1998 E4OD on the outside... ...wait a minute!

*****************Trans Cooler (cont.)****************

Built a stable frame for the cooler:

First part was to make some sloped pieces

(view looking aft)
1/8" thick flat stock bent to fit, lots of Nutserts (1/4-20)
Hardest part was figuring how to get both slope pieces to hold the
same angle, since that part of the van is NOT square anyplace!
Lots of head-scratchin'

Sub frame for the cooler:

(view looking fwd)
I shot the Frame with Rustoleum "Textured Black," good stuff.
*note the rubber vibration isolators (1/4-20, double ended studs)

Cooler and Fans bolt to the rubber shock mounts, nylock nuts:

Will be covered by a mud guard and bash plate.

*****************Trans Filter******************
Next area aft of the cooler located the Hayden 2106:


Used (3) 1/4-20 Nutserts into Body Brace:

(view looking fwd)

Unit mounted:

Ready for spin-on filter

******************Line Schematic****************
With all the main pieces in place, a plan was created to organize
the lines and connectors needed to hook everything up:

This was designed to facilitate field repairs, allowing for temporary
bypassing to limp home. Flex line was implemented to isolate vibe
loads, and hard line used in places to promote additional cooling.

Parts are ordered.

****************Rear Driveshaft*****************
Part of the adaptation of the E4OD/BW1356 was a new driveshaft, which was
necessary since the 2wd C6 was over 8 inches too small, the E4OD PLUS the BW1356 is huge by comparison.
The original driveshaft was DESTROYED. This was the reason for a complete, new, shorter rear driveshaft.

Post #162 shows the specs I came up with:

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?69057-1998-E4OD-on-the-outside-wait-a-minute!/page11

I changed them a little, keeping the front end a Double-Cardan style joint then the rear end I increased
to a Spicer 1350 (1.188 Cap Dia.) The plan is to upgrade the Rear Pinion Yoke from 1330 to 1350 (axle
is a FF D61, the hope is to put a Detroit locker in.)

The rear output on the BW1356 was converted to a Non-Slip Yoke style Flange. The Driveshaft would now
have the slider toward the aft end.

Double-Cardan allows for high angles, and more important, better harmonics because
the input and output to the Driveshaft do not have to be parallel (they never are all
the time in real life, due mostly to axle wrap-up, and articulation.)


I had to purchase a 1350/1330 hybrid Spicer Joint as a temporary solution until I get the rear pinon work done.
I prefer U-Bolts over Straps.


Slider has screw-on wiper, outer boot is not necessary.
Internal splines are coated with the Ford Blue Teflon. Build quality of the driveshaft appears excellent, will report
on function after road tests (welded on balance weights are apparent.)

The plan is to lube all zerks with Mobil-1 Synthetic red grease.


That's it for now.
Best regards,
George

Been a while, but I've been chipping away at this project almost every day, but just a little each time...

Couldn't get a torque on the U-Bolts, so I just have them tightened by "seat of the pants" torque wrenching...


To anyone considering doing this conversion- the details of getting the cooler/shifter/fittings/mounts/wiring is WAY more work than rebuilding the E4OD. I kind of thought it would be that way as it was true with other simpler trans projects, for adapting a transmission that was not originally supposed to be in there.

I got the Cooler mounted:

element is rubber isolated, mounted to a metal frame. It will be enclosed a bit from debris, fans are thermostatically controlled with a manual override button on the dash.

Came across an interesting issue. The E4OD case is 1998, the last before switching to 4R100, so I am starting to find a lot of the outer controls were digital rather than analog. (I built the trans as a 1995 with hard upgrades.) Found out the TR (Transmission Range Sensor) also called "MLPS," "NSS," "neutral switch" in most discussions, changed in 1997.

Now, the goal as an E4OD owner is you for sure want the "1995 Upgrade" which is better weatherized connections, which I did:

Problem is the bolt pattern is a mismatch... ...it's "close" but not good... ...BUT the 1997-98 matches:

bolt pattern is definitely closer,

the main problem being the newer TR is DIGITAL!!! (12-pin) vs Analog (8-pin)

Not wanting to be "the King of Kluge" I am sticking with the 1995, and using a Dremel, elongated the holes and I have a pretty good alignment of the "N" marks.
The Digital 12-pin cannot be "re-pinned" to the 8-pin because only 3 of the pins are the same function, everything else is not even close. Hopefully I come up with a solution, maybe a converter plate, but the oval holes I did are SOOO close, we shall see soon.

