Trans and T-Case

[99 Expy]

Hey guys, I've still got my bad clunk when I put the truck in reverse, and vibration when I back up. I replaced u joints the other day, and made the 600 mile drive home no problem. I looked into it more yesterday with my dad and grandpa and my dad thought it was the transfer case, so tore that out and apart to find the chain and sprocket were in good shape, so leaves it to my reverse gear being the issue. Anyway, my plan is to get it all back together tomorrow and find a used transmission and transfer case to put in at the end of the summer when I come home this summer. I have the 4R70W, and I since I'm going through the work to swap another in, I want to find a low mileage 4R100. I know it will bolt up, what I am looking to find is what will be different. Mounts, transfer case, electrical, drive shaft lengths? Are the F150s and Expys the same? The transfer case was easy to pop out, and the tranny looks like it might actually be easier to take out, so I'm not worried about that, only what I will have to change to make this work. I will do some looking online to find who else has done this. I probably won't be doing it until August, so I will have time to look up info and make sure I have everything. Let me know what you guys think about this.

 

[99 Expy]

I just did a little research, and looks like the 4R100 is a lot of work to swap in, but the Gotts2BMe (Gott's mod guy) swapped in a 4R75E from a 2004 F150 last fall, and with a programmer and change in the OSS sensor, he was able to make it work, I did a little checking, and I found a few close to home for $600 with only 25k miles on them. If that is a pretty direct swap then I will look into that, but I'm off to bed for now, have to get the transfer case in tomorrow morning to get everything ready for my 800 mile trip back for work on Tuesday. . . . I'll keep you guys filled in when I find anymore info, but I won't be on here much for the next few months since I'll be staying outside of town for work for the summer.

 

[panda24619]

well just find a 4wd transmission and your tcase will bolt right up. the only issue i could see of the new trans is electrical since the computer thinks it a the 4R70W. with a flash in the computer you should be fine.

 

[99 Expy]

I only looked stuff up for about 20 minutes until my computer died, but the 4R100 is has a longer case, so drive shaft lengths need to be changed, and a whole new harness as well. I am going to try to get in touch with the guy who swapped the 4R75E into his 2000 F150. From his thread, the 4R75E is a beefed up 4R70W, and it is made to hold up to the power of the 3v 5.4. I think the swap is direct, and the OSS sensor has to be swapped out for one from my truck and custom tunes to accommodate for the rest of the electronics. This would make the swap much easier since I will be on a time limit since I'm doing it at home, and it gives me an excuse to get a programmer. I found a tranny out of an 08 F150 with 25k miles for $600 which is a great deal considering the cheapest 4R75W I found was $450 with 130k miles. Since I'll be doing the swap, I'll have no problem rebuilding the motor in a few years since the rest of the truck is in great shape, and all new suspension.

 

[panda24619]

yeah your lucky. so the 4R75E will go up to the 5.4? well then go do it.

 

[99 Expy]

The 4R75E is what is bolted up to the 3v 5.4s like my mom's 08 F150. I'm gonna do more research, but that's what I'm leaning towards doing right now.

 

[panda24619]

well if this engine blows just get a 5.4 3v. haha but you wont be able to legally have it smogged since the engine is newer then the truck. you would have to put a 5.4 2v or 4v in to have it legal.

 

[99 Expy]

I don't need a 3v, and I don't plan on living in a liberal state where I need smog tests, so I don't have a problem If I find a trans and t case with only 30k on it, and with the lower mileage rear end, new suspension and good body, I won't have a problem holding on to the expy and rebuilding my 2v 4.6 next year after I graduate. If I don't get a super duty right away, I am planning on a complete overhaul with different cams, and maybe a stroker kit. Not sure about FI, but it would sure be nice I'm at least looking for 350-400 on motor, then I can wait for my 500 hp diesel

 

[99 Expy]

Just talked with Gott's on another forum, and to swap in the 4r75e, all that is needed is to replace the EPC solenoid with one from my expy, swap the OSS connector to mine, and custom tunes, and everything else is a direct swap. . . Looks like I'll be getting a 4r75 tranny soon

 

[ScottyDsntKnow]

well if this engine blows just get a 5.4 3v. haha but you wont be able to legally have it smogged since the engine is newer then the truck. you would have to put a 5.4 2v or 4v in to have it legal.

Nope you are backwards, the engine cannot be older than the vehicle, not the other way around. Not to mention that the 3v is horrible for mods and will be much more expensive to source than the 2v. Plus then you have to find a computer/harness for the 3v and who knows what else.

IIRC, the guy who did the 04 Expy Lightning supercharger swap has the 4R75E in that thing as well since he didn't want to wait for the stocker to blow up after putting another 100 hp in front of it. From what I've researched, it is just an updated 4R70W mostly for smoother shifting. The 4R70W was rated to 500+ ft lbs not to mention the 3v only has 10 more ft lbs more torque than the 2v so there was absolutely 0 need to upgrade for it to take the "power" of the 3v lol. I would see how much it would cost to have the 4R70W you have rebuilt and a shift kit installed vs a used stock 4R75E. Sounds like you are going to be pulling it yourself anyway so that is half the cost right there. Not to mention that if you are comfortable enough pull and re-install an automatic trans yourself then you also might want to look into doing the actual rebuild yourself. Rebuilding an automatic is not as daunting as it sounds provided you have all the right literature and a few special tools. A built 4R70W with a shift kit will take just about anything you'll ever be able to throw at it and it obviously will bolt right back in with 0 other mods so that is also a plus.

Food for thought.