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Old 02-26-2012, 10:20 PM   #1
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E4OD Question

Does any one know for sure exactly what the Overdrive off button on the E4OD Trans does? I've googled the question and all I can find out for sure is it locks out the overdrive. My question is does it also change the shift points in first through third? Nothing I can find on the net says it does this. If anyone has a link that explains the overdrive off function in detail I'd sure appreciate it if you would send it to me.

Another question is, does changing tire size and altering the stock speedometer setting change the way your computer tells the trans to shift? If it does impact shift points how much of a factor is it?

I've got a bit of funkiness going on with my trans and am getting ready to go ahead and pull the trigger on a beefy rebuild. I'd like to nail down as many variables as I can before I spend the $$.

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Gnarvan 1992 E350 Clubwagon
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Old 02-26-2012, 10:46 PM   #2
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Re: E4OD Question

OD button only affects OD. It does not change any other shift maps. Your only option on that trans is the Banks TransCommand, since you don't have OBD2.

RPM (input and output) doe affect shifts, but I don't believe it actually uses road speed as a parameter to monitor.

What kind of symptoms are you having? Even the E4OD does use more inputs than you may expect. Torque Converter lockup can be affected by low brake fluid (it uses the pressure sensor to unlock) and overall shift quality can be affect by a faulty Coolant Temp Sensor. The CTS was pretty notorious for going out on 90's Fords. A failed-open CTS will cause rough shifts when cold, and a failed closed CTS will cause the Torque COnverter to stay unlocked on the highway, which causes much hotter trans temps, which the computer than tries to compensate for with shorter shift times, which causes rough shifts all the time.

But.... it the trans is original.... The E4OD only seemed to last about 225,000 miles behind the gas motors (which is better than the diesels, which likes to eat them much more regularly).

Also, what is the fluid condition like? I just worked on a Explorer who came in for shift-quality concerns. Turned out the radiator was leaking coolant into the trans fluid, causing the shift problems. This also happened recently to another customer with a TrailBlazer. Unfortunately for Mrs. TrailBlazer, her Transmission was completely toast by the time she had it towed in.

If the radiator is original, I would recommend a new one as a preventative measure. It will start leaking eventually. New rads are pretty cheap.
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Old 02-28-2012, 10:15 AM   #3
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Re: E4OD Question

There are three things going on with the trans that concern me.

1- When I kick it down a gear to pass a car I get a rattling noise. It's kind of a tinny tinkling sound like maybe the clutch plates are chattering. Or maybe the torque converter is having issues.

2-When the engine and trans are cold and I'm backing out of my driveway it seems to take an extra long time for the trans to engage first gear coming out of reverse. It almost feels like it's slipping a little. The rpm's are a little to high before it finally engages.

3-The thing hunts a lot between 3rd and OD at pretty much anything below 65-70.

When I bought the van the previous owner told me he had some trans shifting problems when he picked it up from the person he bought it from. I think he drove it quite a ways home having those issues. He had a trans shop work on it but given the mileage it was driven it wouldn't surprise me if some additional damage was done that decreased the life of the trans. It only has 88k on it now. The PO had it fixed and serviced somewhere around 75-77k and I had a full service done on it when I got it at 80k +-.

I would rather drop the money into a quality rebuild by someone local I trust that run the risk of ruining a vacation by having it towed to a shop I know nothing about for a rebuild probably sooner than later.
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Old 02-28-2012, 09:20 PM   #4
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Re: E4OD Question

1) - This may or may not be a problem. My TC makes noise when unlocked, always has, but still runs just fine at 319,000 miles, even with it being over 100k since my last trans service.

2) This is a problem. Most likely the pump isn't making enough pressure. But.... it can also do this if the wrong fluid is put in.

3) This is mostly caused by improper gearing. With taller tires, and your tall rood, I would really recommend some 4.56 gears. The hunting will cause extra heat, which of course is not a good thing. The Banks TransCommand will reduce hunting as well, but correcting the gear ratios is best to do first, since the TransCommand can only adjust things so far.

If you decide to rebuild, I highly recommend MARSH transmissions in Tualatin. We subcontract our transmission jobs to them. Going there anyways might not be a bad idea. They can probably diagnose the rattle just from listening.

Definitely get a trans temp gauge. That's the only way to know for sure if your trans is working properly. I went with the Banks Trans temp gauge, because its color coded so you can monitor it without looking directly at it.
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Old 02-29-2012, 06:16 AM   #5
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Re: E4OD Question

Thanks for the info.

I have a transmission guy here in Washougal that has done some work for me in the past that I really like. His shop is within walking distance of my house which is a big plus for me. I've already talked to him about a rebuild. He said he would rebuild it with upgrades to make it a little stouter than a diesel spec E40D. When possible I like to support the local guys as much as possible.