Also, I spent a good many an evening after work on my back, scratching my head on the best way to route the wires (let me say the wiring supplied with the US Shift (Baumann) controller was EXCELLENT. I was blown away how the pre-built looms measured out perfect length for my dash mounted control unit, running through the firewall, and under the floor to the E4OD, that guy is a good listener! Thanks!) That said, I didn't want to burn or pinch any wires, so I took my time. All I had to do was connect the pre-built looms, AND splice in to my existing trans controller (NSS for a C6.)

Blue and Grey wire had a connector which went to the controller, Red was looped to cancel function. That left me with 4 White wires to splice in (going up toward engine to "meet" my existing 4-wire C6 loom.) (The power and support for the US Shift is a separate wiring effort I will get into later.)

US Shift labeled the White wires, so my task was to be sure what my C6 wires did, then spliced them using solder and shrink tube.
(*I should note that there is a WHOLE OTHER set of wires, which support the US Shift Controller for power, etc. More on that and the Load Center I built later)

The VSS wiring was off the back of the BW1356 Transfer Case, which was almost 2 feet further aft- but the guys who build these looms know what they are doing, and the extra long (10 ft plus) wires fit up perfect to let me run them along the chassis, forward, up near the Brake Cylinder, through the firewall, and up to the dash-mounted controller.

The VSS shares the port for the mechanical speedometer cable, it just clicked into place.

The easiest wires were for the Solenoids:

Just put some dielectric grease on them and plug them in...

Shield goes on after that:


Finally the wires from the E4OD all go up to the Controller:

Note the "Solenoid" "PRNDL" "TSS" (TSS=VSS)


Next part is to connect the "Vehicle" wiring.

Best regards,
George

I accidentally ordered my wiring harness with an AODE style range sensor quick connect (white plastic "D" shaped connector). I was able to re-wire it myself rather than send it back. Other then that minor hiccup (which was my own fault), I found the wiring harness to be excellent quality. Easily as good or better than OEM. And like you say, they can custom tailor to your needs, so its worth it to have them make it up for you.

@david85-

Yes I was impressed at how close and how well the wiring fit my van, because the vans are way different length looms than the trucks, so I had my reservations. There were two sections to the wiring, the part above^^^ that talks to the Controller, and the part to keep the Controller powered up and in sync with the engine.

The one part that I thought would be hard (converting my C6 harness to the E4OD,) was super easy because the new wires were labeled!!!

The second part was a little more "free form" since I got to pick my power sources which had to be both switched and constant hot. (see below)

*******************CONNECTING THE STAND-ALONE E4OD CONTROLLER (cont.)*****************

I had to get the power sources sorted out. Since I was planning on expanding the existing electrical with all kinds of accessories, I decided to build TWO Load Centers. *you could easily just tap into existing wires to power the Controller Unit and be done, but this was a good chance to get it the way I wanted.

Vans have minimal space under the "hood." I put the Load Centers on the firewall at the Driver's Side corner.

I've got two busses with micro fuses. The brake booster can be seen to the left in the pic (eventually will be HydroBoost, so there will be room for expansion.) The "white" bracket is Manilla Folder used for test fit and mock up.

Anyways, a lot of head-scratching later, I built a bracket that just barely fit in the tight space.
(When I say "head-scratching" I am talking days, weeks, of moving, mocking, re-doing. The devil is in the details...)


Nutserts were used to hang the fuse blocks and relay to the painted bracket. (Relay energizes one of the blocks.)

With the two Load Centers installed, the E4OD Controller can be "plugged in" as well as many other devices, and proper fuses can be selected.

How it works: The two fuse blocks are in parallel, and connected directly to the battery using a fused link. Between the two blocks is a relay, that is activated through the FSS on the injection pump (Fuel Shut-off Solenoid.) <<<this allows for the needed "Hot in RUN or START" 10 gauge wire was used for this feed since more than one device will be powered through this circuit at any given time.

*I found out the hard way that using something like the radio (which appears to be "Switched Hot") will NOT work, because when you start a diesel, all dash and light power momentarily shuts down to dedicate energy to the starting effort... ...and the Controller does not like this, and resets itself.

Load Center Relay controlled by FSS. Here is the connector which slips in to the OEM blade:

The other end goes to "85" on the Relay (see diagram)



NOTE: There is a ground wire from the Controller that goes DIRECTLY to the battery. I guess the Controller is real sensitive.

