Hello,

I have a 96 e150 with i-6 300 and e4od transmission and 130,000 miles with no rebuilds. I use the truck for light duty highway driving. Recently I have experienced problems with the transmission that I believe to be no torque converter lockup. With the tranny warmed up and driving at 45mph or above, I get the flashing tranny light, and the transmission starts shifting harshly. All 4 gears appear to funtion fine. If it wasn't for the flashing light and the subsequent limp mode shifting, I really could not tell there was any problem with the way the truck drives, although it seems that gas mileage has dropped a bit. I changed the fluid and filter and did not find too much debris, but the fluid smelled a bit burnt. My questions relate to the following:

1. If I continue driving as is, what type of failure will generally occur next in the transmission and will I get any warning while still being able to drive?

2. My understanding of the lockup converter is that it is a friction plate, and the tranny error relates to this plate slipping. If the tranny computer is still trying to apply the plate even though slipping is preset, won't this eventually cause the plate to disintegrate under heat? Can I fool the tranny into never trying to lockup the converter and then have a transmission that will never attempt to lockup? I saw another post that mentioned depressing the brake pedal will prevent the converter from locking up. Would a permanent depressed brake signal to the tranny prevent the lockup while still allowing me to drive normally? I thought that depressing the brake pedal also caused a shift out of OD 4th into 3rd for enhanced engine braking.

Any other comments appreciated,
Thanks in advance.