4.56 gears seem like a huge step from the 3.54's the van has now. I was thinking more about 3.73's or maybe 4.10's. I know the 3.54's are the completely wrong gears for my aerodynamically challenged rig but with 265/75/16 tires I'm not sure I need the 4.56's.

I've already talked to John down at NW Quadvan about doing a Detroit Truetrac or maybe E-locker upgrade and he suggested the 4.10's.

Are you going to be at the Wind River Races this year? I'd like to take a closer look at your van now that I'm a Ford guy.
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Old 02-29-2012, 06:47 AM   #6
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Re: Re: E4OD Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnarvan
Thanks for the info.

I have a transmission guy here in Washougal that has done some work for me in the past that I really like. His shop is within walking distance of my house which is a big plus for me. I've already talked to him about a rebuild. He said he would rebuild it with upgrades to make it a little stouter than a diesel spec E40D. When possible I like to support the local guys as much as possible.

4.56 gears seem like a huge step from the 3.54's the van has now. I was thinking more about 3.73's or maybe 4.10's. I know the 3.54's are the completely wrong gears for my aerodynamically challenged rig but with 265/75/16 tires I'm not sure I need the 4.56's.

I've already talked to John down at NW Quadvan about doing a Detroit Truetrac or maybe E-locker upgrade and he suggested the 4.10's.

Are you going to be at the Wind River Races this year? I'd like to take a closer look at your van now that I'm a Ford guy.

I had the same axle ratio and 265/75 tires in my 96 diesel van and didnt have the symptons you are having. Id venture to say you do have a transmission that needs some work.

I also recently had a transmission built for my ujoint 4x van and wanted it beefier than stock. After lots of research i found everyone spoke highly of alto red eagle clutch packs and transgo shifts kits. I had both installed in the transmission and upgraded to a billet triple disc torque convertor. I havent installed the transmission due to my work. But i feel confident its gonna do what i want.
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Old 02-29-2012, 09:25 AM   #7
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Re: E4OD Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnarvan

4.56 gears seem like a huge step from the 3.54's the van has now. I was thinking more about 3.73's or maybe 4.10's. I know the 3.54's are the completely wrong gears for my aerodynamically challenged rig but with 265/75/16 tires I'm not sure I need the 4.56's.
For sure 3.73's aren't worth the change - it is only about 6% change and cost almost the same as a big change in gearing. 4.10's at least.

Mike
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Old 02-29-2012, 07:54 PM   #8
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Re: E4OD Question

OK, I guess I over-estimated your tire size. I figured they were bigger, but that's the same size I have. 4.10s would be a good choice for that size. 4.56s are great with the V10, but I can also pull at 5,000 RPM so even in direct that mean triple digits are no problem.

I would still to a check-up of your CTS and TPS. Especially the TPS. I had a '92 460 van a few months back as a rafting spare, and the TPS was sending out such a bad signal, rolling onto the throttle would make it jump into neutral momentarily. I pulled the TPS out to test it, and realized a new one is so cheap I'd rather just stick it in instead of taking the 15 min to test the old one. It did fix the problem.

Yes.... I should at the wind in a couple weeks. Hopefully we won' be snowed out...
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Old 03-01-2012, 03:01 PM   #9
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Re: E4OD Question

I stopped by the trans shop this morning and had a long productive talk with Brian. He has a 94 Ford motorhome with a 460/E4OD drivetrain so he's very familiar with my '92 5.8/E40D setup. He said he wouldn't be to concerned with the symptoms I explained. The slow reverse to first when it's cold is normal. He said the eng temp sensor sends the temp to the computer which recognizes the trans fluid will be cold and thicker and changes the pulse rate of the valve to build the pressure up a little slower than when its warm.

We discussed the OD hunting problem and he seemed to think it was a combination of the larger than stock tires and aerodynamic drag both combined with the 3.54 gears. He suggested I change the gears as the first step to fixing the problem. Once I get the gear ration I plan on living with then I can get the actual vehicle speed corrected as an imput to the computer which drives the valves inside the transmission. Once I get those two things done then it could be time for a beefed up trans rebuild to include a fan operated trans cooler with temp gauge and probably a Banks controller. He's done all of those things to his motorhome and says it's impressive to watch the trans temp drop when the cooling fan kicks in.

Does anyone have any prefered drive train shops in the Portland area that do good differential work. At this point I'm torn between having John at NW Quadvan do it or the guys at the shop at 6 States. I'm looking at 4.10 gears with a Detroit Truetrac in the rear and either a Detroit E-locker or Truetrac in the front.
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