Anybody know if anyone has built any sort of manual switch array that plugs into the solenoid pack and let's one manually shift gears much like many of us here manually control our glow plugs?
Such a thing would make it much easier to tell whether our problem is in the transmission or the controller/sensor.
Yes, such an animal exists and I have one...I called it a 'Divide and Conquer'...it is an older model...the company that made it sold out to another company and a transmission shop that is heavily invested in its business would not be without one....
...it is a hand-held in the cab controller with a few functions...One...to manually control the shifts to see if the unit is sound enough to actually work...and two...to monitor the transmission and TCM to see if it/they are functioning correctly and what is or is not working...and also a mini break-out box to test component circuits.
Yes...you could fab up a controller with switches and diodes and other components but it would take a while and you might go though a few solenoid packs as well...but you would only be able to shift the unit. You need to also have pressure control to actually be of any real utility.
That coast clutch you are referring to can be applied from 1st though 3rd but it needs to be released for 4th. If not...then you will scorch the clutch. Its function is to add stength to the OD sprag while you are in manual ranges.
To Greenie...I would just write down everything you have noticed about the transmission function and make two copies...one for you and one for the Shop...they are going to need every bit of info you can muster to find the problem in short order and not waste a lot of time road testing and chasing an intermittent problem.
Take your time...be patient ...and answer any questions they have as completely as you can...they need as much info as you can provide.
The first thing I would check would be right at the electrical connector for the main harness...having bad connections there can happen...especially with a diesel...from the constant vibration from the engine pulses...the connection at the MLPS can cause problems...the speed sensor wiring can be suspect even if the speedo works ok...but the RPM sensor at the IP can go bad because the wires just lay sideways and the engine hammering can fracture the magnet in the sensor.
I also faintly remember a service bulletin that warns of problems with the main harness that runs up the back of the transmission...some models had problems there.
So...don't be surprised if you have to buy a couple of parts...to be totally fair to the shop...even if you saw a couple of mistakes with the installation...the electrical components on your truck need to be sound for the transmission system to work...and...at 280k miles...they have given you as much and more service as you can reasonably expect.
The warranty was meant only for the transmission and torque convertor itself (I would guess) and that it would be installed correctly...any other external components can not be expected to last into perpetuity. If the whole thing was working well enough to leave the shop and be delivered then that was all that could be expected in this day and time. They could not predict any failure of other electrical parts...they work fine up to and until they don't.
As a side note...this is the reason that I always drove a newly fixed vehicle home and back to the shop at the very least...I made sure that things would be ok through a few heat-and-cool cycles.
A lot of times I would drive one on short errands and other things...just to give the unit time to decide to act up...
I would never...repeat never...just hand one over right after the first road test...too chancy....
So....this is an opportunity for the Shop to handle a less-than-satisfied customer and an opportunity for a customer to be fair and civil with a service provider...and a chance for a truck to be restored to full function...
Wishing you all well and success...
P.S. Ford did not include live data in their computer systems until 1996 or therabouts...so a lot of things will not show up with a simple code reader...the ECM was not all that sophisticated...but they do not last forever either...I have had to send out a few to be repaired when I could not find a replacememt.
Signing off...