What is normal?

I'm reading in a few places where those with an E40D are experiencing a different pattern than I am. Curious to know if I have some issue I'm not aware of or if it is just the way I drive or niether.

Others have stated it is like a 5 or 6 speed in that it shifts 1,2,3,3-lock,4,4-lock or in other cases 1,2,3,3-lock,4-lock.

Mine is always 1,2,3-lock,4-lock. And only under extreme duress (pulling heavy) may I see 3, 3-lock but only for 1-2 seconds at most.

Tach sensor is new, FIPL is new and set to about .94 and the speedo is fairly accurate.

Any thoughts or experience? I'd like to see more gears I think it would be a more efficient use of the torque curve. As it is now it is pretty rare that it shifts before 2000rpm even under light acceleration, usually 21-2200 for the 2-3lock and 3-lock,4-lock shifts.

Bob

 

Not sure I understand your question. Are you asking if the E4OD has more than 4 forward gears? That answer would be no.

 

Sorry I get to rambling sometimes.

I understand how many gears an E40D has, it's the "normal" shift pattern including TC lockups that I'm asking about. What are the other E40D'ers out there experiencing?

Bob

 

Your TPS voltage is on the low side, bring it up to 1.0V or even 1.1V and she'll shift like she should (like a 5-speed). Now how that 5-speed action is achieved I'm not 100% certain on - my feel of things is that she shifts 1,2,3,3-lock,4-lock but others claim it's actually 1,2,3,3-lock,4,4-lock with the lockup in OD happening nearly instantaneous with the upshift hence the feel of a single shift action. The 3-lock and 4-freewheel under load are very similar in overall gearing (due to the converter slip when unlocked) so even assuming the converter does indeed unlock for the upshift in OD after the upshift is complete you'll barely notice it on the tachometer until the converter locks up again. The only way I could make mine shift like a 6-speed is with the converter switch (not a factory thing), but like I said 4-freewheel is very close to 3-lock when loaded down other than it makes a whole lot more heat, so the only times I really use it is:
a) for short periods of time when I start losing speed while pulling up a grade
b) running light on narrow country roads with lots of people getting on and off often
c) when accelerating from standstill to freeway speed, in which case my shift pattern is 1,2,3,4,4-lock.

My usual shift pattern while just running around is 1,2,3,3-lock,4-lock with the OD locked out till I can reach and sustain 50-55 mph for at least several miles, I currently do this with the converter switch cause I removed the PCM controls of the lockup, but even when all-stock with the full PCM control of the converter that's how she'd shift too.

 

interesting.i didn't know the tc unlocked for the OD shift.all i feel is:
1/2/3/3-lock/OD.
i drive pretty easy when empty,and all my shifts are well under 2k.
loaded,it all changes depending on load/hills of course,but on the flat even loaded i take off easy enough generally for a under 2k rpm shift.i like good fuel economy.for the hills when loaded its when i let her rip good in advance and during.

 

Like I said, the difference between 3-lock and 4-free is very small during accel, so even if the converter was taking its sweet time before reapply you probably wouldn't even know the trans shifted into OD.

 

thats interesting.
David,does your aftermarket programmer keep you locked.i wounder if it unlocks for the shift so it doesn't hurt the tc?
just thinking,if it stayed direct,there would be a slight increase in fuel economy here.nothing worth mentioning i suppose.likely it unlocks for the OD shift so it doesnt hurt itself.hmmm.

 

It won't hurt itself - I shift from 3-lock straight into 4-lock sometimes, but I do let off the throttle beforehand. It's the 4-lock to 3-lock downshift that is real jerky and could possibly hurt something...

 

The AOD in my F150 is perminantly locked in 3rd and 4th gear without unlocking during the 3-4 shift. Under some conditions that shift can feel a little "bangy" but under full load it tends to just slide into 4th (takes a good full second sometimes). My impression is that 3-4 is deliberately soft to prevent a harsh shifting event since a no slip condition tends to produce a harder feeling shift.

There was an incident with my E4OD that I remember when it wasn't working right and that produced reasonably firm shifts while staying locked. This had a tendancy to bounce the truck back and fourth like dropping the clutch a little too quick when upshifting a manual tranny. Yes, there will be some extra wear and tear under those conditions and the torque converter acts like a dampener so that no matter how firm your shift is, it won't cause that lurching back and fourth. All you will get is a harder kick from the back of the seat.

In reality it has a little more to do with customer satisfaction than durability since no one wants a truck that bounces back and fourth everytime it upshifts. My controller will automatically unlock the TC in anticipation of a possible upshift event. I can't disable this feature in the programming and don't think I really want to. Only knock against the setup is the TC will unlock in anticipation of a possible upshift event (1-2 MPH before hand) instead of firing the shift and TCC soleniods at the same time to get everything over with as soon as possible. It can make for some unstable performance where the TCC unlocks, then locks up again not knowing when the rest of the tranny will finally shift.

 

Alright, so it sounds like I should see 3rd freewheel before 3-lock. I'll try upping the TPS to 1.0v and see what happens there. I wonder if my 4:56 gears are a determining factor or if the VSS should be replaced. First things first, the TPS.

Thanks,
Bob

 

What about harsh 2-3 freewheel upshift before lockup

 

Starting your own thread is always best, however on one truck I had a rough 3-4 shift, turns out it was also shifting too early, tps or "fipl" fixed my issues and trans shifted like brand new

 

On the E40D / 4R100 and the AODE /4R70 the converter should momentarily unlock during shifts, up or down. If youre towing or pulling a grade, it will unlock the converter before down shifting, so long as youre slowing or maintaining speed. If youre accelerating, the converter should lock within 1-2 seconds of the upshift. If you let off the throttle, converter should unlock, and lock within 1-2 of getting back on the throttle. This comes from the shop that rebuilt my 4R70W in my bird.

 

How it shifts will depend on load.

 

I never could understand Ford's reasoning behind that. Years ago a guy I worked with bought a slightly used '92 or '93 and he took me for a ride in it. The diesels were supposedly built to tow trailers, but when he let off the throttle at highway speed it was like you shoved the shift lever into neutral, no engine compression braking whatsoever. Real handy when coming down a long steep grade with a heavy trailer in tow----not. I'm not an auto trans guy, but I think I've read there's an aftermarket module that keeps the converter locked on deceleration. A retired Ford factory auto trans engineer that's on these forums said there had to be something wrong with it, but IMO too many guys have said theirs does the same thing.