e4od rebuild step by step
 

I have a 90 bronco 5.8 liter with e4od tranny.The tranny just took a crap on me.I need some input on how to rebuild it and what updated parts I should use to do the rebuild.I am mechanically inclined and prefer to not pay someone to do it unless I absolutely have to.I hear that they ain't prefered,but it's what i have,so I'm gonna have to rebuild it.What years will fit my bronco,just in case i find a low mileage one in a junkyard.If I rebuild it Im gonna make sure it is bulletproof.Any suggestions on a good rebuild kit.Thans for any input!!

Fortunately, you cannot get any parts for an E4OD that were in the pre-94 units. Ford yanked all of them once they did the internals upgrade in 94. So whatever you buy will be the upgraded parts that were put into the 94+ units. This is a good thing. Steer clear of any E4OD that was a "first run" unit. (This would be late 89-early 90). They were so radically changed that even the casings won't necessarily work with the newer components. What you are talking about undertaking is no small feat. The E4OD is a fully electronic unit with tolerances even closer than your typical automatic. The electronics can be picky as well if things aren't re-assembled precisely. It is also HUGE. (consequently very heavy) Shift kits are recommended with any rebuild. The OEM setup put the shift points very smooth but overworked the unit to do so. If you end up seeking out a used unit, the later the better. The E4OD was till in the Bronco in 95-96 but the model was being transitioned to a newer automatic.

I personally would reiterate the idea that this one should really be left to the pros unless you have no recourse. But that's just my opinion.

The original owner of my 94 told me the E4OD transmission had a recall. I would suggest looking for a 95 or newer. Haynes has a lot of information.

e4od tranny problem
 

does this mean that the upgraded parts wont fit in my case?Mine is late 89/90 model.

Is 96-96 tranny exact same fit as my 89/90 tranny,I mean connections,speed sensor etc.Thanks for the knowledge.

Everything should be fine... double check when ordering parts. Ford changed the configuration of the MLPS connector after the upgrade in 94. When I got my 92 unit rebuilt, I had to wire a new pigtail into the body harness so I could plug the new MLPS into the truck. Everything else was internal changes but I can't begin to tell you exactly what those were in detail.

The VSS is mounted in the rear axle housing on any F-series/Bronco from 92 up. Prior to that it may have been in the transmission but I was under the impression the 8.8 rear axle got the VSS when the E4OD was put into the trucks. I could be wrong.

I do know that there is an aftermarket kit to relocate the VSS should you ever need to swap rear axles to a model that has no provision for the VSS.

The only electrical connection I am aware of on the exterior of the E4OD is the MLPS.

the mlps connector is all that would need to be changed. i would by a used 95-96 tranny from a bronco/f250/f350 running the 5.8 and have a shop swap it over for you that way the connections are sure to be accurate.

I rebuilt the E4OD trans in my former '93 F250 IDI diesel and everything said with regards to this being a pretty big job and the fact that the trans is HEAVY is accurate. I spent around $1500 in parts alone because I ordered every upgrade there was. After I got it back together I then had some valve body issues I had to iron out but was able to do it with another $100 in parts/tools. This website goes over the major steps involved and I found it useful to give me an idea up front what I was getting into:

Complete E4OD High Performance T

As detailed as that may look, it is really just an overview. I never would have been able to do the job with just that website. Be sure to get you a factory Ford service manual off eBay for your truck if you don't have one, you will need it.

The most important upgrade, IMO, that you can make, is the pump. The early pumps did not move enough fluid so you need one from a 95-up trans. Also be sure to upgrade the center bushing to a bearing, very common upgrade.

The thing that can really run into the $$$ is special tools. If you have any fab skills, you will want to make your own to save money. I made all of mine except one, which I bought. Also be sure to make a stand for your trans with a 5-gallon bucket underneath it so you can work on it in the vertical position as shown in the link above.

