E40D pulling capabilities

[Smokey73]

Plans are in the making to turn Big Russ into the new camping rig. A dually conversion has crossed my mind. Big Russ has about 400k on the od already and the E40D has never given us any problems, until recently. Got in it the other day and as I pulled out of the driveway and started to take off, he felt like he was slipping a little in 1st. With that said, Big Russ will be going under the knife in the next few months for a fresh tranny job. I'm gonna take it to a shop around here, I've got one in mind that I know will stand behind his work. What should we discuss about what will need to be done. Heavy pulling will be a major factor, I've got a 38' Alpha 5'er, and Russ will probally see some time in the hay field.

 

[sootman73]

okay i've been going through the rebuild process on my e4OD for a while now. depending on what you are planning on spending take a look at David85's tech article about E4OD parts.

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28880

And a great shift kit to add to that would be a transgo tugger kit. its a reprogramming kit that has many updated parts. here's what transgo says it does:

For Working Trucks; Doubles low clutch holding pressure in “1” for downhill use, high speed pull-into “1”. Handles exhaust brake. Adjusts shift firmness, more cooling/lubrication,
better converter feed & capacity.

but make sure to get it before you rebuild your tranny as it has updated snap rings for the fourth gear drum.

 

[tuckerd1]

Upgrade to 97 specs or better. Also, may want to consider a low stall billet convertor with larger clutch area. icanfixall got a convertor that has 6x?? the area of a stock conv. I have a low stall billet in mine that I really like, but I don't know what the clutch area is.

 

[icanfixall]

I have a BTS built E4OD trans. It has a triple disc converter with 150 square inches of friction material. Guess what the stock converters have for material??? Well its 25 square inches of friction material but... They seem to work and last..... I know my Jaspers did fine till things finally gave up the ghost... Our trucks will never destroy a triple disc..

 

[Fozz]

I've been watching the tranny threads too. I have a fresh Ford reman (good warranty), but am seriously considering the Transgo Tugger kit too. The Ford tranny can be had for under $2k and has the upgraded parts.

 

[oldmisterbill]

Plans are in the making to turn Big Russ into the new camping rig. A dually conversion has crossed my mind. Big Russ has about 400k on the od already and the E40D has never given us any problems, until recently. Got in it the other day and as I pulled out of the driveway and started to take off, he felt like he was slipping a little in 1st. With that said, Big Russ will be going under the knife in the next few months for a fresh tranny job. I'm gonna take it to a shop around here, I've got one in mind that I know will stand behind his work. What should we discuss about what will need to be done. Heavy pulling will be a major factor, I've got a 38' Alpha 5'er, and Russ will probally see some time in the hay field.

Out of curiosity how much towing have you done in the past with the old tranny?
Thanks Mr Bill

 

[Smokey73]

Out of curiosity how much towing have you done in the past with the old tranny?
Thanks Mr Bill

Big Russ has always been a "sidewalk truck". Never pulled anything more than a 16' tag trailer, with out much on it. The truck has never been worked hard.

 

[david85]

400k (miles or kilometers?) on a factory built E4OD from 1990? Well done.

Guys, if this man ever sells his truck, you should pay full price. He must take good care of it if that tranny lasted that well. Either that or his truck is some sort of freak so still pay full price.

Smokey73, If you are planning to tow that much with the truck, I would pay full price on that build because you will want a turbo eventually as well, even if you don't know it yet.

Steel planetary gears, Billet torque converter, and newer version 3 friction OD apply clutch (unless it already has it) would be a good start.

Also, what is your differential gearing?

 

[trackspeeder]

I've been watching the tranny threads too. I have a fresh Ford reman (good warranty), but am seriously considering the Transgo Tugger kit too. The Ford tranny can be had for under $2k and has the upgraded parts.

The Tugger is a good addition to a fresh tranny. Try it you will like it.

 

[Smokey73]

400k (miles or kilometers?) on a factory built E4OD from 1990? Well done.

Guys, if this man ever sells his truck, you should pay full price. He must take good care of it if that tranny lasted that well. Either that or his truck is some sort of freak so still pay full price.

Smokey73, If you are planning to tow that much with the truck, I would pay full price on that build because you will want a turbo eventually as well, even if you don't know it yet.

