Noob tranny question

[Wyle E Coyote]

I did some searching about this and turned up nothing, so I thought I'd post. I've gotten my hands on a 1990 E350 airport bus with a running 7.3 and a dead E4OD trans in it. The plan calls for the drivetrain to go into a pick-up so my dad will have something that he can haul his RV with, without costing a ton 'o cash. So here's my question:

E4OD; paper weight or trusty tranny?

Discuss.

 

[sagebel]

The E4OD can be built to be a good tranny. There are a few good builders around. BTS, Suncoast, and I think John Woods does E4OD builds as well. You will pay close to $4000 for a good build but you will end up with a tranny that will hold whatever you throw at it as long as you tell the builder what kind of power add-ons you plan to use and what you intend to use the vehicle for. I am sure someone else will mention any other good builder as I am sure I missed one.

Scott

 

[95_stroker]

With the proper TC and a shift kit to firm up the loose spots the E4OD is one very good tranny.

 

[Zookie400]

With the proper TC and a shift kit to firm up the loose spots the E4OD is one very good tranny.

i have 180,000 miles on mine, i put an ats torque converter and pump upgrade at 150ish. i tow everything with it, no problems yet.

it also helps a lot (on any Ford transmission) to keep up with changing out the oil. most transmission failure i see at work is caused by smoked fluid.

 

[RoyBoy]

Make sure you got a temp gauge on it too, heat kills the E4OD really quick...

 

[Wyle E Coyote]

Thanks for all the great responses guys! But I really have to ask,... am I really going to spend $4k on a rebuild? That figure kinda scares me really. That's about the budget for the whole project. So, are they too complex to tackle yourself? I haven't done one in years, but I'd give 'er a whirl to knock that price down.

As for keeping it alive, I have every intention of putting a massive cooler on it. In fact, I was thinking of the ones that have their own thermostatically controlled fan. And rated for about 20k GVW. I always run a big cooler on my autos and I've had only one die, but it just wore out. And the gauge is a great idea. Haven't ever done that before, but I might with this one.

 

[trackspeeder]

Thanks for all the great responses guys! But I really have to ask,... am I really going to spend $4k on a rebuild? That figure kinda scares me really. That's about the budget for the whole project. So, are they too complex to tackle yourself? I haven't done one in years, but I'd give 'er a whirl to knock that price down.

As for keeping it alive, I have every intention of putting a massive cooler on it. In fact, I was thinking of the ones that have their own thermostatically controlled fan. And rated for about 20k GVW. I always run a big cooler on my autos and I've had only one die, but it just wore out. And the gauge is a great idea. Haven't ever done that before, but I might with this one.

The E4OD is easy to rebuild your self. Get yourself a copy of the ATSG E4OD manual. They can be found on fleabay. for about $15. bucks. You will need a couple of special tools. Not hard to find.

When your ready to attack, check this guy out.

Defiant Equipment Car Stereo

 

[sagebel]

No you don't need 4K. I didn't mean to startle you with that comment. You can build or have built a good trans with the mentioned aftermarket parts. A good TC and shift kit. The Transgo Tugger kit is really good.