1994 F150xlt v8 302 4x4 e40d. 140,000 miles

I bought this truck with the hard shifting present. Removed and refreshed motor and replaced engine cradle. Put everything back together and it shifted very smoothly.

About 100 miles or so later it started shifting hard again in mid trip.
Drove home let sit overnight and test drove next day. Immediately shifting hard.

I unplugged and cleaned all connections/wires to trans, as well as the battery terminals and body ground straps.
(The front strap was not connected).
All the other connections looked great.

Drove for a mile and shifts smooth again.

Is it possible this will return? Could unplugging the battery have "reset" a computer that controls this...Just wondering so I know where to start if the problem comes back.

 

have you serviced your tranny...

 

I have not, just replaced what fluid was lost removimg the engine and trans lines. Visual inspection of fluid was good but i will plan on flushing with a new filter this weekend.
Any recommendations for trans fluid or tranfer case?

 

My '93 5.0L w/ same tranny was doing tye same thing. Would shift extremely hard from park, while driving, 50/50 chance dieing going into reverse, cruise control was jerky. Ended up being the TPS sensor. Im guessing it wore out a spot cause while driving there would be a spot where the engine would run like crap. You can get them cheap online at rockauto.

 

Thanks for the responses. I've serviced the trans (fluid and filter change) and have an update on the issue.

I'm thinking its electrical. If I unhook the battery for a few minutes then restart the transmission works great, at least for short trips around town. (Its been fine for months as I've only gone to the local box stores)
On trips around 10 miles+ the transmission starts shifting hard again. Turning the truck off/on doesn't fix the issue I have to unhook the battery everytime this happens.

Any ideas where to go from here? Could something be heating up on longer trips, or perhaps its speed related as I generally take the expressway on longer trips
Note that I haven't replaced the TPS sensor yet as I'm not getting any other issues mentioned above.

Thanks again

 

Yea, the TPS could definitely have something to do with it. Find a deal on one and swap it out. They aren't expensive at all.

Also, regarding fluid the E4OD (in my case) did not like cheap, off brand ATF. It shifted erratically until I went with a name brand fluid. I tried two different off brand fluids with horrible results and I upgraded to a name brand fluid as a desperate last resort and it worked.

 

Thanks again,

On my way to the parts store now to try some better fluid/filter and pickup a fresh tps.

One thing I did notice this time dropping the trans pan that the exhaust is very close to the transmission and line on the passengers side. (stock exhaust)
Its been that way since I got the truck and am curious if its too close and I'm cooking the fluid. right after the 2nd cat its only about 1/8 to 1/4" away from the line/transmission.. hmmm

 

Have you tested the computer for codes yet that can be your best friend and our E40D transmissions have a sensitive manual lever position sensor you might want to check that

 

Is your overdrive light flashing when your transmission is shifting hard, my light will flash and when it does my transmission shifts hard, I have the codes somewhere , but all the codes were pointing at a failing ECM , I cleared the codes and the transmission shifts smooth, a week or so later it happened again, I had to disconnect my battery to clear the codes because I don't have a scanner. So yes disconnecting the battery will clear the codes if you have it I hooked for a few minutes.

 

Thanks, I do not recall the overdrive light flashing...The airbag does though, just not sure if only when the transmission is acting up.

Just about to refill with new trans fluid and get the tps in, but I need another trip to the parts store as the serp belt is in rough shape.

When I bought this truck the previous owner did have the same shifting problem. I seem to recall him mentioning turning off overrdrive when he first started the truck and then never having the issue, but if he neglected to push it then it would shift hard again, likely until he unhooked battery....

Did you end up replacing the ECM to fix your issue?

I dont have a code reader, but will seriously consider getting one in the near future. Any recommendations for one compatible with multiple makes? (Jeep, ford, mercedes, saab) I think my saabs are OBD1 and mercedes/chrysler is something altogether different i think its star das?

Am I correct in assuming the manual level sensor is the "MLPS" also referred to as "neutral safety switch"?