For all the bad that's been said about the E4OD over the years - most of it probably true - the later years were pretty good units IMHO. The one in my '96 is a few turns short of 200k and still shifts pretty good. If I floor it from 0-75 getting on the interstate it won't be able to hold the last shift from 3-4 but there's an easy fix: DON'T DO THAT. Also, I don't think it lived a very charmed life under the PO so it will tolerate a little abuse, not that I'm recommending that, just that it isn't too fussy.

With all the drivable trucks sent to their doom under CARS you might be better off getting a '95 or '96 out of the boneyard with just a fluid change. With a little luck this might get you another 50-75k without an R&R. You should be able to get a very short warranty that will protect you from having a dud from the start. Also, it's usually recommended to replace the radiator since it's probably full of clutch material from the dieing tranny; add a secondary air cooler for good measure if you don't have one. I know that's what I would do.

I know I'm late to this discussion but I think the E4OD gets a bad rap at times. I have a 94 f150 with 343,000 on it and the trans was only rebuilt once .... by me. I didn't know anything about the updates the first rebuild at 150k. I just suffered a broke converter and decided to go through it if it was coming out to replace a torque converter. Since then its been pretty good. Mind you this was a work truck and lived its entire life hauling a bed full of tools and the weekly pull of a 16ft trailer full of equipment. So it didn't have a very easy life. I think the most important thing I did to extend its life was to put a huge 24,000 lb cooler and a new F5 pump on the truck at the last rebuild.
That being said the truck was retired from service (career change) about 5 years ago. When I pulled all the tool boxes off it was like driving a new truck. Since then I've been working on it here and there to restore it and fix it up for a daily driver. The old 300 is loosing oil pressure and the trans is showing its age. It occasionally slips in a 2-3 up shifts.
The most important thing you can do for your rebuild is read everything you can find and then read the atsg manual and the atsg update manual. This go around the trans is getting just a few mods to fix some of the known issues and a tugger valve body reprogrammer. Since you are rebuilding a first generation E4OD I'd be very mindful of the upgrade book. It has a ton of changes from 89-90 to the later models. One thing I would watch for is the solenoid pack change that took place in 95. They changed the wiring pinout and also the harness diode protection from the valve body to the harness. So installing then 95 and up solenoid pack will need some mods. The other major change is the design of the center support the old used a thrust washer but the new uses a real bearing. Depending on what you're going to use the truck for you can upgrade to heavier duty planetary gear sets and sun gear and other upgrades. The biggest improvement for your trans will be using an F5 (95-97) pump. It fixes many of the older pumps shortcomings and will include many of the updates mentioned in the update manual. I put one in my first rebuild and will be either overhauling it or replacing it with another one in this new rebuild.

In short if you've done other transmissions and do some research and thrifty shopping you can do a mild trans for about $1000. The more you want from it the more it will cost. The most important thing is to build it to fit its purpose. Don't do a stock rebuild and throw it in a swamper and expect it to be bullet proof. I'm building mine for hauling and am choosing the parts to get it done. Also be sure to get a quality converter. They aren't cheap but will make or break a rebuild. Good luck and post your results.

Rick
 

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the e40d is not really that complex as far as the solenoids go it's very simple it's a pack that's all contained in one small body unbolt release the harness and change it out I rebuilt my own valve body works perfect now you can do it don't let anyone tell you you can't

Yeah, I overhauled my E4OD myself... Put the pump upgrades in there, both the pump itself and the pump's valve.. updated the TC, the solenoid pack, the valve body bores were cleaned out, put the valve body upgrade kit in there, the best friction & steels I could buy, the center bearing, and upgraded the reverse gear wave plate. Thing shifts really smooth now. Trick was to keep everything pristine clean and TAKE PICTURES so you can remember what you did. I had to buy a couple custom tools to compress the springs, but they didn't cost too much. The hardest thing about the whole process was getting the transmission OUT. With the bronco on the floor, after lowering the tranny down from the tranny jack, couldn't get it out from under the car!!! Difficult would be putting it lightly, it's HEAVY.