What's the low-down on the E4OD? - Diesel Forum

Wobblin-Goblin · 12-18-2005, 09:31 PM

I've heard alot of bad things concerning reliability, especially when mated to turboed 7.3Ls, but how stout is this thing, really?

My brother's '93 IDI has one and I'm wondering what he can expect from the transmission.

(someday I'd like to buy it, but don't tell him that [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img])

Birken Vogt · 12-18-2005, 10:21 PM

Pretty stout gear train, just that there seem to be 99 other things in the transmission that fail with monotonous regularity and at great expense. Could have been great but ended up being bad.

Birken

m35a2 · 12-18-2005, 11:32 PM

Well,with my history with these things I will say they are the biggest POS ever.Total JUNK.They are a great design in theory but they have several weak links that should never have been build into them.......Like one bearing in the middle.When it wears you lose line pressure.Piss poor programming is another.Ford wanted them to have a pleasant car like shift and that in turn causes major slippage and burns the trannys up.WAY undersized fluid coolers for the application.Easy fix there though.And lastly,the Ultimate in under designed stock Torque converter.The vanes inside tend to come loose and in turn do ugly things to the tranny.But all this can be fixed.Some rebuilders now have put more bearings in the tranny,can install mechanical and electronic shift kits which help stop slippage,install a much larger trans cooler in place of that way undersized jobber that came factory,and last,you can get a aftermarket TQ for not much more than a new Ford replacement that has the fins brazed or welded in place instead of crimped.If care is taken and the few weak links are rectified then these thing are great!

Wobblin-Goblin · 12-19-2005, 08:12 AM

Precisely the type of post I was looking for. Did a search yesterday and came up empty on general threads concerning the E4OD, so I decided to ask a new question about it.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Oldmisterbill · 12-19-2005, 10:33 AM

As I have said many time they are great if rebuilt by the right place.Look at my photos for what an E40D can pull.Yes that is 2 trailers at the pump around 70 ft long all together.There is over 200,000 on that trans,My scariest problem was a relay on the left fender well.When it failed I thought my tranny was burnt toast.I was wrong. Hope this answers your question-Keep it cool and drive it
Mr Bill said that

m35a2 · 12-19-2005, 12:31 PM

oh,just another little tidbit of info.The E4OD was Fords First Electronically controlled transmission.They used the C6 as a base for designing the new tranny but some drawing board designer and a board member must have gotten together cause they kinda skimped on a few things in the design that made it weak.Those few issues are the only weak links.....well,there is the aluminum planetarys in the early models...but they weren't all that bad.