The other "head-scratcher" is the Throttle Position Sensor. 1985 C6 OEM is a vacuum actuated TPS, and I needed an electrical TPS from the later IDI's.
It's an easy swap out, but it's a little tricky getting the parts. I got the Sensor and Connectors from RockAuto, but the bracket was the hardest part to get.
I finally got the bracket parts from a local diesel shop. Since then I've seen them at the junk yard but they never pop up when you need them

Using the "new" connector,

This connector plugs into the Sensor of the TPS unit, and runs through the firewall to the E4OD Controller (to a dedicated plug, provided.)

Here's a look at the two TPS Sensors just for reference:

6.9L C6 vacuum style on the left, 7.3L E4OD electrical style, right.

The TPS requires adjustment. The TPS Sensor can rotate a little bit, AND it can "float" around which can increase or decrease the range of sensed voltage.
From what I've read on this site, the ideal voltage is 1.2 at Idle, and 4.0+ at WOT (Wide Open Throttle.)


(it may take some messing around, kinda think of it as that heart-shaped piece on a Ouiji Board...)

For the idle setting, be sure to disconnect the Fast Idle (Cold) Solenoid.

With the 5 wires soldered, shrinked and routed, it was time to check the work:


In "Park" on the OEM Indicator, shows "P" on the US Shift Controller. No sparks, no smoke.

More details on the shifter mechanism then on to the all-important cooling system.

Best regards,
George

no sparks,no smoke............i think you must be onto something then George lol.awesome work brother.keep at 'er!

@FORDF250HDXLT-

Ha, yeah I figure I got lucky on that one

Kinda gettin' antsy to drive this thing (still haven't since I bought it) but slow and steady will win the race...

*********************PLUMBING THE E4OD COOLING SYSTEM**********************

Once I located the basic components (E4OD, trans cooler (radiator,) trans cooler (aftermarket,) and filter,) it was just a matter of designing the hoses and lines to suit my needs the best. (By "locating" I mean their positions within the chassis to dictate routing and line lengths.)

The hard part that I was striving for was making the hoses and lines "field serviceable" when travelling in remote parts of the country and other countries where there is little to no help easily available. This feature would require the use of AN (Army/Navy) fittings, which are known for being reliable, interchangeable, and re-usable. I won't go into details of the various scenarios but looking at the schematic I made below, various parts of the cooling circuit can be patched or bypassed to avoid loss of mission.



I spent quite a bit of time on this part. This is the third version and the one I finally decided to do. The use of flexible hose and hard 3/8" line required flares to be made. (Earlier version I used collets, which work, but don't do well in vibration and are not very good with being re-usable.)
This is one of the best flaring tools I've come across for the money:


I did double inverted 45 degree flares on quite a few lines, (tool also has the option for AN 37 degree flares,) to adapt my hard lines over to flex lines. Although it looks like a million joints, this is a very reliable configuration and the lower pressures (approx 250 psi,) makes it all the more reliable.



I got a perfect, centered flare every time, and the tool is very quick, no turning thumbscrews, just a single stroke and it's done.


That shiny sealing ring surface was on every flare- very good results, no wastage.

Rather than drag you guys through the entire system (just refer to the schematic,) I will touch on a few mods that I found pretty useful.

Since the 4R100 Bypass Tube used banjo style fittings, the inlet/outlet surfaces were well-suited for additional banjo fittings which will save a lot of space (possibly for the remote turbo charger)

Metric banjo fittings are available for very good prices. Standard ones are a little harder to find. A good work-around is to use the metric 16mm banjos from UniSteer Products, then use a die to "modify" the threads slightly. (Threads are NOT sealing surfaces, but care should be taken to get the threads to "lock" into the Bypass Tube's fittings.

Thread count is "close" ha, as well as pitch. This action both cuts threads sharper and causes a bit of yield also. Not a problem with the given diameter of the threaded hole and required torque to establish adequate seal at given pressure.

The black fitting comes with the Bypass Kit, and the Bypass Tube resides between the two black vinyl washers. The Uni-Steer banjo also uses good quality washers for a seal. Exit from the banjo is an AN -6 or 6/16 or 3/8 inch fitting...

...hardlines took some figuring, but I finally chose to run them next to the seam of the belly pan on the 6.9L, and just have vibration isolated fittings to hold them in place,

3/8 hard line running from the flex hose at the trans, forward to the cooling tank in the radiator (which has flex hose at that end as well. The hard line cools the fluid a little bit which is an added bonus.

