E4od not shifting into first

[kingpin idi]

I have a 1990 E4od and it wont shift into first gear when in drive but if i put it in 2nd or 1st manualy it will shift fine. maby a shift solenoid?

[osufireman]

The e4od has many sensors on it, FIPL, MLPS, VSS, SS1, SS2, etc.

Get the codes first! I freaked out when mine was slipping but the guys here on the forum calmed me down and I got my codes. Shops can take care of that (most likely for a fee), or go pick up your own OBD I scanner, about $30 at an Autozone. There is a way to read the codes from a light tester, but the scanner is cheap in my opinion and can be used over and over for future issues.

It soulds like your MLPS might be going gunny-bags from what you describe. Get the codes first of course, but the MLPS (Manual Lever Positioning Sensor, or sometimes called Neutral Saferty Switch) is located on the drivers side of the transmission, about a foot or 2 back from the bell housing; it is on the manual shift lever shaft that shifts the tranny. The sensor tells the transmission what gear you have selected, if the sensor is faulty the tranny won't be able to determine what gear you are in and will can slip in and out of gear, or just go to neutral.

Check all sensors for corrosion in the plug (careful not to break the prongs that hold it in) and visual all of the wiring harness for burn marks, tears in insulation, breaks, and possible shorts.

If the code shows up for a MLPS, it's not too expensive of a part. A new one has a different plug so it should come with a matching male end to replace the stock one on the harness, if it hasn't been replaced already.

Good luck! Post back with your findings if you have more questions.

[rsr911]

I'm with osufireman on this. You're likely not getting first at all, in 1 or 2 it's probably in 2, in D it's in D with no OD. Converter may or may not lock up. It's really does sound like the MLPS. But could also be the tach sensor, VSS (vehicle speed sensor),(these when bad or disconnected usually give you all the gears but really slow and late shifts). FIPL (fuel injection pump lever, some stores call it a TPS or throttle position sensor). Those are the main sensors that control the trans, there are others but they don't seem to cause as much trouble.

I thought my old tranny was toast so I kept driving it until it finally completely died. The new one was a few years newer and the MLPS was different so I swapped them, guess what the new tranny shifted like the old one before I killed it. Swapped in a new MLPS and got my VSS hooked up (long story) and the new tranny shifts fine other than soft which is normal.

Side note, I wish they had programmed these like some of the newer trannies I've had. I had an '03 Level II Ranger 4.0 4x4, sweet little truck BTW. Anyway it would shift depending on the throttle position. Drive it normal (5spd auto) and it shifted a little more firm than an E4OD but floor it and you would swear it had a shift kit, it would shift real hard right at the HP peak which is around 6000rpm on that motor. With that shift calibration that truck would really scoot when you wanted it to but was otherwise docile around town.

[kingpin idi]

It still has OD though and no slipping so i will scan it thanks

[rsr911]

May also be that the MLPS is out of range and not completely dead. It's a switch with resistors between the poles. It outputs a different voltage for each gear selection, if one resistor or pole goes bad it will act flaky. I had an Explorer do that, code kept coming back sensor out of range, everything worked except OD in my case. I put a new one in and all was fixed.

[osufireman]

Well, mine wasn't technically "slipping". I would shift to D and the transmission wouldn't know whether to select neutral or drive, so it just split the difference. If I pulled the shifter down to 1 or 2 it would work great.