When towing I'm concerned that my '96 stock E4OD is somewhat lazy to shift. When not towing or hauling it shifts fine except it seems to love locking up the T/C early. I'm considering the B&M Shiftplus being quick and easy and can turn off when not pulling.

How difficult are the many different valve body shift kits are they to install? Or would I be fine with just the occasional use of the Shiftplus? This is a stock 4.9 with stock sized wheels, 3.55 4wd.

I have done filter fluid changes before. Taking apart the valve body is somewhat intimidating. It appears that the 4.9 is capable of towing a considerable load.

 

The 4.9 will pull pretty much anything you put behind it. It's quite a motor.

Shift kits aren't hard to install from what I've read. I've never done one though, but I definitely would like in my E4OD if it weren't on its last legs and ready to be replaced with a ZF.

I would suggest doing a search in this forum and in the transmission forum here as well. It's been covered quite a bit.

 

You'll have to take apart the VB for any shift kit tho, and it really ain't hard at all - when I'm done with dinner I'll be opening an AOD trans again for some drilling the separator plate to cure a 4-3 downshift flare. I looked up the B&M ShiftPlus install instructions, and I think it ain't anything I'd waste my money on, as all it does is jack up the line pressure, which you can accomplish on your own for right about $2, and it ain't all that great thing to do to begin with as you may starve your converter lockup clutch and/or kill some of the other clutch packs in the trans if you got too high. Just get a real shift kit that goes in the VB and you'll be alright.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm now considering something like the B&M shift kit instead of the electronic switch thingy. At Summitracing.com they have the installation instructions for the kit.

Its the idea of messing something up and having to drop that pan again that is tough.

 

Oh, but that's normal, and they make aftermarket drain plugs for that very reason - I put one in my trans pan when I did my shift kit, it only cost me like $5 and it was a great thing to do as dropping a pan of the E4OD is a major pain to do without making a mess everywhere. Summit should have those drain plugs, the only thing I'd recommend is that you upgrade them to copper seals instead of those plastic washers they come with - plastic ones can soften when the trans heats up good, I know of several 4x4 folks who stalled on the trails like that cause they lost too much ATF. You can get copper washers at about any parts store, they will be like $2 or so for a pack of two and you need a pair. You put the drain right through the dimple that is used for locating your magnet inside the trans pan, and when the drain is in you can slip the magnet right onto it, it fits like a glove!

I'm not familiar with the B&M kit, I personally have the very basic Transgo kit in my E4OD, along with a Superior .427 modulator valve, and I also drilled my separator plate slightly differently (allows for more flow to the accumulator valves), and I'm very happy with how she shifts. I have not yet made any pump mods, as the trans was always in the truck. You may wanna look into the Transgo HD2 kit tho, or even the Tugger kit, compare them to that B&M kit and see which one suits you better. Also Baumann Engineering may have a shift kit for the E4OD, and I know for certain Superior have one too.

 

Thanks for the replies. Being that this is a 1996 E4OD, I've read that there were many changes for the 95, 96 from the factory. Looks like most of these shift kits are generic for the E4OD for it's life.

Has anyone done a kit to the late E4OD with great results?

thanks again...

 

Have not done an E4OD but have put shift kits in several AOD's and IMO the worst part is removing the pan the first time.. it's a guaranteed mess unless you have one giant catch pan. Otherwise the install is pretty easy, just have a clean bench to work on, take your time and follow the instructions.

 

i just did a 1996 F350 with e4od. i put in the transgo kit (the basic one). easy enough to do. take your time, keep everything clean, and stay organized. the transgo instructions weren't great, but once i started taking things apart it all made sense. i too was intimidated as i've never been in an auto trans before.

have a few cans of spray brake cleaner around. i cleaned everything up with the stuff.

 

If you really want an E4OD to live buy a complete valve body from Paul's Clutchboxes. I have no vested interest in Paul or his business, but he comes highly recommended from several websites. He can supply valve bodies made to order as well as complete transmissions.

 

Thanks for that info. Looks like Paul's price is not that bad. I will have to do more research at those other forums. Wonder if his VB delays the TC lock up?