Hi, Has anybody ever put a shift kit in their 2000 ford f-150 4x4 trans.? I was curious to see if they saw any "real" performance from this upgrade. Also, what brand and where did u buy it from?

thanks

dave

 

That's easy...contact GBEvans@peoplepc.com

I got a valve body kit from Gregg (FactoryTech) for my 2002 and what a difference.

Tell him how you want it to shift (neck snapping, tight, firm, etc) before you do the work and he will let you know the right combination of springs to put in.

You will have to return your core valve body, but the price is really reasonable.

Sidewinder

 

I installed a Banks Trans-Command and love it. Your not forced to have your shifts at one specified level of firmness. The Trans-Command gets wired in and reads RPM, throttle position and vehicle speed to sense the load on the vehicle and will increase line pressure proportionately up to 33%. With easy acceleration from a light you can barely feel the shift being any firmer. This is nice when I have the in-laws in my Expedition. Hammer the gas and it shifts real firm. Easy acceleration with a heavy trailer and it shifts nice and firm. Fluid temps went down also with it.
I bought it directly from Banks and it cost $251.00. It took me 2 hrs to install and it was easy to do. The heat shield over the converter had to come off and the bolts were tough to get at. It also comes with a bypass plug that you can plug into it (takes 10 seconds) which will set it back to stock configuration. If you have the truck run on a diagnostic machine insert the plug and it's back to stock.
It's also nice to be able to remove it if you sell the truck. The next owner might not want it and why sell it with the truck. If you buy another Ford you will be able to install it in that truck if it has the same transmission which it probably will.

 

I don't mean to be argumentative or question davet's results but there have been some negative comments on this board about the units that control the line pressure electronically. I have had very good results with my Transgo kit.

 

Thanks for bringing that up GearHead_1. After Factory-Tech mentioned in another thread that increasing line pressure electronically ruins the stock solenoids I began looking into it thinking I may be damaging my tranny. I posted this specific question on this site not too long ago. Superchips replied to the question and said in his reply that there is no history of the Banks Trans-Command damaging trannys. Banks technical engineers told me that the Trans-Command has been around since the 1980's and is used on diesel applications that are pulling and hauling a heck of a lot more weight than we are with our gas engines and doing it with double the torque. Banks requires the Trans-Command with all of its diesel upgrade kits to extend the life of the tranny with the increased torque. The Trans-Command only increases the line pressure up to a max of 33% and only at the split second of the shift. It's not increased all the time. One thing I haven't been able to clarify is whether I can use an aftermarket tuner now with the Trans-Command. I spent a lot of time on the phone and on the computer trying to verify Factory-Tech's claim and found he was only partially right. It turns out that every aftermarket tuner you can buy that firms up shifts through a software change increases line pressure electronically. I haven't found anyone yet that says a Microtuner or Superchips product damaged their tranny. I found out through speaking with tranny shops and aftermarket tuners that if you increase the line pressure electronically to the point where you are getting 2nd and 3rd gear rubber that you will probably damage the tranny. If you want 2nd and 3rd gear rubber then increase it with both a mechanical upgrade and with a software upgrade. Making the shifts extremely firm with just a software change or just a mechanical change is bad for the internals. This site is a great source for info on all kinds of issues and I'm glad I found it. But, just like with anything you have to do research to double check what people tell you. If there is a product out there for our Fords someone on this site has tried it or knows someone who has. They are great sources of feedback. I hope whichever route you go with your tranny that you like it. GearHead-1 likes his Trans-Go and others like their Factory Tech valve bodies while others like their electronic tuners. Take your pick.

 

I've never seen the Banks unit, so I won't say anything about it, but there are known issues with using the computer to raise line pressure. When Ford "split" the diesel engine (different HP and Torque ratings for the stick and automatic) they did it for a reason, namely the 4R100 couldn't take the extra torque reliably. Anyhow just about a year after they split them, more diesels started losing pumps, caused by lamination of the pump gear and the resulting contamination. Since then, several issues have been found that may cause this, and among them is the theory that when some customers saw they had less power than the stick model, they knew it was safe for the engine (more or less, at any rate Ford is selling them that way) and bought chips for the extra power, and the thought was that though many of them didn't know it changed the tranny function it did (raised the line pressure, very common in aftermarket chips). When they got them, they hardly minded, I think that's how the thing should shift, and a lot of people agree. Anyhow, just wantonly raising the line pressure can cause the pump to possibly run dry for about 10 ms on the shift event, and this doesn't hurt anything today, may not hurt anything for a long time, depending on how you drive etc... but it's not good for it, and the increased power is more than the stock tranny is designed for, so this was considered by a lot of people who know to be at least a contributing factor in the pump failures. There are other problems that also can be the cause, but this one is certainly viable and logical, whether you think it't the pump starving for fluid or just more torque than the design limit. I personally think it's the pump wanting more fluid, but that's not a a fact, just an opinion that a lot of people have, and dealers are looking for a chip more than they used to because of the possibility.
But, take it with at least a grain of salt, I sell valve bodies, so I at least look biased, which I prolly am, but I think I'm right, if for no other reason than becuase it's the pumps that fail and not the clutches.
Being that I make my own parts, and don't sell anyone elses, Im free to do what I think is best, and that's what I do. Whether I'm right or not is open to argument, and even if I am, I couldn't venture to say what "percent" of increased line pressure IS safe, I just think that building a valve body is the better way to go and that's what I do. I will say that I think the above post is plausable, maybe they know how much is safe, but I don't. I will say that Ford agrees with me in a backhanded sort of way. Ford builds at least 7 different Accumulators for the 4R100/E4OD, and this is a headache from a manufacturing point of view, it would be much easier to build one and write different software for different shift feel, but they don't do it that way, and nither do I.

Hope this helps, sorry I rambled,

G

 

I installed a B&M Shift Improver (electronic) kit in my F-150 not long after purchasing it new in 97. I liked the difference the kit made, however, now (6 years and 130K miles later) my trans shifts Very hard even without the gizmo connected up. I'm still trying to figure out what has happened. In reading other posts on this site, it would seem that it may be a solenoid gone bad. If I had it to do over, I would have installed a valve body kit instead of the electronic one. How big of a job is replacing a pressure solenoid, anyone know?

 

If you have the E4OD changing the solenoid isn't that hard, just drop the pan and swap it out. On the 4R70W it's a little more involved.

G