Hi. I just bought a 1995 E350 Ambulance (7.3 Powerstroke) and the transmission is acting very odd. The previous owner thought this issue was fixed by replacing the speed sensor on the rear diff, but apparently that was a false positive.
I discovered the problem after climbing a steep hill. Before even climbing (on flat ground) the transmission seemed a little indecisive about which gear it wanted but I didn't think much of it since I'm not familiar with Fords and it only happened for a half second. After the hill climb and back on flat road it shifted into a low gear (2?) as the engine revs were very high and I wasn't going anywhere. I turned around and went back to town (since I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere) and it stayed in 4th gear going downhill. I hit the OD off switch and it switched to 3rd just fine, then near the bottom of the hill it started being indecisive again.
I'm sorry if that's as clear as mud, but that's the sum total of my experience with the vehicle. The transmission seems strong when it decides which gear to use, but popping out of gear makes the van unusable. It's currently parked until I can get some guidance from one of you Ford gurus or the local mechanic get some free time to check it out (earliest Monday...and I was hoping to be out of here by now).
Any ideas?
I discovered the problem after climbing a steep hill. Before even climbing (on flat ground) the transmission seemed a little indecisive about which gear it wanted but I didn't think much of it since I'm not familiar with Fords and it only happened for a half second. After the hill climb and back on flat road it shifted into a low gear (2?) as the engine revs were very high and I wasn't going anywhere. I turned around and went back to town (since I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere) and it stayed in 4th gear going downhill. I hit the OD off switch and it switched to 3rd just fine, then near the bottom of the hill it started being indecisive again.
I'm sorry if that's as clear as mud, but that's the sum total of my experience with the vehicle. The transmission seems strong when it decides which gear to use, but popping out of gear makes the van unusable. It's currently parked until I can get some guidance from one of you Ford gurus or the local mechanic get some free time to check it out (earliest Monday...and I was hoping to be out of here by now).
Any ideas?