Odd E4OD issue

[LCAM-01XA]

OldBull8, thanks for the reply - I disconnected the return line from the air cooler and so was able to flush the entire system with the exception of the return line (no big deal), starting off with a clean pan full of new Mercon V she pumped out about 2 gallons of old fluid. Took almost 19 quarts altogether.

As for the oil, my thinking was that if I top the fluid off when truck is level (front sitting on 4by4s) then when I put the truck on level ground the extra half a quart will shift towards the front of the trans, thus raising the fluid level there and possibly creating an overfull condition with the gears causing cavitation. So following your advice I will leave her with the fluid at the high mark with the ass end up, then when I load the camper I will check again and add fluid as necessary - upon unloading the camper I can easily get the now-excess fluid back out, since the first time I did a fluid change years ago I also added a drain plug to the pan.

Converter lockup I only use in 3rd and 4th, over 35mph in 3rd and over 45 mph in 4th - I have 4.10 gears so the truck tends to move slower than them guys running with 3.55s - suppose if I had 4.56s I could go even lower, but with what I got these are my limits.

 

[trackspeeder]

OldBull8, thanks for the reply - I disconnected the return line from the air cooler and so was able to flush the entire system with the exception of the return line (no big deal), starting off with a clean pan full of new Mercon V she pumped out about 2 gallons of old fluid. Took almost 19 quarts altogether.

As for the oil, my thinking was that if I top the fluid off when truck is level (front sitting on 4by4s) then when I put the truck on level ground the extra half a quart will shift towards the front of the trans, thus raising the fluid level there and possibly creating an overfull condition with the gears causing cavitation. So following your advice I will leave her with the fluid at the high mark with the ass end up, then when I load the camper I will check again and add fluid as necessary - upon unloading the camper I can easily get the now-excess fluid back out, since the first time I did a fluid change years ago I also added a drain plug to the pan.

Converter lockup I only use in 3rd and 4th, over 35mph in 3rd and over 45 mph in 4th - I have 4.10 gears so the truck tends to move slower than them guys running with 3.55s - suppose if I had 4.56s I could go even lower, but with what I got these are my limits.

It's ok to top the tranny off with the truck level. You will not create an over fill condition unless you over fill the tranny from the start.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Trackspeeder, so keep her at the high mark with the ass end up, then when loaded and level top off as needed, and upon unloading drain some to get back down to the high mark?

Also, update on the resistor for the PCM dummy load - not sure why the PSD guys use the 22k-ohm resistor, but for my E4OD that was way too high causing a big voltage drop and triggering a continuous memory code 62 - I never noticed it cause my PCM is old enough to where it just ignores it without entering failure-management (limp-home) mode, but nevertheless code was there hiding in the murky depths of the PCM memory. My TCS coil measures at 20 ohms, and from what I found out on the nets this is normal for an E4OD TCS, so I yanked the 22k-ohm resistor out and put a 50-ohm power resistor (cause that's what I had laying around) in its place - problem solved, code 62 is gone seemingly for good. So I guess this needs to go into the tech article about the manual lockup mods:

UPDATE: Do NOT use the 22k-ohm resistor - instead measure YOUR OWN torque converter solenoid's resistance, and try to match it. To measure TCS resistance put the multimeter probe leads on the red wire (solenoid pack common power feed) and the purple/yellow wire (TCS to PCM connection), set the multimeter to 200-ohm range, and take its reading. I got 20 ohms with the ignition OFF, and the 50-ohm 10-watt ceramic "power" resistor I'm using now instead of the small 22k-ohm unit seems to handles the task of TCS-emulator for MY truck quite nicely, I will update this if I encounter a problem down the road.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Don't take resistance measurements with voltage applied to what ever your measuring, you could blow your meter and not get a correct reading. A coil has resistance due to the length and size of wire, the other is inductive reactance, but that is with voltage applied to it.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Thanks for the warning, and I edited my previous post accordingly.

 

[trackspeeder]

Trackspeeder, so keep her at the high mark with the ass end up, then when loaded and level top off as needed, and upon unloading drain some to get back down to the high mark?

You could do it that way. You will not have to drain any fluid from the tranny. It will be fine. Kind of like parking on a hill 24/7.

