Yes, he said with the Sure Cure kit that I would have firmer shifts, so that's probably what we're talking about. He mentioned it to be sure I was OK with that. He highly recommended it and it sounds like a good thing to me. I'm a little tired of the sloppy shifts I get now. He said the kit would significantly raise line pressure to ensure positive shifting and lubrication throughout. A friend of mine has a shift kit in his truck that can break the wheels loose from the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. I think that's a little excessive for my daily driver, though it is kind of neat.

 

From other threads it seems Ford remanufactured E4OD is the best choice since they have adopted the upgrades and offer the 3yr/100,000 mile warranty, but at a price. So I went for a rebuild at a local shop for ~1800, but after 10 days and a string of broken promises they had still not started. Vacation was beginning in less than a week. So I called Ford (3 dealerships) found out a unit was in a local warehouse, and went with the lowest quote of 2800(highest was 3500). Dropped off one morning, and got it back the next day in the afternoon. Hauled 8 of us plus camping and other gear 7011 miles from the East to West, up and down passes as high as 9000 ft and then home again - worked perfectly.

While not thrilled about the additional 1000 for the Ford, having the warranty and a trouble-free vacation makes it worthwhile.

1994 E-150 Glaval Conversion, Universal
5.8l

 

if you are looking for confirmation to get it done i would say do it. Seems like the rebuild price is lower than average and if he seems reputable i really wouldn't worry about it. The only way you are going to get it done cheaper is if you want to get your hands dirty pulling it and putting it back in yourself... Which without a tranny jack will be a PITA. If you can afford it and it sounds like you can I'd just go ahead with it.

 

From my research I have found:

Via Becontrols.com
If it becomes necessary to overhaul your E4OD transmission, you should perform as many updates as possible if it is a pre-1995 unit.

E4OD component updates include, as an example, the following items:

Improved (thicker) converter clutch piston (circa 1994), prevents the formation of cracks which relieve fluid pressure from the apply side of the clutch, causing it to slip and even bluing the outside surface of the torque converter in extreme cases. Ensure that your new converter contains an updated OEM or "LuK" brand heavy-duty clutch. This can be difficult, as many torque converter suppliers and remanufacturers may not use this new style of clutch.

Higher displacement front pump (for 1995) provides more fluid capacity for faster engagement of reverse and greater lube flow.

New (for 1994) 4-pinion overdrive planet and input shaft assemblies replace older 3 and 4 pinion units which tend to develop cracks in the carrier under heavy loads.

Center support update kit (for units built from 1989 through part of 1994) replaces wear-prone bushing with a ball bearing and contains a new overdrive stub shaft.

Stronger overdrive clutch cylinder snap ring which will not dislodge.

Revised sun gear and rear case bushings (circa 1992 model year) provide longer wear life and better lubrication.

Four pinion planet carriers (first used in 1992 model year)

New forward clutch friction plates with hardened internal splines cure "chatter" and "no-drive" conditions in E4OD and some later C-6 transmissions

Another option though would be to simply replace your transmission with another rebuilt one. I have not had or seen anything good come out of the few transmission shops I have dealt with. You can get a rebuild trans w/6mo warranty shipped to you for free for $1000, with no core charge. (ebay item#190420905446) There are quite a few available that have any level of upgrades available, but there are quite a few available that would be the same or lower cost than having it done locally. Many of these re-builders do a lot of transmissions so they know what they are doing. You say your guy has done them for 12yrs.....but unless you really trust him how long he has done it doesn't really matter much, how many E4ODs has he actually done in that time?

In any case you need to look at the above suggested upgrades....look a little so see if I've missed any. Ask about these possible upgrades with whomever rebuilds it or wherever you get a new one from to see exactly what you will be getting and as a test of how much they actually know.

Good luck....let us know what you choose to do.

