I have a puzzling problem. Here the stats:

2000 Expedition EB
5.4L
4R100 tranny
trailer pkg

This week I noticed I was driving up on things faster then I wanted and using more brake than normal. Took the truck on the road, ~60mph and pushed the button to disengage overdrive. The transmission shifts to third and the engine goes straight to idle, no engine braking whatsoever. Same as if you had put it in neutral. Same thing happens when you shift to second. This I know is not normal.

I took the truck to the dealer on two consecutive days. I drove and demonstrated for the tech. He acted like he had no idea that you should get engine braking on a shift down to third or second. They hooked up the computer and on the second day hooked up the diagnostic computer and drove the truck. They found absolutely no codes, nothing out of spec. Even claimed they were on the line to Ford tech. I have a good (and too frequent unfortunately) relationship with the service writer. He has been straight with me in the past. Dealership apparently has not seen this problem before.

Has anyone else out there had this problem and know what the cure is. I would rather catch it now, before it possibly cascades into something worse. Thanks.

-Freewheeling

 

I had it on a 96 Chevy Taco that just had a GM Certa Tranny put in. Unfortunately, I found out about it when leaving a mountaintop park (if you can call 2,000 feet a mountain). That sucker wanted to take off!!! Just like yours, the RPMs dropped to idle, and away it went. This can be a very dangerous condition. Since it was a Certa, they ordered another one and dropped it in. The problem went away. I'm thinking the problem might be a broken spring, or something else jammed up in the valve body. I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear.

 

Man, some techs are just lost. Ask him nicely to take any other automatic out and try this just to humor you. I was messing around today and in 4th the truck will drop to idle when going about 70 and letting off the gas after about 10 seconds. But no matter what I did with OD off I always had engine braking. Good luck let us know what happens.

 

I seem to think my truck is plagued with the same trouble, what should I do have done?

 

Well, here's the update.

I subscribed to Alldata in order to get the troubleshooting info the dealership should have been using. There is actually a symptom list that matches my issues. I printed the pages and took them to the dealership. After first telling me that this is "only Alldata's information" they finally acknowledged that it is a copy of their manual. (Imagine that!) They STILL did not acknowledge that I had a problem and that they had checked OASIS, twice.

Being completely frustrated, I contacted the Ford Customer Service line (NOT!). The woman on the other end was very polite, but their procedure stinks. She called the dealership and then regurgitated the exact same line to me that they did, about their engineers saying that there is no engine braking when overdrive is cancelled. I guess then that page 144 of the owners manual is wrong and the my truck has been operating incorrectly for 5 years and suddenly corrected itself. She suggested that I give the dealership another shot. (Not likely, they got three chances, struck out)

Well, I am completely fed up. I told her very politely what I thought of their procedures and that my next purchase decision had been influenced. She said that she would note that I disliked their product. I tried to explain that I liked the truck, I just did not care for their inability to troubleshoot. She persisted, I gave up.

Long story short, I am absolutely dumbfounded at the "technicians" absolute inability to troubleshoot. They won't go beyond the computer display. This is what we used to call a twigit. I am not likely to go to one dealer after another trying to get someone who actually knows his way around a troubleshooting chart, paying each one $64.95 to play dumb. Apparently there is nothing fatally wrong with the transmission, yet. I am just going to drive it, but there is a very high probability that my next and future vehicles won't be Fords.

 

i have done a few of the 4r100 trans that had a seal that had failed on the coast clutch piston and would give you the same effect. there are only 3 clutchs in the coast clutch.

 

I know you are spent but try another service department if you are in a large city. Make them take an expedition off the lot and show you how it acts exactly the same. Or the used lot etc... You are getting a bum deal, don't give up it hurts all us little guys in the long run. Good luck.

 

Why don`t you just take the truck to an independent trasmission shop?
Personally I avoid dealers like the plague because I am not made of gold!

And yes, engine braking is a feature of my 98 expy I've used a lot in the last 2 weeks. I towed my 20 foot trailer through the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta and often changed down out of overdrive to keep the speed down on the steeper hills.
The truck didnt do badly going uphill either.

Try the other guys or at least talk to them what have you got to loose?

 

Actualy, engine braking is mandatory by law. I looked it up here in NYS when my Tahoe was free-coasting... It's even against the law to put your vehicle in neutral and coast... betchya didn't know that. I sure didn't.

Essentially, with your transmission disengaging, you are "breaking the law", if your code states so. Throw that one at them. If you don't get any satisfaction, report them to the DMV.

 

Thanks for the responses. I have talked to at least one other dealer's service dept. They would again charge me $64.95 to "troubleshoot". If their version is to also to just plug it in to the computer and maybe call Ford's "engineering" support, the answer will be the same. I am not inclined to continue to pay one after another to give me the same BS. A transmission shop might be a possibility, especially if another issue eventually shows up.

I knew about the "rolling on the grade" law in NY, but I think that applies to only manual transmissions, as long as you leave the auto in gear I don't think they would fail you on a driving test. If you didn't ever take mine out of overdrive, you would never notice a problem.

-Art

 

What happens when you tap the brake in O/D, does it freewheel for a second until the TCC re-engages?

 

I would still try the other dealer. I seriously doubt the other dealer ever contacted fords engineering department at all. They have to pay for this service.

Dave