Steel planetary gears, Billet torque converter, and newer version 3 friction OD apply clutch (unless it already has it) would be a good start.

Also, what is your differential gearing?

We still use miles down here . The hardest this truck has ever worked was while trying to get me to school on time when I was in High School. My dad bought it new in '90 and sold it to me when I was 15 and I drove it to work and school till I was 20. I sold it back to my dad and he has just driven it like an old man for the last 6 or 7 years. I think he's the only reason it's still running like it is.
Is Ebay a good place for a TC, i tink i saw one on there once before
It has 3.55's in the rear but may end up a little lower before we get done, if needed

 

[david85]

Sorry, I didn't see your location, yes that would be miles. I'm really impressed but your dad not driving it hard probably had a LOT to do with that. Nice to keep it in the family too, no wonder it served you so well over the years.

Ebay CAN be good, but you need to watch out like anywhere else. When I was looking for a torque converter for my truck, most of the decent ones still were priced at $300 for an OEM, or $700-$1200 for an upgraded bullet multi clutch. I ended up driving some 200 miles to a canadian transmission shop in victoria, BC to have one made up. Ended up costing me less, which is rare, but I also have the ability to drive back to their address and raise hell if something goes wrong.

In the end I was very happy with it and could have paid a lot more to import one from the states. Prices have fallen considerably since then.

By now, all the normal parts for E4OD upgrades are mass produced, so almost any transmission shop can build or order a custom torque converter for you. You might find that if there are any smaller local shops in your area, that the price may not be all that high compared to an Ebay source. But anyone with good feedback will probably have a decent product. Nearly all my E4OD parts (other than the TC) came from there and aside from a solenoid body that had an internal short, everything was perfect (avoid reconditioned solenoid bodies).

I would consider swapping to 4.10 gears if you intend to tow that trailer consistently.

 

[VanBoy]

3.55's are not that bad. All depends on the terrain you travel. Flat and level are easy.

 

[david85]

3.55s aren't too bad because its tall enough to allow a downshift from overdrive in steeper hills to get a high ratio gearing but you need to make sure you have enough cooling for when cruising at lower RPM in overdrive. 4.10s allow you to get out of the hole faster and also gives you higher rear wheel torque to maneuver the trailer at low speed.

The only true weakness of the E4OD IMO is the tall reverse gearing. If anything it should have had the same gearing as 1st gear, but for some reason ford wanted you to be able to speed in reverse. The result is that the torque converter does ALL the work when pushing a heavy load backwards up a hill and this can lead to an overheat. Some one here had that problem recently.

If the truck is 4wd, then the transfer case can more then make up for it and even with my 3.08s you can basically idle stuff backards, but with 2wd, you are stuck with the final drive of the tranny and diffy. I never originally planned to get a transfer case in my truck but the deal I worked out for a tranny core ended up being with a transfer case included.

Smokey73, I almost forgot, get the 1995 up model of front pump. They move more fluid and are a direct replacement for the older ones (old ones cannot replace new ones though). The transgo Tugger kit will likely have some updated valves to install in the newer pump for the main line pressure regulator and the TCC lockup control valve.

 

[trackspeeder]

We still use miles down here . The hardest this truck has ever worked was while trying to get me to school on time when I was in High School. My dad bought it new in '90 and sold it to me when I was 15 and I drove it to work and school till I was 20. I sold it back to my dad and he has just driven it like an old man for the last 6 or 7 years. I think he's the only reason it's still running like it is.
Is Ebay a good place for a TC, i tink i saw one on there once before
It has 3.55's in the rear but may end up a little lower before we get done, if needed

Fleabay is ok for a converter. You have to know what you are looking at.

Cheap converters will contain plastic parts and other inferior materials in the construction. Better converters will have less on no plastic parts the construction.

When you go converter shopping check out this guys X4TC converter.www.racerxautomotive.com .

 

[Smokey73]

3.55s aren't too bad because its tall enough to allow a downshift from overdrive in steeper hills to get a high ratio gearing but you need to make sure you have enough cooling for when cruising at lower RPM in overdrive. 4.10s allow you to get out of the hole faster and also gives you higher rear wheel torque to maneuver the trailer at low speed.

I was really thinking more along the lines of 3.73s you know kind of split the difference. I really like crusing at 65 and still run less than 2g's on the tach