The fittings on the ends of the hard lines make this all happen, otherwise I would have to settle for collets

Russell Products was the only place I found with a decent price on the adapters. The reason going with adapters of this type is that they create a very good seal and do not require being cranked down overly tight if done correctly (can be un-done in the field.) I realize it seems like a lot of joints but I have done these for years with lots of pretty good offroading and ZERO failures. Flares should be your first choice, then maybe collets, then a last resort hose clamps.

3/8" rubber isolated hardline brackets used back-to-back. Brackets were fabbed from 3/32" wall angle.


NPT fittings were used at the OEM tank (I plan on replacing the radiator, and the aftermarket fittings are the same.)


I could crap on about all the other little details, but it's pretty basic, "maintainable cooling lines." The cost can be a factor unless you're like me and know how to hunt on the internet, plus I got free shipping in most cases. All the stainless and AN's came up to about $240, which will be like nothing the one time I'm in the middle of a desert keeping my synthetic cherry juice from spewing all over the place.

Got 30 quarts of the stuff coming... ...talk about "not cheap."

Best regards,
George

*I could have used -6 AN tube nuts and sleeves, but I already bought the wrong gender AN hose fittings, which is why you see 3 pcs. at a hose/tube junction rather than 2 pcs.

Awesome write up, just read the whole thing. This for sure needs to get stickied. I bought another E4OD off craigslist to throw in my '94 E350 while I rebuild the original.

I'm looking at rebuild kits and wonder what the difference between the early 90s and late 90s kits are? If I'm doing all the upgrades should I get a kit for the late 90s? Or is is cheaper to buy the components separately rather than a kit?

RocketScott said:

Awesome write up, just read the whole thing. This for sure needs to get stickied. I bought another E4OD off craigslist to throw in my '94 E350 while I rebuild the original.

I'm looking at rebuild kits and wonder what the difference between the early 90s and late 90s kits are? If I'm doing all the upgrades should I get a kit for the late 90s? Or is is cheaper to buy the components separately rather than a kit?

Click to expand...

Most differences in kits are the parts. 89 is its own year. 90-94 is one group 95-98 is the final group. If you have a pre 95 get a kit for that group. This way you will have the correct valve body parts.

Hi RocketScott-

I'd like to see the kit you are referring to, like TrackSpeeder says it is the E4OD case which determines the gasket and valve plate kits that you
need to get. The upgrades you seek are after-'95, and are in the form of hard parts as I've shown in this build.

Sometimes you don't know what your E4OD has in it. The 1998 case E4OD I got was "a fresh rebuild, never turned" but curiosity and the need
to re-gasket/seal got the best of me and I opened it up. GLAD I DID, as the parts inside were NO WAY adequate for a diesel (and this was a
diesel case, "rebuilt" for a diesel truck project the guy gave up on.) The transmission had CAR parts in it, like an aluminum planet!
The trans would have worked... ...for about a week.

I tried to cover all the items for a solid, long-range build, it's not for sled-pulling. Strongly recommend a quality Torque Convertor, billet/3-disk,
and a good Input Shaft (I had no choice because the aluminum pinion has a shorter snout, the new 6-pinion needed a longer Input Shaft.)

Also, any recommendations you see by TrackSpeeder and several other members here that I did- huge help, I am indebted to these guys.

Front Pump, Shift Kit, and correct shims are mandatory, expect to do these things. Outside the trans, (esp if you were a C6 before) with your
existing E4OD set up, you might need to upgrade the cooling for the new one, that is very important to make the E4OD happy.

Right now I am finishing up on the other "support" items for the E4OD, like cooling, controller, shift linkage, etc. This may not be the case for
you so that saves time. It has taken me more time to do this kind of stuff than to rebuild it! I work on it just about every day, right now I am
adapting the Transfer Case lever but it will not be covered in this thread (I need to update this thread btw.)

I have only driven the van out and back into the work area, but I can already tell the gear engagements are awesome, about 1/2 second to get
into reverse, maybe less. I have not gotten through the gears in Drive yet, as I am still attaching stuff (and trying to make it look like it's
supposed to be there.)

Good luck with your build and ask questions!
Best regards,
George

Thanks for the comments George,and to you, trackspeeder, and others for this awesome thread. I really didn't want to clutter it up with comments but was getting antsy for the build list.

