush with the engine and from the pipe and manifold meeting. SO while I was trying to top off the fluid the smoke/exhaust was blasting in my face. So I decided to fix that first.

Anyway, I want to thank all of you for your information and assitance with this project of mine. I really appreciate it. I will let you all know how it went a little later on this week. Probably by wednesday the latest.

Thanks again.

until wednesday.

 

having all that exhaust leaks and such can cause a motor to not run right. time for headers and new exhaust!!