The fluid will only be covering some of the valve body at this level.
That wont hurt anything.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Ah, alright then, good to know. Thanks!

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Well darn, it happened again! Same way as before too - on the way back from a shopping run today I was coasting down a long but light grade, off-throttle with converter unlocked (so again just like it would do for from the factory) and slowly picking up speed, then I had to come to a stop and when I got to get moving again she'd revv up way high before upshifting. All gears are still there, but I gotta keep rolling at 50mph or higher to stay in OD, if I slow down to like 45 mph the slightest throttle increase will cause a downshift into 3rd - as comparison normally I'm able to be in OD at 40 mph and under moderate throttle accelerate without a drop into 3rd. Also she now tries to shift at like 2800 rpms, normally under light to moderate throttle I'm looking at 2000-2200 rpm up shift points. So I drove home shifting manually between 1st and 3rd to get her to shift at decent rpms, and converter was locking in 3rd no problem. Above 50 mph the converter would lock in OD too, but if I let off the throttle she'd drop the engine speed as if converter was unlocking... So I'm looking at delayed shift schedule, and also slightly uncreased line pressure but not much cause it don;t try to snap my neck when upshifting - that's not really a failure management limp-home mode now, is it? Cause AFAIK when that kicks in line pressure goes through the roof and the only usable forward gears are 2nd and OD, and that's with manual shifting into 2nd - definitely NOT what I got here... Any ideas what could be causing this? Like, maybe the baro sensor acting up, and thinking the ambient air pressure all of sudden increased, thus causig the PCM to delay the shifts? What would happen if I unhook the baro sensor entirely, will the PCM get real angry at me and throw a fit?

Oh yah, and the pesky code 62 is back again - guess even 50-ohms is too much for the stupid PCM, I'll try two 10-ohm resistors in series (for a total of 20 ohms, which is what my TCS coil measures at), and if that don't keep the PCM happy I dunno what will...

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

sounds like your TPS is failing.no biggie.well,unless you don't replace it that is.
they don't last forever.

 

[flareside_thun]

You said your TPS was at 1.15V at idle? TPS voltage is supposed to be measured KOEO. Also, the E4OD should have a TC drain plug...at least the factory ones do. If that aftermarket doesn't, then I'm not real impressed with the manufacturer. Also, TPS voltage KOEO should be no more than .99V for optimum performance, any more than that may cause some issues. Be sure to check all your connections are clean and tight as well. For chits n giggles, also make sure the PCM ground wire is clean with a good grounding surface.

 

[Kevin 007]

I have mine set a about 1.3 for best performance.

LCAM-01XA-Mine did almost the exact same thing once. The upshift points went sky high all of a sudden without warning. I was on the road so I tried adjusting the voltage on the TPS (I always carry a multimeter with me) and it would kind of cover up the issue for a while. Then it might go back to normal later on or start shift way too early as I had to bring down the TPS voltage to mask the higher shift points when it was acting up.
I then replaced the TPS to no avail. And the trans was still acting up from time to time and it would be fine the rest of the time.

Turned out my fluid was overfull. Not by much but it was. So I pulled a cooler line and drained some and it has not done it since. Then again, I have not worked it hard since then either. Working it hard seemed to **** it off and thats when it would act up.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Oh, well I was planning on replacing the TPS anyways, preemptive strike or at least that was the idea - now it seems like it may be a required repair. Wouldn't that SOB give some indications it's about to go, like maybe spikes in the voltage readings, or maybe TPS outta range codes stored in the PCM? Cause as it stands it does none of that

The idle voltage according to the TSB should actually be 1.2V, and I tried that, but with my transmission it causes way too late upshifts (like 2600 rpms under light-moderate throttle), OTOH 0.99V is very low and upshifts are way too soft and early for my liking, so 1.1-1.15V is where I like it best. And yes, by idle I mean at the idle position of the IP's throttle lever - if anything I may be dumb but I ain't dumb enough to try checking say WOT voltage with that B17 propeller spinning at 3800 rpms right under me

PCM ground is on the to-do list tomorrow, along with the 20-ohm resistors and the TPS. What ****** me off most tho, is that the thing don't always act up, and so far the only pattern I've noticed is the long down"hill" coast immediately before it starts acting up. But I'm thinking it's something electronic causing it, cause I've had the shift kit and the manual switch for years and thousands of trouble-free miles and only now it misbehaves, and I don't even really work it anymore...

