The Deuce Build Thread

[Gary Lewis]

Well I have dived in to rebuilding the E4OD from the 95 donor truck. Feeling confident so far, the disassembly is going well. Have bought 1 special tool and built 2 more. The bought one is the black press-looking thing in the left of this photo, sitting on the table. About $65, it is used for compressing the springs found in some clutch packs. You have to compress the springs in order to be able to safely remove the snap ring/circlip thingee that holds the whole pack together. One of the built ones is the 2x4 stand under the table. The third tool is pretty simple, just some threaded rod and iron bars, I don't have it assembled yet.

The box on the left under the table contains all new guts for the transmission. Since I'm still in disassembly, I don't have anything in there out yet.

This shot shows the trans partially disassembled.

The valve body area has been taken apart, then the trans put on the stand so the internals can start to come out. The third tool is needed for the first step of that, which removes the pump that is immediately behind the torque converter. Once that's out, disassembly should go pretty quick. I'm hoping to get most of this done over the weekend, but I am still waiting on some parts for the valve body area (the part the pan covers). And if I find any broken parts inside the trans, I will need to replace those as well. The truck was not in driving condition when I got it, so I don't know if it was parked because of trans issues, or other issues. I might be taking apart a perfectly fine transmission, but it's still got 162k mi on it, so it's time for a rebuild anyway.

So far the costs have been pretty reasonable. The master rebuild kit, which includes a shift kit, was about $500. There is an electronic solenoid pack that controls the transmission, which was another $500 or so. Then less than $100 into special tools. I got the master rebuild kit from a company called The Transmission Bench. When you buy a kit, they also give you a flash drive with a series of highly detailed classroom instructions that walk you through the rebuild. The videos are also available on YouTube.

More to come.

That sounds like a deal - parts and instructions as well. And the tools seem reasonable.

[Gsmblue]

That sounds like a deal - parts and instructions as well. And the tools seem reasonable.

Ooo! Please post more as you get through the transmission!

[Pete Whitstone]

Got the A/T disassembled today, all components cleaned up and inspected. This trans is in amazingly good shape for 162k miles and 26 years old. I did not find any components in it that needed replacing outside the normal consumables (friction plates and bands). The only exception to this was the bronze bushings for the sun gear on the output shaft, and wear is expected there.

Here the homemade tool is pulling the pump from the case.

Once out, that exposed the overdrive part of the E4OD. I assume these parts are not present in the C6, who the E4OD's internals are based on.

And digging deeper and deeper in.

The homemade tool is used again in a slightly different format to compress a spring which allows the removal of the snap ring, held in place by the large "finger" spring.

Finally deep enough that we are at the center of the transmission, in an area known as the "center support". Basically a big plate in the middle of the transmission to locate things.

After that came out, it exposed the back half of the trans. First wave of panic... there was a roller bearing there that supported the output shaft, ball bearings running around loose. Worse, this part was not described at all in the videos. I'm going to contact The Transmission Bench and see what they think.

The ring of the roller bearing is visible in the center, slightly offset to the top. The ball bearings have fallen down into the recess in the end of the output shaft.

Delving deeper into the trans.

Disassembly mostly complete.

Now starting to take apart the subassemblies. Pump is first.

I'm finding an A/T is vastly different than, say, an engine. An engine is a number of components that are mostly individual. There is the crankshaft, the connecting rods, pistons, rings, etc. For the most part, stuff that is assembled one part at a time (although repeated on a multi-cylinder engine). But a transmission is about 20 subassemblies, each of which breaks down into 10-20 parts of its own. The number of unique parts is astounding. I would estimate that around 600-700 individual components are working in an area of about 1 square foot.

What could possibly go wrong??? :)

The second major panic is when I pulled apart the overdrive stuff, which is pretty much the subassembly past the pump. The videos are rebuilding a 4R100, which is extremely similar to an E4OD, except in this area. They totally changed the design after 1998, and the video doesn't really cover the E4OD components very well. So I had to rely on pictures I took to break down the subcomponents, inspect, and get everything reassembled. This is the area I'm talking about.

