Thank you again for your engagement with me here @FORDF250HDXLT .

Crawled around in wet melted snow/ice and have the following to report with photos.

1. My transmission leaks a lot.
2. To me, the plug going into the solonoid looks clean on the inside where it matters but I would love your assessment of the pics. That dude is sort of difficult to access with the exhaust in the way but doesn't take much time. I can definitely get some electrical contact cleaner and go back to it + spray/clean the male and female side.
3. It *might* have tranny fluid in/on the plug and down in the solonoid pack side of this connection (last 2 pics). Does that look "normal" or like it's leaking internally? Or maybe like it's from an external leak and just gotten down in there? Or is that all dielectric grease?
4. The VSS was dirty and has 1.046 kOhms across the two pins. I cleaned and re-installed it.
5. The ECU/TCU/Whatever the computer is called plug also looks fine to me as well as the contacts on the opposite side. You agree?
6. Someone has back-probed/scraped the insulation off of two wires @ this connector already. I'm color blind and can't really tell which two wires these are. Can you?
7. After putting everything back together I re-tested the TPS/FILP (or whatever acronym is correct). Key On Engine Off. On the top wire, I could never get 5V. It was a wierd milivolt signal at that wire. I even un-plugged it and tested the other side and got the same reading. It was like 0.21 mV. However.... The middle/signal wire was @ 1.06 idle up to 3.9-ish WOT. Bottom/ground wire read 0.02mV and 17 Ohms to ground.

You clearly know your stuff and I like to follow your confidence. What would you do next if you were in my shoes? Thank you!!!!!

Back of the solonoid plug - Crappy lighting. Dirty but no broken insulation that I could see.

Solonoid plug

Inside of solonoid plug. Might be wet but might just be dielectric grease.... I can't tell. Can you?



Computer Plug @ Firewall

Computer Pins @ Firewall

Two Back-Probed/Scraped wires @ firewall plug (hoping this isn't evidence that someone else was chasing this same issue and gave up b/c they figured out it needs a transmission so the sold the truck to me! LOL)

VSS upon removal




VSS Cleaned/Wiped off

Vss Ohms

solonoid pack.... that sure looks like tranny fluid!

solonoid pack.... that sure looks like tranny fluid!

 

@FORDF250HDXLT ... Is this the "seal" that would cause the leak? I've read you tell a few that if the connector is full of tranny fluid the solonoid pack must be replaced. I'm willing to do that if needed. However.... If this is the seal, would it be worth trying to only replace this first? https://cobratransmission.com/E4OD-4...waAqlsEALw_wcB

 

You've found your main issue for sure.
I do think the pack has trans fluid in it. I would replace both the pack and the connector. No, that seal isn't the one that's allowing fluid into the pins. That's the outside one. I would cut back a few inches into both of those wires and repair them with short sections of wires and heat shrink butt connectors to remove and stop corrosion. It kinda looks like there might be a few pins on the TECA that are corroded. Those need to be cleaned up too.

 

I will replace both. Can you guide me or suggest where/which pack I should purchase + any key tips on the replacement? I'm kind of glad b/c I'll get to stop the massive pan leak and kill two birds with 1 stone (hopefully).

I see t Can I use this even though my truck is a 1994 but this says its for 1995-up? What do I need to be sure of when selecting the solonoid pack to purchase?

Thanks again!

 

You need the '89-94 solenoid pack and the repair harness (pre '95). For examples:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/190820576057?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/376380499159?


An upgrade you can do, if you want is to use a 4R100 trans pan w/ E40D 4wd filter. They are 4wd depth and have a drain plug built in. You can do an advanced search using my username and 4R100 trans pan and find the part numbers.
If you just want to change the gasket, find a rubber one, preferably with a built in metal support. Only like 7 -ft lbs on the bolts. Nice and easy. Tap the pan flange out nice and flat if needed.
The pack bolts and nuts are just 100 inch lbs. You want to be sure to get an in-lb torque wrench if you don't have one.

Once you unbolt the pack, don't be afraid to be aggressive with it. The seal will still in tight. Have some brake clean, to clean up the hole to ready it for the new pack/seal. Be sure to use heat shrink butt connectors and after, wrap them all up with loads of electrical tape too and then cover with some wire loom and zip tie that on too. A little bit of dialectic grease on the pins. Be sure to re-install the metal heat shield. That will fix it for at least an issue free decade.

Since you're in there, you could also consider making it shift like a HD truck if you wanted too, but not exactly a fun cold, outside winter mod haha

The Installation Of Transgo's 'Tugger' Reprogramming Kit (Shift Kit For HD Hauling & Towing)

OR

the installation of transgo's E40D-HD2-D reprogramming kit (shift kit)

 

Any thoughts on the appearance of the fluid? Sure smells distinct but the new stuff in the bottle does too. I found a receipt from 2010, 17k miles ago, for transmission service so assuming that it hasn’t been open since, this is 17k miles old fluid. Might be worse than gear oil smell. Planning to let it drip/drain overnight so the surface will be easier to clean for the new gaskets but if this fluid appearance screams that my trans isn’t worth repairing then I’d love to know before continuing! I’d be preemtty frustrated to do all of this and still need to replace the trans. Anything I can do to confirm? Thank you! @FORDF250HDXLT

 

The fluid should be changed. It's looking pretty brown, at least in the photos. You can confirm everything if you want before replacing, in the link:

E40D: The Importance Of A Clean Trans Harness

But 1+1 sure looks to be adding up to 2. You have corrosion on the pins, two wires to repair, ATF leaking inside the solenoid pack connector. I tried cleaning up pins like that before and I just chased my tail. Once I replaced the plug and pack, that was the end of it. There's no way an electronically controlled trans can hope to operate correctly with the known issues we can see in the photo's, so. If it has all gears and the converter is locking, the odds are probably 99.99999999% a bad pack and plug, and perhaps some corroded pins on the trans unit too, which might also need to be replaced, if you can't clean that up. You can probably figure out a way to take it apart and get all the pins clean though, if you have to.

