97 EB 5.4 E40D Woes...

Hi Y'all, well trying to keep this old gal going;

I am the second owner of a 1997 EB 4x4 5.4 that I have driven since it had 36k miles...it is now at 200200. Mostly trouble free...

As it is getting up there, it has leaks, so I watch fluids pretty well, except for the water/coolant, see thread...

My tranny has for the last 5 years or so intermittently had morning sickness, where it slips when it is cold in drive, then it is fine...servicing fixed that issue about 50k back...

5 weeks ago, the tranny fluid appeared to be low, so I added two quarts of type f atf; oops, but it was all I had at the house...I thought it wouldn't make much of a difference as innerweb said it was the same except the lack of friction modifiers...

Well, couple weeks after that, my od light started blinking, and then it would shift hard without an audible bang from 1-2...and this wasn't even every day, just whenever...

Then, last thursday, after driving it with same blinking od light, but speedometer/odometer and no check engine light on...friday morning I started her up and she had a dancing speedometer, odometer worked normally, but she was slipping so bad in 3-4th...no check engine light and the od light never blinked. but still functioned well...as I had the kids in a canyon, i dropped them, went to pboys and checked fluid level hot, it was dry...so I put in 4 quarts and some lucas antislip (as it felt like my 65 mustang did when the torque convertor just didn't have enough fluid in it).

this didn't solve the problem. after some research and today after slipping badly to kids and a check engine light that finally came on code p0500 vehicle speed sensor $10 at my shop I use, i talked with them and they started with maintenance...we drained old fluid, flushed tranny with 15 quarts, changed the filter and put in a 30 dollar vehicle speed sensor that goes on the tranny unit itself...the mechanic test drive revealed harder shifts, no slipping like it was in neutral, check engine light not cleared yet, no light on overdrive blinking, but also no speedometer, not even dancing like before...

I drove it today around, but it shifts hard from 1-2 and 2-3, I did have some slipping once while in od 4th like it was in neutral, but now it doesn't slip as much and no speedometer, cleared code, engine light came on again for p0500, and now it clunks with sounds, and even goes into to first abruptly when slowing at a light...

It does feel like the car is faster, freer, like the filter was clogged, but can't tell because no speedometer, odometer, and therefore no trip computer for average mpg etc...QUESTION FINALLY, sorry but details, is there another vss on the rear axle of this 97 expy? Is this typical to drive one day, then the other morning have all the problems 8 hours later? thanks for any advice or input!!! John

yes, there is a WSS on the top of the rear diff. it'll be on the forward side. pretty easy to get to if you remove the spare.

!!!!** DISABLE REAR SIR SUSPENSION FIRST IF EQUIPPED **!!!!!

I'm curious where your trans fluid was going and why you didn't elaborate on the coolant level?

Thanks! Im in your chair, I'll check that out...
Mediamonkey11: The answer is simple, embarrassment...I had a big thread with the gauges going crazy...It was going in limp home mode after my radiator leaked slowley on the plastic part causing codes and low power and gauge problems...turns out it was in the darn owners manual even...but I did learn alot! So far, coolant, oil, tranny oil is still not intermingled (that I know of).

Update...well, it finally threw code P0500 which is the vehicle speed sensor...now for my 97 expy, there appears to be only one vss on the end extension piece of the tranny, and a wheel speed sensor wss for the abs on the rear dif...

I replaced the vss with a new pep boys borg warner, after I had it flushed, new filter, and new fluid...this fixed the slipping, but it shifts hard, and sticks in the rpm range higher than normal...

Also, I didn't know this until i researched but> the plastic gear on the end of the vss needs to be unclipped and placed on the new one...this is the same gear you can adjust purchase new if you jump to 35's or 37s or etc...I realized that after the shop put in the new bw vss, the speedo and odometer just stopped, didn't work at all, didn't "dance around" like it had been...I asked for the old one, and sure enough, the old one had a black plastic gear still on it...took it to the shop and sure enough they had put it on without any gear from the original...they were embarrased and put it on for free, on the motorcraft vss 60.00 billet vss...however, I wish that had fixed it but it didn't. speedo and odometer still not registering at all...

so, I need to put all the old stuff back on, wss and vss with original black gear, to try to see which one may be bad...it is possible that the rear diff wss (which the ford parts guy strongly suggested this is what the problem should be) might be bad, I did put in some 15 autozone wss, perhaps that is bad, but the abs light has never come on...

The mechanic that put in the vss on the trans piece looked at the steel metal gear wheel in the tranny, which appeared to be good...so..

It might be a bad wss in the diff...
It might be that the black original plastic gear on the end of the vss might be bad and I need to get a new black plastic gear piece?
Or, it might be some other electronic piece that I don't know the correct name for...

note> pepboys also had a third sensor, or a second vss sensor for somewhere on the trans, but I stopped by aamco, showed them the part, and he didn't think my 97 e40d had a second vss sensor? Researching this is strange, as there are mixed views and misinformation...

also, after reading some, it triggered my memory, that when I was slidding around the rear end on some dirt in two by, that is when the od light started flashing, intermittenly, and then shifted hard, but then would go away...I read that that is the beginning of a torque convertor slipping going bad...however, it never threw a code during that time segment 1753?

Just posting in case someone can learn or have information...