I'm currently planning on swapping my 4.6 liter in my 03 Screw for an 5.4 liter from an 03 Expedition , then bolting on a Harley/ Lightning supercharger, and also swapping the 8.8 open differential for an 9.75 posi Harley differential. My question is should I also change the 4R70 for an 4R100 or should I just keep the one I got on it now?
Is the performance and longevity from the 4R100 that much better than the 4R70, or are they similar?
Will the 5.4 liter bolt right up to my stock 4R70?
Will I need to modify the transmission cross member, driveshaft, or flexplate to install the 4R100 or will it bolt right up?

A case of Coronas for whomever can shine a light on my swap.

4point6

 

When you get the 5.4L, get EVERYTHING. The wiring, the computer, and the transmission. The swap will go MUCH easier if you do it as a unit.

If you insist on keeping the 4R70W, good luck, you'll need it. The computer that runs the 5.4L won't run the 4R70W, and I don't think that a 4.6L computer is going to do a good job of running the 5.4L.

If by some miracle you get the 4R70W to shift, a supercharged 5.4L should tear it up in the first 100 miles.

 

The 4R100 is much beefier. The 4R70w is "just" a computer controlled AOD, while the 4R100 is based on the E4OD platform.

Adrianspeeder

 

Thanks Adrian and Casey for your input. Will the stock 4R100 from the Expedition hold up well with a supercharger? I was thinking about getting one of those high performance racing transmissions.
Casey, isn't the harness from my Screw the same as the one on the Expy? can I just bolt on the 5.4 computer up to my harness?

Thanks guys!

 

Casey is mistaken. The 5.4L supercrews came with the 4R70W in the old body style at least, so many stock computers will work with that combination (5.4L/4R70W). I don't know what the Expedition has in it, but I doubt it's the 4R100. Only the Lightnings and Harley editions came with the 4R100 tranny that I know of.

BTW, I dropped a Holley Thunder supercharger on my 5.4L with the 4R70W and I haven't had any problems with it, so the statement that it will crap out after 100 miles is a load of crap. I've had this on for 15,000 miles without any problems, and this supercharger puts out more than the Eaton.

Good luck putting the Lightning supercharger on the 5.4L. It's not trivial. You're better off going with an aftermarket supercharger that is more efficient and puts out more than the Eaton. It isn't a very good unit.

 

Funnel, thanks so much for your input, I was beginning to have doubts installing the 5.4 if I had to change the harness, tranny, and computer, but now I know all that isn't necessary.

I would love to install an aftermarket supercharger but just can't afford $4,200 bucks for one right now.
The 5.4 with only 20,000 miles costs me $1,500 and I could score a complete Harley/lightning supercharger for around $700 on Ebay bringing the total to around $2,200; 2 grand less than the aftermarket supercharger, BUT after reading all the problems that guy in the superchager forum is having installing an Eaton I just might consider waiting a little bit more to save for a Holley or Procharger.

BTW is your truck pretty fast? can you spank a stock Harley or Lightning?

Hit me back,

 

The expys did get the 4R100 more so than the 150s. Only real way to tell is to count the bolts or read the door code sticker.

If the 4R100 can take my big 7.3L powerstroker, it'll do fine with whatever you can do with your 5.4L. One exception, don't get it over 200 degrees. Under that you need to try to break it.

Adrianspeeder

 

First, to anwer your questions, yes the 5.4 will bolt directly to the 4R70. Yes, you will definitely have to change the flexplate, and probably the x-member and the driveshaft as the trannys are different lengths. The 4R70 will put more power the the ground than the 4R100 b/c of lower rotating mass inside the trans. As for longevity, both trannys, when built properly, have no trouble standing up to power. Lidio Iacobelli of Alternative Auto Performance ran 10s with 560 rwhp and a stock 4R70 (Lentech says their full race version is good to 1000hp). But, that's in a 2500lb Mustang Mach I, not a 5000lb truck. The 4.6 won't make the torque that the 5.4 will, and he's not going to be towing anything. The 4R100 traces it's roots back to the C6, which was used in everything up to 2 ton trucks. My experience w/ the E4OD/4R100 has been that as long as you keep the electronic parts working, they're pretty much bulletproof.

 

Like I said above, the only way to get the monster power through the E4OD/4R100 is to have COOLING, COOLING, COOLING. Keep the 4R100 under 200 and I challenge you to make enough twist to break it.

Adrianspeeder

 

yes some 5.4L's came with the 4R70W. all 2000 harleys came with the 5.4/4R70W, and some of the 2001 harleys came with the 5.4/4R70W and others with the tow package came wiht the 5.4/4R100. then all the 02-03 harleys had the 5.4/4R100

so if you have to you can run a 4R70W with the 5.4. i'd definately recommend getting a FTVB for whichever tranny you end up running. still the best mod i've ever done by a long shot!

and if you plan on doing the eaton swap, i'd figure around 2 grand on that, maybe more maybe less, but you arent gonna supercharge a N/A 5.4L for 700 bucks and be done with it.

lots of guys have done the swap and if done right it will be an awesome setup. and looks alot nicer IMO than the procharger, vortech, etc. that hang off the side of the engine and clutter up the engine bay.

you definately want to hit up this guy
http://www.madenterprise.com/F150.htm

he's a SV at NHTOC and has helped lots of guys do the lightning s/c swap onto their N/A 5.4's. he has package kits that sell all the extra parts you need after you get the s/c from the ebay auction, and can source out just about all the stuff you need to get and has lists of everything you gotta do to do it right