kcinga

That did it! Thanks!! My existing dimmer switch came off in pieces. Installed new one and headlights are working. Looks like one of my low beams are out, but otherwise they’re good.

It sounds like my first step is the dimmer switch. I went out to check mine out and it’s like a rock. No movement downward at all. I’ll look into replacing that and I’ll report back. Thanks!

Just wanting to know best way to decipher why headlights aren’t working. I bought a test light and I see no power at the headlights. The test light switch showed power at ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘R’ posts. Is that expected? What position should key be in? Parking lights work. Cab lights work. Dome and dash lights work. Tested all fuses and they are good. Thoughts?

No, they ship it to a local shop and mechanics there install. My current E4OD is already hooked up to tcm. As far as cost goes, I was seriously investigating rebuilding the transmission myself, and that would‘ve been the cheapest option. But, in the end, my Dad was suggesting to let professionals handle it and get a warranty. I had enough issues dropping and installing a C4 in F100 I used to have. Seems I needed an extra set of hands to help line it up, lift, and get bolts in. It was a hassle. And, this is a much larger transmission. If any issues, I’d have to tear it all back down and start over again.

I did check salvage, briefly. But, keep in mind that I am restricted to’89-91 E4OD for a 7.3l diesel. The local salvage here didn’t have it. Even if they did, I would want a pretty good warranty to go with it, which I’m not even sure they offer. In the end, I got a remanufactured for $2,195 with a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty. I was okay with that. I’m not saying it’s the cheapest option, but I did like the warranty. Honestly, I just want these problems behind me. I invested money in a controller and the labor to finagle the electronics (since I didn’t have the NSS from the C6). Last thing I want is a solution that has to be redone 3 months down the road.

I don’t even know that the limp mode was an accurate assessment. He took on truck, thinking he could fix it. Quickly determined it was above his head. I don’t know if a swap from C6 to E4OD will work without a standalone controller of some sort.

Mostly, yes. Guy I bought it from thought it was stuck in limp mode. Guy he bought it from largely used electrical system from donor truck to power transmission. Resulting behavior was that in drive it was stuck in 4th gear, then 2 and 1 could be manually shifted to. So, I inherited a mess, but I’m trying to correct course and learn along the way. This forum has been a GREAT resource (even if I don’t fully understand it all)! lol

From my experience, E4OD was already installed but not shifting on my ‘86 F350 6.9l diesel. As was recommended here, I went with standalone controller from US Shift company (aka Bauman). Still couldn’t get it to work, so had it towed to diesel shop. Mechanic said I needed neutral safety switch wiring from previous C6 transmission. I didn’t have that and neither did previous owner. So, he went with plan B and wired it up at the steering column. It worked well. For a couple days. lol Then transmission decided not to move forward any longer. But, that’s a bad transmission issue, imo, that I need to resolve… not a controller issue. When I drained fluid, it wasn’t even red and there were metal flakes in pan. Transmission guy said it was not an issue that happened in the couple of days I had it running. It was a pre-existing issue.

I am considering rebuilding transmission myself also, but my dad has really pushed pursuing an option that includes a warranty. So, I’m vetting that out. I am concerned about reinstalling a transmission that big. I had enough trouble when I installed a C4 transmission on my ‘71 F100 years ago. I’ve watched rebuild videos on E4OD tear down, but have yet to watch videos on rebuild. Thanks for responses everyone. I’ll continue to research and consider options.

Thanks for the responses! To be clear, this E4OD was burnt up before I got it. I only had it running and driving for a couple of days. It’s a Jasper transmission and when I gave them the product number it was so old that it wasn’t in their system. I pulled a casting number off the transmission RF-F0TP-7006-BB. F=1990’s, 0=1990, T=truck. But I think there’s another number on top of the transmission that should tell me the vehicle it came out of, right? Unfortunately, I have very little information from previous owner. He’s not the one that installed transmission, so he doesn’t know what it came out of. Worst case scenario, I will have it towed to a shop and they can drop the transmission and tell me what it came out of, hopefully. Either way, tho, I do feel comfortable getting a 1990 E4OD for a 7.3l diesel, but there are warranty concerns with this setup. Usually, the first question I have to answer is about my VIN number. And when they find out that an E4OD doesn’t belong in my truck, they aren’t sure if warranty will honor this setup. If anyone has a suggestion for a particular transmission manufacturer I should work with on my unique setup, please let me know. I’d like to work with a manufacturer that won’t give me so much grief about this setup.

I did another search and found 3.55, but I also found it available on 1991 7.3l diesel? Not sure why this guy was concerned about me ordering an E4OD from a 1991 7.3l F350 diesel for my 1986 6.9l F350 diesel? Any thoughts out there?

I just noticed that door tag shows “49”. Not sure what ratio that equates to?

I have a 1986 F350 with an E4OD already installed on it by previous owner. I then bought a standalone transmission controller from US Shift and had it installed by a shop. It worked for roughly 2-3 days before going out (reverse works, but nothing else). I had pan and fluid checked by transmission shop. Fluid was burnt and metal filings were in the pan. So, I’m working on ordering a remanufactured E4OD transmission. Naturally, when I provide details on my truck, it doesn’t show as having an E4OD. I suggested to just pick the E4OD on a 1991 F350 7.3l diesel, but then he had all sorts of questions about axle ratio/speedometer gear and whether it has parking brake on the transmission (rear-mounted?). Am I asking for the wrong E4OD? Where do I find the details in order to answer his questions?

Agreed. Great job, Pete! I don’t suppose you’d recommend for anyone else to go down the same crazy road, would you? I did find a site that sells kits for ford E4OD with videos for $600… http://transmissionbench.com/E4OD4R100parts.html But, after seeing your misadventure, I have to admit that it looks pretty overwhelming.

Your intuition is confirmed. I stopped at a transmission shop for a second opinion. The guy there noticed bigger metal shavings away from magnet in the pan. Also, the fluid smelled burnt to him. He advised to “stick a fork in it” as you stated earlier. Sigh. He’ll look into guys he knows that rebuild E4OD transmissions. His shop has no interest in taking on a transmission project that is mismatched, so to speak (i.e. E4OD instead of C6). He’s seen issues with standalone controllers. IDK, I’ve heard positive reports, whenever I’ve asked around about it. So, I have to uninstall the transmission, get it to a guy, and reinstall myself. We’ll see how this plays out. I’ve already thrown 2k at the transmission controller and wiring issue. It appears to be a Jasper transmission. Wish I had better news to report.