 

Wow, that's quite a list. Thank you for doing the homework to get this to me. I really appreciate it. I will definitely discuss all of this with the guy I'm thinking of going with. If he doesn't have the right answers I will look somewhere else. You may have saved me a bunch of time and money here. Again, I really appreciate your effort.

dc

 

I actually already had it done a while ago....I put a 351 & E4OD into a '72 International Travelall and the trans was starting to shudder before the swap so I did a bunch to see what I should do then. I got stalled on the project and it has just sat now for a while. I will try some simple fixes...but if they don't help I will probably just get a rebuilt transmission off of ebay or elsewhere online and take my chances there.

Another big question to ask your re-builder is how he will handle problems within the time/mileage warranty. I had a C6 trans rebuilt locally and it leaked, took it back, leaked again and then died, they missed a bad part and the trans fried itself, it never did stop leaking. They said "you aren't driving it enough so it leaks"...riiiight that was the problem. They did all the additional work for free...but eventually said they wouldn't work on it anymore. They just couldn't fix the leaking. I traded my 460 & C6 with a guy for a 400 and NP435, and didn't look back. I know that there a lot of good re-builders out there....the problem is finding them. Make sure you check the BBB and ask everyone you know if they have an opinion for a trans re-builder. If you get any sort of gut feeling they may not do the best you might as well go somewhere else....hopefully there are enough shops around to find one you like.

That said getting a trans online could be problematic as well....because you would either have to swap it yourself of pay someone to do it. If you pay someone you probably loose any financial advantage. Also if you do have any problems it would be a lot harder to address.

I hope it all works out well for you.

 

Thanks! I'll post back after I get this fixed to let you all know how it turns out.

 

UPDATE:

So I guess my better-than-average deal on this rebuild has evaporated a little. I finally got the truck in the shop and heard from the guy last night. Said that when he got the tranny all apart he was surprised to see many of the interior parts were representative of a much older unit, not a 93. Center support was oldest style and extremely worn as well as many other parts. He modified original quote from $1700 with synth fluid to $2054 without. Also said the rear main on the engine was seeping and suggested replacement for $60. Naturally I went with him on that. He says he expects to have it all back together by Friday. I'll update again when I get it back.

 

Hate to say it ( Humm been saying that a lot here the last week or so maybe I need to quit saying stuff? ) However it sounds as the PO did a junkyard swap on the trans before you picked it up. One of the reasons why most of us said rebuild as now you know what you have in there and what is history is as far as last major repair done. $2054 is still a good deal I think as I said I was told $2400 with out even look at the unit, another place told me they will NOT rebuild the unit, they will only buy a reman and install it for me as they HATE to rebuild E4OD's LOL and the prices went up from there as much as like $3200 to be rebuilt. So I think your still in good shape. Just a little over 2K and you will have a nice happy rebuilt good unit!

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence on the rebuild. I hope you're right. The guy doing it told me he actually likes doing the E4OD because he's able to get good results. This was confirmed by some former customer comments I found online, lucky me. I had not considered the PO doing a swap on the tranny, but it's something I can believe. Turns out I have a friend who knows him that told me the guy's always been a real D-bag in general. Wish I'd known that beforehand, but oh well. Wonder what else he's nailed me on. Cheers!

 

Some places like to rebuild the E4OD's. The local parts store I go to, the Manager's brother has his own repair shop. most of his work is the bigger trucks, county dump trucks, fire trucks, ect. Well he loves to rebuild the E4OD's .... course I learn this after I find my ZF and plan on ditching the auto altogether Oh well.

 

I've always really wanted a manual in a truck like this, but they're super hard to find. I didn't want the hassle of replacing the AT with one. Lots to change over with the pedals and all. When I finally found this one last year, I'd been searching for a while so I jumped on it. It's OK. Everything else is just as I want it and the rebuilder says the AT will have a good firm shift now when he's done. Sloppy shifts is a big part of why I don't like ATs. With that gone, I guess we'll see.

 

I just hate to plow snow with a auto. I feel like I spend way to much time stopping, and looking to see what gear I am in. With a manual you just know.

 

hey dancing chicken, where in PA are you located. If and when my AOD craps out on me i'd like to keep your tranny guys name in my back pocket.

 

I'm in Waynesboro. South central, about 2 hours west of Philly. Guy's name is Dave Thacker. I found him on Google. His shop is in Blue Ridge Summit, PA.