Any thoughts on the baro sensor?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

I have mine set a about 1.3 for best performance.

LCAM-01XA-Mine did almost the exact same thing once. The upshift points went sky high all of a sudden without warning. I was on the road so I tried adjusting the voltage on the TPS (I always carry a multimeter with me) and it would kind of cover up the issue for a while. Then it might go back to normal later on or start shift way too early as I had to bring down the TPS voltage to mask the higher shift points when it was acting up.
I then replaced the TPS to no avail. And the trans was still acting up from time to time and it would be fine the rest of the time.

Turned out my fluid was overfull. Not by much but it was. So I pulled a cooler line and drained some and it has not done it since. Then again, I have not worked it hard since then either. Working it hard seemed to **** it off and thats when it would act up.

Yah, I could see that as potential problem for mine too, but with that idiotic dipstick Ford gave is it's a bear to tell exactly where the fluid is, especially with mine being only weeks old and so almost clear in color... I do believe it may be a bit on the high side right now, but it sure as hell wasn't anywhere near overfull the first time it misbehaved - then the fluid was dark red and so very easy to see, plus it ain't like it was the first time I drove that particlar stretch of road And I know for a fact mine ain't acting up cause I'm working it too hard, since both times it happened truck was empty, I mean not even two full tanks of fuel!

By the way, on our previous discussion, the converter will still lock up in manual 2nd - I believe when you move the shifter there the solenoid normally active during P, R, N, 1, and 2 is inactive, and thus the converter lockup lockout is disengaged as well. Didn't try it on the road, but I could hear the TCC solenoid clicking down there with key on engine off and trans in manual 2nd...

 

[trackspeeder]

Oh, well I was planning on replacing the TPS anyways, preemptive strike or at least that was the idea - now it seems like it may be a required repair. Wouldn't that SOB give some indications it's about to go, like maybe spikes in the voltage readings, or maybe TPS outta range codes stored in the PCM? Cause as it stands it does none of that

The idle voltage according to the TSB should actually be 1.2V, and I tried that, but with my transmission it causes way too late upshifts (like 2600 rpms under light-moderate throttle), OTOH 0.99V is very low and upshifts are way too soft and early for my liking, so 1.1-1.15V is where I like it best. And yes, by idle I mean at the idle position of the IP's throttle lever - if anything I may be dumb but I ain't dumb enough to try checking say WOT voltage with that B17 propeller spinning at 3800 rpms right under me

PCM ground is on the to-do list tomorrow, along with the 20-ohm resistors and the TPS. What ****** me off most tho, is that the thing don't always act up, and so far the only pattern I've noticed is the long down"hill" coast immediately before it starts acting up. But I'm thinking it's something electronic causing it, cause I've had the shift kit and the manual switch for years and thousands of trouble-free miles and only now it misbehaves, and I don't even really work it anymore...

Any thoughts on the baro sensor?

Check the voltage at idle. Check at WOT. Then check the sweep. The voltage should increase and decrease smoothly. Any erratic jumps in voltage toss the TPS. It is junk.

Baro can cause issues too. If the TPS checks good. Go for this sensor.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Check the voltage at idle. Check at WOT. Then check the sweep. The voltage should increase and decrease smoothly. Any erratic jumps in voltage toss the TPS. It is junk.

Baro can cause issues too. If the TPS checks good. Go for this sensor.

TPS checks out good, and always did check out good. It is however a Ford part, the upgraded one that is grey in color, but still, I've had the truck for a few years now and never replaced it, so it could be acting up intermittently... No codes stored for it tho, none whatsover.

Baro sensor, I did some research on that today, and everything I came up with says there should be codes stored if it's bad, but as you can imagine there are no codes for it at all.

Really the only code I ever got was the pesky 62 for the converter. I did put together a 20-ohm resistor today, and installed it, also moved the PCM ground from the hood hinge to the battery directly - ain't driven the truck yet cause I'm working on another wiring project that requires disconnected batteries, but tomorrow I'll go on a test-drive, probably in the morning (so I got more time to mess with the stupid thing if it decides to act up again).