After that, the video followed my transmission fairly well, which was a huge relief.

I did make a modification to the one tool I bought. This was another area where the 4R100 documented in the video differed from the E4OD I was rebuilding. The 4R100 had a flat spring pack in this area, while the E4OD had a big bellville spring with a taper on it. When I tried to compress the spring to remove the snap ring, the feet on the tool just walked down the incline of the bellville spring. So I drilled some holes on the legs of the tool and added some threaded rod to control where the legs could go.

After this point, it was a matter of breaking apart the separate subcomponents and washing them in mineral spirits. I have a few more components to wash before I proceed with reassembly. After the case was empty, I sprayed it down with Gunk and took it to the car wash. I wasn't going for "clean enough to paint" or anything, just wanted to knock the major chunks off in preparation for reassembly. I will start that tomorrow.

 

[grumpin]

Got the A/T disassembled today, all components cleaned up and inspected. This trans is in amazingly good shape for 162k miles and 26 years old. I did not find any components in it that needed replacing outside the normal consumables (friction plates and bands). The only exception to this was the bronze bushings for the sun gear on the output shaft, and wear is expected there.

Here the homemade tool is pulling the pump from the case.

Once out, that exposed the overdrive part of the E4OD. I assume these parts are not present in the C6, who the E4OD's internals are based on.

And digging deeper and deeper in.

The homemade tool is used again in a slightly different format to compress a spring which allows the removal of the snap ring, held in place by the large "finger" spring.

Finally deep enough that we are at the center of the transmission, in an area known as the "center support". Basically a big plate in the middle of the transmission to locate things.

After that came out, it exposed the back half of the trans. First wave of panic... there was a roller bearing there that supported the output shaft, ball bearings running around loose. Worse, this part was not described at all in the videos. I'm going to contact The Transmission Bench and see what they think.

The ring of the roller bearing is visible in the center, slightly offset to the top. The ball bearings have fallen down into the recess in the end of the output shaft.

Delving deeper into the trans.

Disassembly mostly complete.

Now starting to take apart the subassemblies. Pump is first.

I'm finding an A/T is vastly different than, say, an engine. An engine is a number of components that are mostly individual. There is the crankshaft, the connecting rods, pistons, rings, etc. For the most part, stuff that is assembled one part at a time (although repeated on a multi-cylinder engine). But a transmission is about 20 subassemblies, each of which breaks down into 10-20 parts of its own. The number of unique parts is astounding. I would estimate that around 600-700 individual components are working in an area of about 1 square foot.

What could possibly go wrong??? :)

The second major panic is when I pulled apart the overdrive stuff, which is pretty much the subassembly past the pump. The videos are rebuilding a 4R100, which is extremely similar to an E4OD, except in this area. They totally changed the design after 1998, and the video doesn't really cover the E4OD components very well. So I had to rely on pictures I took to break down the subcomponents, inspect, and get everything reassembled. This is the area I'm talking about.

After that, the video followed my transmission fairly well, which was a huge relief.

I did make a modification to the one tool I bought. This was another area where the 4R100 documented in the video differed from the E4OD I was rebuilding. The 4R100 had a flat spring pack in this area, while the E4OD had a big bellville spring with a taper on it. When I tried to compress the spring to remove the snap ring, the feet on the tool just walked down the incline of the bellville spring. So I drilled some holes on the legs of the tool and added some threaded rod to control where the legs could go.

After this point, it was a matter of breaking apart the separate subcomponents and washing them in mineral spirits. I have a few more components to wash before I proceed with reassembly. After the case was empty, I sprayed it down with Gunk and took it to the car wash. I wasn't going for "clean enough to paint" or anything, just wanted to knock the major chunks off in preparation for reassembly. I will start that tomorrow.

Wow! Good work, impressive!

I don’t think I want to do that.

[Gary Lewis]

Wow! Good work, impressive!