Once you get it cleaned up and back together, remove the rear cooling line, that comes back from the radiator. Start the truck for a second and make sure it's pumping out good and that the cooler isn't plugged up. Ideally, you'd install a trans temp gauge w/ sender @ the test port too, seeing how brown that is.

There's no shiny metal in the fluid that can be seen, just normal disc fuzz. No other indicators of a hard parts failure is going on. Sounds 100% electrical issue.

The fluid may well be only 17k miles old, but it's unknown mile type old, plus 15/16 years. It's done. Don't trust that. Give it a fresh drink of Mercon 5. You'll be in a few hundred bucks to repair this, but based on the known evidence, it will be well worth it. They're a multi thousand dollar trans, so.......... Plus, put it this way, if you payed a shop to install a $5,000 reman, these things would still need to be fixed, as that trans would operate the exact same way in it's current place, see? So, the repaired harness, new TECA (if needed) solenoid and fresh fluid would all still be needed, unless you wouldn't have it reman and swap in a manual trans.

You can save more also, by just buying a used solenoid from a trusted seller, who claims they have tested it and offer some sort of return. The things last forever, so. The nice thing about a reman is you get new seals down in the connector side of it too. A used one could leak internally who knows when, but still, might be worth the gamble. They're like 3g alternators; they last forever. I bet that one has been in there since '94....... at least it looks it haha.

 

While waiting on parts for the transmission, I decided I'd check and adjust the rear brakes b/c the braking sucks. Well... I found no adjuster on the right rear so I removed the wheels/tires and drum and THERE ARE NO BRAKES AT ALL IN THERE! NONE. NOTHING. All that is in that drum is a broken off parking brake cable and a siezed up wheel cylinder. How did the wheel cylinder pistons not just pop out and spew brake fluid everywhere!?!?!?

Anyway.. Bought a HW kit and brake shoes locally to knock this out while waiting on the trans part(s).

 

@FORDF250HDXLT

Well - I finished the transmission solonoid pack and connecter work. Used a new pan and re-usable gasket. Added 10 quarts of new fluid and still wasn't showing up on dipstick. Ended up adding 15 quarts and I swear this dipstick is IMPOSSIBLE to get a confident accurate reading on but I'm pretty sure I have it in the "hot" zone when the truck and trasnmission are warmed up.

Anyway... Here is a video of me driving the truck today. If I accelerate firmly all the way to 60-70 MPH everything is good to go and sounds/feels/works normal! However, if I hover around 35-40 and then gently accelerate to 40-45, there is a distinct buzzing/groaning sound that I, unfortunately believe may be the torque converter clutch or friction material slipping either due to a lack of adequate pressure or maybe b/c the friction material is toast or worn out? You can hear it in this video right at the 0:03 mark and again @ the 0:24 second mark when I re-apply the accelerator (I can anyway). Can you? Thoughts? Thank you! I haven't driven it enough to get it HOT yet and the O/D Light hasn't flashed again but I'm confident something is still not the way it's supposed to be. I'll report back more after a more lengthy drive(s).

 

Quick update - I'm going to replace my torque converter. Will post update/end result and some pix once I have it and do the labor. Not fun. Chasing a coolant leak and starting a new thread on that at the moment. Sucks.

 

I don't hear the noises you can in your video, but just know, converter related issues are 99% not a mechanical issue, but an electrical or valve control issue, with this trans.

 

@FORDF250HDXLT Thank you! I'm 100000% willing to test and rule out any other electrical/signal issues but I believe I've done or tested everything suggested electrically and the issue has changed for sure, but is is now a consistent shudder/whirring/whining sound when gently accerating from 30mph coast. If I nail the throttle from 30MPH or accelerate aggressivly from stop all the way to 75mph, no issues. Upon heavy acceleration from 30mph coast, she will down-shift and all is well but the sound and behavior when gently accelerating from 30 MPH w/o dowshifting is very consisent and predicable now. No more failing to un-lock and forcing the truck fwd when stopping (the new solenoid pack and connector cleaning solved that) but this current TC issue is consistent and predicable and I can replicate it 100% of the time. Also... if I tap the brake while maintaining light acceleration, it immediately stops and RPM's jump. Further, I added two tubes of "shudder fixx" and the symptoms improved, but still exist consistently. Again, I'm open to any other possibility and/or suggestions here and will do any tests suggested before replacing but I'm at a loss for this to be anything other than the TC at this point given all I've tested and replaced already. If you suggest further testing, I'll do whatever you tell me to. I'd MUCH prefer to not pull the transmission here.

 

Oh ok, well that sounds like progress. Now to see if the pump is making the sound or the converter. Shutter systems sure do help point to converter though.

Be sure to replace the front converter seal. Updated viton is best, while you're right there.
A rear main seal is simple to replace on these engines also, while trans is dropped. They have a super cool desighn with their own rear seal plate that comes off, you replace the seal in that and bolt the plate right back on, with a gasket for the plate. Very nice and easy.