I have a transmission front seal leak on my 1996 F350 4X4 Powerstroke. A friend is going to help me replace it. While the transmission is out, we are going to replace the torque converter as preventive maintenance. The truck has around 123,000 miles on it, and I believe the tranmission is original. I have a 28,000# Tru-Cool tranny cooler and a FTVB. I also have a Banks exhaust brake with the Smartlock which keeps the converter locked and line pressure up when the brake is activated. I pull a 28' fifth wheel trailer with the truck, and I only put 3,500-4,500 miles on it a year. I also have a 60 hp Banks chip. The transmission seems to be in good shape. Does anyone have a recommendation for a torque converter? I don't want to spend a lot. I have read that it is not good to put a high performance converter on a stock transmission. Is the updated Ford 4R100 converter a good choice? Does anyone know if it would be suitable with the mods I have? Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

 

http://www.racerxautomotive.com/

Bill

 

A triple disk TC is the best way to go for towing IMO. However, I dunno if I would go to all the trouble of removing the trans and not have it rebuilt. Our Trannys, e4od's, are not know for their strength in stock form, especially with a chipped truck. At 123K you are right at the mileage some here have reported trouble (rebuilds). My 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the advice. Money is kind of tight right now; otherwise I would like to go ahead with a rebuild. I have looked at the converters Racer X offers. They look really good, but the Ford converter is less money. Some folks are critical of the plastic parts Ford converters use, but others seem to feel that it is a good converter, especially for the price. Powerstrokeshop has a price on the Ford converter of $368. I just don't know if it is adequate for towing an 8,600# GW trailer and using the exhaust brake. The Ford 4R100 is supposed to be upgraded, triple disk, etc.

 

IMO, if you have a chipped installed and are pulling a big load and are already pulling the transmission, you can not afford to NOT install a low stall convertor!

One of the best upgrades you can do to any diesel, especially one that has a chip installed is to install a good quality, low-stall convertor, especially in the E4OD and 4R100's. Reducing the stall speed after increasing the power is not only important for transferring power to the rear tires more efficiently but will also improve fuel economy in every day driving.

Most importantly a low stall convertor is going to reduce the temperature of the transmission by reducing the oil sheer which is created by the inefficient OEM convertor.

We have a full transmission division here at BD that can produce 10-12 transmission a day, the most common causes of failure we see here are heat related and premature clutch wear from sloppy OEM shifting.

Run a trans temp gauges and let it indicate what the transmission needs, there are many things that can be done to reduce heat. Reducing heat will extend the life of the transmission and increase the towing capacity. Here are some suggestions... A Deep Aluminum Oil Pan, Secondary Transmission Cooler, Cooler By-Pass Tubes for better flow, Torque Convertor Lock Up Switch

To decrees clutch wear and improve shifting characteristics I recommend an accumulator body upgrade. The BD accumulator body will eliminate the pulse modulated shifting built into the OEM body. This is engineered into the OEM body to create a soft seamless shift, unfortunately this drags out the clutches causing excess wear and reduces transmission life. The direct shift created by the accumulator body will reduce the drag time between shift and triple the life of the forward clutches.

External electronic upgrades like out Pressrue Loc will increase clutch apply pressure for better holding power for slippage insurance.

 

Dave

What is the multiplication of your TC?

Bill

 

We rate them by stall speed, this convertor will run about 300RPM lower stall.

 

X's 2!

Dave what is the stall rating? Also stall is not the only thing to look at in a TC. Can you get your hands on the Multiplication factor info? Also what is the lock up surface area? How many disc?

Also just a note for you. The E4OD doesn't modulate any shifts and the 4R100 only modulates the TC lock and as far as I know thats a function that is controled by a valve in the pump body not the accumulator.

For the OP The Cure will also be a nice addition to any trans/TC combination!! It will make your OD shift and maybe your 3rd gear shift (depending on programming/shift pattern) Much quicker. Plus the kickdown shift out of OD into third is amazing.

 

So true TJ!
You can increase the torque input to the trans with the just altering the multiplier not even adding power from the motor. Its sort of like regearing it.
Stall is really a per application thing. Might stall less in your truck and not mine.

Bill