C6 or E4OD, which one was it?
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Freshman User
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C6 or E4OD, which one was it?
I just bought a 1991 E-350 with the 7.3. what is in it now clearly is not the right tranny, the bolt holes are way off, there are only 4 bolts in it and there is a 1/8" gap between the bellhousing and engine. I need to find out what tranny was in it to begin with so I can look for one.
The only thing I have is that there is no "o" on the shift indicator, just the usual PRND21.
The VIN is 1FTJE34M5MHAxxxxx which is a diesel but I cant find a VIN decoder that says what tranny it came with.
The only thing I have is that there is no "o" on the shift indicator, just the usual PRND21.
The VIN is 1FTJE34M5MHAxxxxx which is a diesel but I cant find a VIN decoder that says what tranny it came with.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
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Both the C6 and the E4OD have the same bellhousing bolt-pattern if they are for a diesel, there are no C6- and E4OD-specific engine blocks (which is what you're actually suggesting). There are however those people out there who claim the diesel and big-block bellhousing bolt-patters are identical, and therefore when your diesel trans dies you just find a big-block one and swap it in - this is NOT true, and I think what you're seeing with your truck is exactly an illustration of why it is not true. Which means you need to pull whatever trans is there now, and find an IDI-specific trans of your liking. As for what trans your van had from the factory - if you have a button on the dash somewhere that says "OD" on it then it was an E4OD, if no button on teh dash then the shifter pattern you posted would suggest a C6 should live in there. To confirm either of those open the hood and look on the driver-side of the injection pump - if you see a TPS with a 3-wire harness then you need an E4OD trans, if no TPS but instead an odd doohicky with two vacuum hoses attached to it then a C6 is what you should be looking for.
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Freshman User
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Both the C6 and the E4OD have the same bellhousing bolt-pattern if they are for a diesel, there are no C6- and E4OD-specific engine blocks (which is what you're actually suggesting). There are however those people out there who claim the diesel and big-block bellhousing bolt-patters are identical, and therefore when your diesel trans dies you just find a big-block one and swap it in - this is NOT true, and I think what you're seeing with your truck is exactly an illustration of why it is not true. Which means you need to pull whatever trans is there now, and find an IDI-specific trans of your liking. As for what trans your van had from the factory - if you have a button on the dash somewhere that says "OD" on it then it was an E4OD, if no button on teh dash then the shifter pattern you posted would suggest a C6 should live in there. To confirm either of those open the hood and look on the driver-side of the injection pump - if you see a TPS with a 3-wire harness then you need an E4OD trans, if no TPS but instead an odd doohicky with two vacuum hoses attached to it then a C6 is what you should be looking for.
there is to the left of the steering wheel an OD button, I wasnt sure if that was a factory install or not.
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On the trucks the button is on the right side, the "OD" letters light up in green when the dash lights come on, and there's a yellow LED in the button that comes on and off as you push the button - if that's what you have, then you probably need an E4OD trans, but double-check on the TPS to make sure.
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Freshman User
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On the trucks the button is on the right side, the "OD" letters light up in green when the dash lights come on, and there's a yellow LED in the button that comes on and off as you push the button - if that's what you have, then you probably need an E4OD trans, but double-check on the TPS to make sure.
But I still have no OD button on the right . There is a a button to the left of the steering column?
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Missoula, MT
On the trucks the button is on the right side
E4OD = electronic control with overdrive
three wires means you need an E4OD I think is what M.L.S.C is saying
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
If your van has an E4OD, it's the first ever I see with that transmission. All Econoline vans i've ever seen made before 1991 all had C6's.
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Take this as a big hint if you want a strong tranny that will last, but is not very good on gas.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
So that tells me the original E4OD died, the owner freaked at the rebuild price, did not know the 460 version would not fit and bought one at a salvage yard, then modified it to fit.
His is a 91 John.
His is a 91 John.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
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The OD button is on the right side of the steering column on the trucks, on the vans it may very well be to the left of the column - if it looks like I described it (small and square in shape, letters glow green with the dash lights, LED is bright yellow) then it's a factory setup. Which goes well with the harness you found plugged in the TPS on the driver-side of the IP. So yeah, I'm pretty sure you need the E4OD trans, which is not a bad trans at all, but they do tend to overheat ( which can be taken care of easy and cheap) and once that happens a few times and they die they are expensive to rebuild.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Yeah I know it's a '91. First time I see the old van model with that transmission. Haha what a start, it's already dead. My '87 E350 still has it's orignal C6 with just under 200,000 miles on it and been hauling the same 11,000 pound load for the past 22 years 
still running perfect too! Fuel economy is acually not to bad either, but that's with 3.55's. Not great in the mountains though haha.
still running perfect too! Fuel economy is acually not to bad either, but that's with 3.55's. Not great in the mountains though haha.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
Well that is a lot like me with the four speed, or upgrading to the five speed.
If I break the five speed, it's going to take a rather drastic MPG increase to pay for the tranny upgrade and also replacing it when it breaks.
So I think I will just be happy with a bit lower MPG and an indestructable transmission.
If I break the five speed, it's going to take a rather drastic MPG increase to pay for the tranny upgrade and also replacing it when it breaks.
So I think I will just be happy with a bit lower MPG and an indestructable transmission.