I've looked at just about every rebuild kit google and ebay has to offer and the prices vary considerably as well as what is included, not sure what really qualifies as a 'master rebuild kit' at this point. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't buying a bunch of stuff I wouldn't use or even worse, not get everything I need. Would the kit have enough frictions and steels if I upgraded to the five plate direct drive drum, if I upgrade to the 4R100 pan and need the 4X4 filter I don't want to buy a kit that has the 2X4, if I get the transgo tugger kit I don't want to replicate those parts in a rebuild kit that I won't use. Things like that are what I'm thinking. It might be better to get a separate gasket/seal kit, bushing/bearing kit, and clutch pack kit but I don't know.

Tomorrow I'm swapping out the transmission in my van for the craigslist 'special', the pump has an E9 code but was supposed to be from a '92. As long as it makes the van move I'll be happy, it's a spare van that will eventually take over for my work truck ('87 F150 302 C6, 290k all original). After the temporary swap I can get to work rebuilding the '94 E4OD into something bomber. This thread has been perfect for what I'm thinking of doing, you're in a hotter climate but I plan on towing more weight from time to time. It's also inspired me to switch over to the E4OD in my F150 when I rebuild it.

Thanks again you guys,
Rocket

RocketScott said:

Thanks for the comments George,and to you, trackspeeder, and others for this awesome thread. I really didn't want to clutter it up with comments but was getting antsy for the build list.

I've looked at just about every rebuild kit google and ebay has to offer and the prices vary considerably as well as what is included, not sure what really qualifies as a 'master rebuild kit' at this point. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't buying a bunch of stuff I wouldn't use or even worse, not get everything I need. Would the kit have enough frictions and steels if I upgraded to the five plate direct drive drum, if I upgrade to the 4R100 pan and need the 4X4 filter I don't want to buy a kit that has the 2X4, if I get the transgo tugger kit I don't want to replicate those parts in a rebuild kit that I won't use. Things like that are what I'm thinking. It might be better to get a separate gasket/seal kit, bushing/bearing kit, and clutch pack kit but I don't know.

Tomorrow I'm swapping out the transmission in my van for the craigslist 'special', the pump has an E9 code but was supposed to be from a '92. As long as it makes the van move I'll be happy, it's a spare van that will eventually take over for my work truck ('87 F150 302 C6, 290k all original). After the temporary swap I can get to work rebuilding the '94 E4OD into something bomber. This thread has been perfect for what I'm thinking of doing, you're in a hotter climate but I plan on towing more weight from time to time. It's also inspired me to switch over to the E4OD in my F150 when I rebuild it.

Thanks again you guys,
Rocket

Click to expand...

Open up the tranny before you order parts. See what you have first.

So we don't clutter this thread. Start a new one, so you will have your own question and photo place.

*******************QUICK UPDATE******************
I haven't been able to test the E4OD/BW1356 because I wanted to get going on the 4x4 conversion
as soon as possible. I literally rolled my 2WD van out, then right back into the bay and went to work...

...many moons later:





walk around video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X1dLxbJAvQ

The plan now is to shake down all critical systems. For example the stock radiator was dry looking in the spout,
I poured a gallon of distilled H20 (knowing I hope to soon replace the rad with my AL 4-core and do the major
flush as soon as I figure how not to get busted by the water cops (seriously)). Bunch of other little things I need
to figure out, before I hammer the skinny pedal. Hope to just get 'around the block' first. Baby steps with this much
time and $$$ at stake (for me, anyways...)

Back soon.
Best regards.
George

Very nice.

That is really nice.

Like, make me jealous nice.

SDEconVan said:

*******************QUICK UPDATE******************
I haven't been able to test the E4OD/BW1356 because I wanted to get going on the 4x4 conversion
as soon as possible. I literally rolled my 2WD van out, then right back into the bay and went to work...

...many moons later:

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

walk around video:

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

The plan now is to shake down all critical systems. For example the stock radiator was dry looking in the spout,
I poured a gallon of distilled H20 (knowing I hope to soon replace the rad with my AL 4-core and do the major
flush as soon as I figure how not to get busted by the water cops (seriously)). Bunch of other little things I need
to figure out, before I hammer the skinny pedal. Hope to just get 'around the block' first. Baby steps with this much
time and $$$ at stake (for me, anyways...)

Back soon.
Best regards.
George

Click to expand...

One of the best step by step builds I have ever read.
How did your transmission turn out? Do you still have the van and is the trans still working well?
I have a 1994 IDI f350 crew cab 4x4 with an E4OD that is ready for a rebuild. This will be trans #3 in 200k miles. AAMCO screwed up the last 2 and it hasn't even made it to 40k miles after last rebuild.
I wish "professionals" would take as much care as you did.