How hard would it be to rebuild and E40D? I have never worked on transmissions, but I have good mechanical sense. A local tranny guy said that a rebuild would START at $1500. All you have to do is take it apart, replace worn or broken pieces, and put back together. I know I'm oversimplifying it, but it's not rocket science. I plan to get an ATSG manual, but I was wondering if there was a video available? Are the parts readily available? What do you think?

 

I just rebuilt my E4OD and figured I'd tell you what I know. ATSG manuals are pretty good, you'll need some manual anyways. I ordered the parts from Transtar Industries, well respected and quick turnaround. They have national warehouses and should get you your parts easily. As for rebuilding, it is relatively simple. You just pull out the parts, replace seals, clutches, etc. and put back in. What is hard for the home mechanic to do is determine the condition of the hard parts. Amount of wear is a concern, along with the fact that it is easy for the home mechanic to miss a fatal flaw in some hard part. Be prepared to spend a little time and make some tools if you dont have them, you'll need them and the better you make them the easier it is to use them. Be sure to keep the valvebody VERY clean. I am very strict with this, but even I managed to mess up my shifting, which I have diagnosed as a intermediate accumulator regulator valve problem. Only thing is it seems to have fixed itself except for yesterday.... o well. Also, the E4OD has its own update book which is as big as the rebuild manual. Depending on year, you might want to check out updated selenoids, although that can get expensive. My rebuild went flawlessy except for this pesky valvebody problem, but at least I dont have to yank the trans to fix it. I'd say go for it and good luck! The learning experience is worth the chance of messing up if you ask me!

 

Thanks for the info, Travis. When you rebuilt yours, did you just order the "rebuild kit", or did you just order only the necessary parts? Did you have to make many special tools to do the job? How much did the parts cost you altogether?

I found a website that has an E40D video for $70. That's kind-of steep, but that's the only place I could find one.

http://www.rebuilt-automatic-transmi...buy_parts.html


Is a video really necessary if you have the right manuals? I also found a couple of extra manuals, but buying all of them can get pricey, too.

http://www.atra-gears.com/bookstore/catalog.pdf


Another thing I am concerned with is the electronics. My tranny is still operating at this moment, but judging by many others, it won't last much longer. It just has this shutter from 2-3 when accelerating moderately. I have taken good care of it, and serviced it regularly. Maybe I can get another 20,000 out of it.


92 f150 2wd 302 166,000mi.

 

I bought the biggest rebuild kit which was right at $200 from Transtar. I did not get a video, and you can do it with just the ATSG manual. When I first got the book I thought it did not explain things very well, but when I got into the trans, I realized that they tell you just about all you need to know. I had to build spring compressors of different sizes, you'll just need some all thread, flatbar, nuts and various sizes of pvc pipe about 3-5 inches in diameter. One needs to be 6 3/4 if i remember correctly. I just cut a smaller diam pipe and put hose clamps around it to allow it to only spread so much. Dont tell anyone I did all of this riggin' though! An inch pound torque wrench is necessary and foot pounds, but you can just convert - 12 in. to 1 ft.

As far as the electronics go, I'm not sure. Mine too had this shudder, which in most transmissions is the torque converter. While you are in there, replace it, although this will not correct the problem. Depending on year, it is either an electronic selenoid problem or a mechanical pressure problem. These trans had an update on the pump which allows more volume of fluid to be pumped. The trans would try to hold lockup in the converter with too low of a pressure, allowing for the shudder. I dont know for sure if the bigger pump allows for more more pressure and therefore stronger holding of the clutch, or if it is purely an electrical type problem. I would suspect it is mechanical though, since electronics just direct mechanical functions. You can replace the internal gerotor of the pump yourself, but you'll need a banding tool to realign the pump when assemling. It reminds me of a ring compressor. Check out what needs to be replaced to fix the shudder for sure, I did not mess with it because I dont plan to keep the truck for that much longer, and it does not do it much at all now that I have replaced the converter, although it will most likely slowly come back.

I would say it might be worth the trouble to dissasemble the valvebody and clean it, but since I didnt do this I dont know for sure if it is worth it. You can scar up things easily though.

I guess thats enough for now Lemme know if I can help some more.

 

I really appreciate the info. I ordered some Smart Blend Red yesterday, and I'm going to see if that helps at all. The shudder really isn't bad (just occasional), but It's only going to get worse with miles. I'm going to get those manuals and read them a couple times before I loosen the first bolt.

 

Sure, no problem. I was just looking though some of my old notes yesterday and found out that several of the shops recommended changing the converter clutch lockup seleniod. So I guess it would be safe to say that it is an electrical problem, or at least in most cases. Just something else for you to think about. I believe that whole seleniod pack has to be ordered, not just individual seleniods. I've even seen them on e-bay, but I myself would check them out good first. They changed in 95 to having the diodes in the PCM, so get one from before that for sure. Let me know what happens.