Re-man E4OD

[poolguy]

I got my truck back today with the new trans installed. Seems to work just fine on the drive back from the dealership. I was pleased that they had overquoted the price at $3500. , actual bill came to $3140.
I had asked them to install an aux. cooler, and the tech said the cooler in the radiator, and the one in front of the radiator were all that were needed, and didn't install another one! Are the two on my truck standard, or was the one in front of the radiator installed by a previous owner?
Anyway the true test will be Thursday when I go back (100 miles) to get my track hoe and pull it home! 3yr/75K mile warranty by Ford.
For what it's worth, the tech said these old trucks had a defective TPS that would cause the TC to go in and out over & over and would overheat the TC and in turn overheat the trans causing early failure!!! Also said my TC was blue from heat and thats what cooked my trans.
Anyway Big Red is alive again, & I'm pleased. Ican't say it broke me, but I'm badly bent!!!!!!

 

[IDIeselman]

Hi Chuck, Sorry to hear about the tranny problems but it sounds like you're back on the road. Have you looked any farther into the transcommand?

 

[icanfixall]

The Ford mechanic is wrong about the TPS causing the trans torque converter to lock and unlock over and over causing an overheat situation. The TPS is a reostat switch that should be replaced around 50,000 miles but most owners don't know that. You can buy a scanner that will tell you when the TPS is shot too. The voltage is important on this also. Usually most like to keep it at about 1.02 volts at idle and never set it for more than 4.5 at wide open throttle. These settings are done when the motor is not running. The next time you are driving your truck have your foot on the throttle and be traveling anywhere above 40 mph and just touch the brake peddle. You will feel the torque converter unlock. Now let off the brake and it will lock up again. This happens so the truck wont die when you come to a complete stop. Its like a standard trans clutch. The torque converter will unlock if a brake lite bulb filament is burned out and touching the turn signal filament in that bulb. It unlocks the torque converter by the blinker lite signal being cross fed to the brake lite circut. Ask me how I know this....

 

[poolguy]

Hi Chuck, Sorry to hear about the tranny problems but it sounds like you're back on the road. Have you looked any farther into the transcommand?

Tim,
No I sure haven't, I've been chasing bad advice all over this truck!
But have pretty much ironed the wrinkles out (I hope) and hope to enjoy a few miles of service. It's a GREAT truck.
What benefit would there be in the transcommand? I'm up for anything that will improve the servicabilty.
Was that your truck in the pictures from the rally with a "for sale" sign on it?
It looked like yours, but no it couldn't be - - - or could it?



icanfixall,
You are correct that a defective 1157 could cause what you are describing.
What the Ford tech was saying is that Ford is aware the the defective TPS
that came in these older truck caused overheating problems and they were replaced "as needed" but no recall was put out to everyone. So there were owners having trans rebuilds done at their own expense, or TC replacements
at the owners expense, and Ford never stepped up to the plate and did the right thing. They just quietly replaced a few and let time pass!

 

[Ceejmo]

Also said my TC was blue from heat and thats what cooked my trans.

It was heat that turned the TC blue but it was in the manufacturing process and not because it got hot while in operation.

Considering the fact that it takes over 750 degrees F to turn cold drawn steel blue and the flash point of the fluid in the transmission is about 460 degrees I'd say he's full of crap! If the tranny got hot enough to turn any steel part blue it would have melted seals and boiled the fluid out on the ground. At that temp the oil that spilled out would have put off a thick white oil vapor smoke screen worse than an overheated radiator.
Transmission fluid fatigues at 220Deg, varnishes form at 240 deg, seals harden at 260 deg, plates slip at 295deg, seals and clutches burn out and fluid forms carbon at 315 deg. These are fluid temps and the temp of bearings will be about 75 deg hotter that the fluid. At 390 degrees it's still not hot enough to turn the steel TC blue. At 450 deg the steel may get a slight amber or goldish tint but not blue.

CJ
Tool & Die Maker - Master Manipulator of Molten Metal

 

[poolguy]

Cj,
You are obviosly sharper than I on all this. The trans DID belch fluid twice on it's fatefull day of death! 1st time was 15 miles out of town, and the fluid looked normal, the 2nd time about 90 miles out the fluid was very dark and there was a lot of smoke. Both times the fluid came out of the drain tube under the TC.
I'm just in hopes that the new trans lasts.
Thanks,
Chuck

 

[Mr_Roboto]

I had one go once,,,,, the internal gears literally welded themselves to one another. I suspect it overheated and there was a chain reaction. I later found out that the secondary cooler was bypassed, and the flow to the primary cooler was severely restricted (tiny barb fittings going into the cooler). I had just bought the truck and the first time driving it....

 

[creighta]

my 93 is completely stock and it has the second trans cooler behind the grill. looks to small to me. only about 5"x10" I think a bigger one would probably be $30 well spent.

I also considered bolting a big PC cooling fan to it. . . IDK if it woud help or not

 

[Mr_Roboto]

The second trans coler is optional, and the OEM one is pretty small at that. Excessive heat is the enemy of automatic transmissions so the cooler you can keep them (within reason) the longer they will live.