I don’t think I want to do that.

I'm with Dane. Impressive! But I don't want to do that. Man, having that many parts to put back together, correctly, would be a huge challenge. Keep up the good work!

[Pete Whitstone]

Got the A/T disassembled today, all components cleaned up and inspected. This trans is in amazingly good shape for 162k miles and 26 years old. I did not find any components in it that needed replacing outside the normal consumables (friction plates and bands). The only exception to this was the bronze bushings for the sun gear on the output shaft, and wear is expected there.

Here the homemade tool is pulling the pump from the case.

Once out, that exposed the overdrive part of the E4OD. I assume these parts are not present in the C6, who the E4OD's internals are based on.

And digging deeper and deeper in.

The homemade tool is used again in a slightly different format to compress a spring which allows the removal of the snap ring, held in place by the large "finger" spring.

Finally deep enough that we are at the center of the transmission, in an area known as the "center support". Basically a big plate in the middle of the transmission to locate things.

After that came out, it exposed the back half of the trans. First wave of panic... there was a roller bearing there that supported the output shaft, ball bearings running around loose. Worse, this part was not described at all in the videos. I'm going to contact The Transmission Bench and see what they think.

The ring of the roller bearing is visible in the center, slightly offset to the top. The ball bearings have fallen down into the recess in the end of the output shaft.

Delving deeper into the trans.

Disassembly mostly complete.

Now starting to take apart the subassemblies. Pump is first.

I'm finding an A/T is vastly different than, say, an engine. An engine is a number of components that are mostly individual. There is the crankshaft, the connecting rods, pistons, rings, etc. For the most part, stuff that is assembled one part at a time (although repeated on a multi-cylinder engine). But a transmission is about 20 subassemblies, each of which breaks down into 10-20 parts of its own. The number of unique parts is astounding. I would estimate that around 600-700 individual components are working in an area of about 1 square foot.

What could possibly go wrong??? :)

The second major panic is when I pulled apart the overdrive stuff, which is pretty much the subassembly past the pump. The videos are rebuilding a 4R100, which is extremely similar to an E4OD, except in this area. They totally changed the design after 1998, and the video doesn't really cover the E4OD components very well. So I had to rely on pictures I took to break down the subcomponents, inspect, and get everything reassembled. This is the area I'm talking about.

After that, the video followed my transmission fairly well, which was a huge relief.

I did make a modification to the one tool I bought. This was another area where the 4R100 documented in the video differed from the E4OD I was rebuilding. The 4R100 had a flat spring pack in this area, while the E4OD had a big bellville spring with a taper on it. When I tried to compress the spring to remove the snap ring, the feet on the tool just walked down the incline of the bellville spring. So I drilled some holes on the legs of the tool and added some threaded rod to control where the legs could go.

After this point, it was a matter of breaking apart the separate subcomponents and washing them in mineral spirits. I have a few more components to wash before I proceed with reassembly. After the case was empty, I sprayed it down with Gunk and took it to the car wash. I wasn't going for "clean enough to paint" or anything, just wanted to knock the major chunks off in preparation for reassembly. I will start that tomorrow.

Quick update - driveline is nearly back together. I only have to modify the pump (the part just under the torque converter and install it, then do the work in the valve body (pan) area.

So far only a few moments of major panic.

One was on disassembly when I discovered a roller bearing broken apart and little ball bearings scattered around, and I didn't know where it had come from. I got that figured out and ordered a new bearing.

Another was when I had put it almost all back together and realized that I had a thrust bearing left over, and wasn't sure where it went. I carefully reviewed the video and saw where it came from at disassembly. I am pretty sure the video omitted it on reassembly. Bet that has hosed up a few people.

I have ordered a stand-alone controller for it, a Quick 2 from Baumann/US Shift. That might be another learning curve. I found out the stand-alone controller requires vehicle speed as an input, and I don't have a vehicle speed sensor anywhere, as I stayed with the 9 inch rather than swap in the 8.8 from the 95. I have a plan to add a reluctor wheel (anti-lock brake ring, or tone ring) to the pinion input on the differential. It will take a little machining but I think I can make it use the sensor that was stock on the 95 donor truck.

