E4OD Occasionally locking TC in reverse

JD3020 · Aug 26, 2012

Trans was re-built by Unlimited Diesel last winter, and i think it has 8k miles on it(can't find my sheet with the install mileage). Fluid is good, no flashing OD light or anything, and it has a PI converter.

Problem is twice now the truck has stalled when i put it in reverse, both times have after its gotten fairly warm. First time was when i was hauling grain this summer, grossed 22k+, 90+ outside temp, and i couldn't go fast enough to get the converter locked. By the time i got to the mill it was pushing 210*. Went to put it in reverse and it died. Fired it up, it kinda chugged for a second or two but was fine after that. Got her out on the road and cooled down, hauled a couple more loads that day where i could lock the converter, and had no issues after that.

Then Friday night we went to SDX, cruised at 80+ most of the way out there, it was pretty hot out as well. Trans temp on my SC rose up to 190-195ish, and my Autometer read 185. Got in construction and it got cooler out, and temp dropped to 170 and stayed there. Got to the hotel, went to back into a spot, and it locked the TC and died. Fired it up and it was fine after that. Made the drive home last night/this morning and the trans ran cool and no issues.

So what could be happening that causes it to lock up when warm? I'm currently looking for either a Tru-Cool or a 6.0 cooler as my B&M isn't keeping the trans cool for some reason, so i'm hoping to get that taken care of. Also not happy with how it shifts, so i'm gonna try to get that taken care of as well.

Mark Kovalsky · Aug 26, 2012

There are several potential causes of a converter locking in reverse.

Low fluid
Loose/missing internal filter
Worn seals
Worn pump
Bad torque converter

JD3020 · Aug 26, 2012

Mark Kovalsky said:
There are several potential causes of a converter locking in reverse.

Low fluid
Loose/missing internal filter
Worn seals
Worn pump
Bad torque converter

I've thought about all those. But:

Fluid level looks good.
Filter is the only thing that really makes sense to me, but why has it been twice in a good number of miles and only when it gets warm?
Worn seals, could they wear out quick or be defective and act up when warm?
Pump was new, but could heat be effecting it?
Converter doesn't make much since as its a top of the line PI, but could always have an issue.

I've been trying to read around on-line some and i haven't really found anything that relates to my issue. Its just kinda sporadic and i bet if i tried i couldn't make it do it. The only constant has been that each time the trans had gotten a little warm at one point, but i know that last spring and into summer when i was going to college the trans would get warm in the constant stop and go traffic with no air movement, and never had an issue.

Another hot day today though and i gotta run about an hour north and drag back 100+ bales of straw, so i'll see if it acts up again.

Tom S · Aug 26, 2012

I think I might pull the pan and check out that second one.

JD3020 · Aug 26, 2012

Tom S said:
I think I might pull the pan and check out that second one.

Might do it sometime, wouldn't hurt either to make or buy a clip to hold the filter. May even buy a nice aluminum flat bottom pan to replace the rusty pan thats on there now.

Anyways i put another 90+ miles on the truck tonight, half of that was pulling 63 bales of straw stacked 7 high on a small trailer, so it was a freaking sail. Trans temp hovered around 175-180. Had to back up multiple times and every time it went right into reverse with no issues.

It just seems to me that if the filter was loose or fell out, it'd act up frequently, not just on 2 occasions with thousands of miles between them. :shrug:

JD3020 · Aug 30, 2012

Racked up a couple hundred more miles throughout the week(put on 1k+ miles over the past 7 days) and still not a single issue out of the trans besides the ordinary shifting quirks.

Only thing that makes sense is that when the trans gets hot something is acting up(valve sticking?), as the only time its had issues is when its warm but each time it cleared right up. Just wish i knew what it was.

Mark Kovalsky · Aug 31, 2012

When it is warm the ATF is thinner and can pass through the seals easier. This points to worn seals or a worn pump.

Fresh ATF is thicker than old, worn ATF. A fluid change might help this condition.

JD3020 · Sep 19, 2012

Figured i'd update this thread and see if i can't figure it out.

Been racking up the miles recently, and almost at 200k now. Even done a decent bit of towing with 0 issues in the past couple weeks. But my lock-up issue did show up one day. On the 9th i went out and did some dirt drag racing, launched in 4wd and was launching at 15+psi and running a couple hundred feet. At one point i was hot lapping against another 7.3 and after the 3rd pass in a row, trans temp on both gauges was creeping towards 170ish. So i called it quits and went to back into where i was parked. As soon as i put it in reverse it died. Tried reverse again and it lugged it, and then was fine after that. Keep in mind this was probably 8-900 miles ago and i haven't had an issue since.

I have also noticed that when the trans is cold, as in the mornings, it shifts nice and crisp, almost perfect. Once it gets past about 120* it changes how it shifts, and becomes harsh and sloppy, just turns to crap basically. Does this with and without tunes. And its a huge difference in how it shifts. Does not seem to get worse though as it gets warmer.

I haven't dropped the pan yet, but IMO i see no way that it could be a filter. With the amount of driving i've done i would be seeing issues quite often instead of only a couple times over such a long period of time. So that points me to leaking seals. Anyway to check for this, or is pretty much the only way to do it disassembling the trans?

85_305 · Oct 23, 2012

I wouldn't focus on temp so much.. these trannies can handle 220* on the high side.

also, this might be an IPR issue. If you are in park, GENTLY blip the throttle before putting into reverse. Then put it in reverse. Does it die? Might very well be the IPR.

PSDEng · Oct 23, 2012

Change the fluid and see if it helps...that's an easy way to tell if it truly is the seals or not. I would trust Mark's judgement....he knows his stuff when it comes the these transmissions since, well, he helped design them

JD3020 · Oct 23, 2012

85_305 said:
I wouldn't focus on temp so much.. these trannies can handle 220* on the high side.

also, this might be an IPR issue. If you are in park, GENTLY blip the throttle before putting into reverse. Then put it in reverse. Does it die? Might very well be the IPR.

Yes.

But i've put another 3k miles on the truck since the dirt drags, hauling grain, straw, all kinds of stuff and not a single issue.

This just seems to be a freak thing that it did with the old trans and this trans with no obvious cause.

Like last week hauling grain accidentally started a CCT while waiting for a load of beans, immediately aborted it and the truck idled fine. Pulled out on the road and i thought i lost an injector or CPS. Horrible miss, sputtered, backfired and would bellow out white/black smoke, and blue smoked under throttle. Restarted the truck and been fine since.