I am pretty sure this transmission had never been apart before, and I gotta say, for a 26 year old unit, it was in amazing shape. All the seals were soft and pliable, all the other surfaces looked close to brand new. Ford really did a good job designing and building these things.

I can't claim to completely understand how an A/T works, but I have a much better idea now, anyway.

[Gary Lewis]

Quick update - driveline is nearly back together. I only have to modify the pump (the part just under the torque converter and install it, then do the work in the valve body (pan) area.

So far only a few moments of major panic.

One was on disassembly when I discovered a roller bearing broken apart and little ball bearings scattered around, and I didn't know where it had come from. I got that figured out and ordered a new bearing.

Another was when I had put it almost all back together and realized that I had a thrust bearing left over, and wasn't sure where it went. I carefully reviewed the video and saw where it came from at disassembly. I am pretty sure the video omitted it on reassembly. Bet that has hosed up a few people.

I have ordered a stand-alone controller for it, a Quick 2 from Baumann/US Shift. That might be another learning curve. I found out the stand-alone controller requires vehicle speed as an input, and I don't have a vehicle speed sensor anywhere, as I stayed with the 9 inch rather than swap in the 8.8 from the 95. I have a plan to add a reluctor wheel (anti-lock brake ring, or tone ring) to the pinion input on the differential. It will take a little machining but I think I can make it use the sensor that was stock on the 95 donor truck.

I am pretty sure this transmission had never been apart before, and I gotta say, for a 26 year old unit, it was in amazing shape. All the seals were soft and pliable, all the other surfaces looked close to brand new. Ford really did a good job designing and building these things.

I can't claim to completely understand how an A/T works, but I have a much better idea now, anyway.

Well done! I'm sure glad you figured out about the bearings before it was too late.

On the speed sensor, can you use the input from the sensor in the speedo cable for the speed control?

[Pete Whitstone]

On the speed sensor, can you use the input from the sensor in the speedo cable for the speed control?

I looked around a bit for something that would work off the speedometer cable, but didn't find anything I was sure would work. The speedo cable is somewhat of an unknown quantity right now anyway - the BW 1356 transfer case does not have a provision for a speedo cable.

So I don't know if I will get an earlier BW 1356 tailshaft housing and a longer speedo cable, or if I will convert to an electronic speedometer. If I do convert, I am assuming I could take the signal off the stock VSS I will be installing on the diff pinion.

Decisions, decisions.

[Gary Lewis]

On the speed sensor, can you use the input from the sensor in the speedo cable for the speed control?

I looked around a bit for something that would work off the speedometer cable, but didn't find anything I was sure would work. The speedo cable is somewhat of an unknown quantity right now anyway - the BW 1356 transfer case does not have a provision for a speedo cable.

So I don't know if I will get an earlier BW 1356 tailshaft housing and a longer speedo cable, or if I will convert to an electronic speedometer. If I do convert, I am assuming I could take the signal off the stock VSS I will be installing on the diff pinion.

Decisions, decisions.

Yep, decisions.

FYI, from 1980 thru 85 the speedo cable was in two pieces with the VSS under the brake booster. In 86 the VSS went into the tranny/t-case and there was a 1-piece speedo cable.

I changed to the latter and got a more stable signal for the speed control. Apparently the speedo cable was twisting and releasing.

[85lebaront2]

Yep, decisions.

FYI, from 1980 thru 85 the speedo cable was in two pieces with the VSS under the brake booster. In 86 the VSS went into the tranny/t-case and there was a 1-piece speedo cable.

I changed to the latter and got a more stable signal for the speed control. Apparently the speedo cable was twisting and releasing.

Ok, how do you explain Darth having the two piece cable with the sensor near the floor penetration? Built 08/86