Changing shifting parameters on a 2000 7.3l Powerstroke w/4R100 trans

[jfbrubaker1969]

I don't know if anybody is still looking at this forum, but here goes...

I bought an i-1000 about 11 years ago for my 2000 Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke and a 4R100 transmission. I don't remember what tune I loaded back then, I think it might have been the 85HP tune, but I had to get a fix tune for it because it wasn't shifting correctly. My 7.3 has been running great all this time but over the past few months I have noticed an issue with the torque converter locking in 3rd gear. Under average acceleration (around 2000 RPM) I would expect the torque converter to lock up around 35mph when in 3rd gear, but for some reason I now have reach around 43mph (and close to 2300 RPM) before the torque converter will lock in 3rd gear...and then about a second later it will shift to 4th gear. Not exactly very fuel efficient for 'city' driving.

The weird thing is the torque converter will usually lock up as expected when under a higher load and heavier acceleration (like accelerating uphill to merge on to a highway).

Can parameters for when the torque converter will lock be adjusted with the i-1000?

[mikel]

that would require a custom tune.
FWIW, tuning is not the fix here, if the lockup speed changed on its own, its likely a mechanical issue that needs to be addressed.

[jfbrubaker1969]

FWIW, tuning is not the fix here, if the lockup speed changed on its own, its likely a mechanical issue that needs to be addressed.

Hi Mike, thanks for responding. Honestly, that's what I think too. I posted this issue on a Ford-Trucks(.)com forum and a guy who says he's a retired Ford transmission engineer basically dismissed my issue by saying it's a programming issue, so I figured I would ask here.

I was considering just re-flashing the tune on my Excursion, but before I do that I wanted to ask a question. Back in 2014 when I bought my i-1000 and installed the 85hp tune, there was an issue that other people had experienced where the transmission wasn't shifting correctly. I had reached out about it and you guys sent me a corrected tune to install and it worked as expected, so I haven't messed with it since.

I hooked my i-1000 up to my computer for the first time in 10 years and installed the latest update(s):
application: 1r04j
Ford tune db: 1r02u(*)
Ford PID db: 1r01b(*)

I'm curious if that fix for the transmission shifting issue was incorporated into later updates or if it is something you would need to send me?

Thanks!

[mikel]

I would have to assume it does. I cant say i recall the issue unfortunately.
You should still have the custom tune on the device if needed.

[jfbrubaker1969]

Just to rule out some weird issue with the tune, I reverted back to the factory settings and still experienced the same issue with the torque converter not locking up in 3rd gear as expected. I can't believe how anemic my Excursion felt with the factory tune, I forgot how much of a difference the 85hp tune made!

Mike, for what it's worth, the 85hp tune still has the same issue...it will not shift out of 1st gear, it shudders and jolts when it tries to shift into 2nd gear. I loaded the 'fixed' 85hp tune you guys sent me back when I first got my i-1000 and it now shifts fine.

Are the torque converter lock-up points something that is part of the tune, or is that handled by some other system? I'm trying to determine if the torque converter is being commanded to lock and it's just being slow to respond or if there is something else going on.

[mikel]

converter lockup is handled in the tune, but it cant change in the tune. So if its locking up differently now with the same tune that used to lock up properly, its a lockup issue vs anything the tune could have done.

I have to believe those tunes have been updated, we dont have any 7.3 customers reporting those issues with any of the current devices.

[jfbrubaker1969]

Thanks for the reply Mike, is there a chart or list that shows the parameters for the torque converter lock up for 3rd gear? My understanding is it's based (mostly?) on vehicle speed and throttle position? If I know the parameters I can try to replicate them with Forscan logging the data so I can (hopefully) find out what is going on.

Regarding the tune, is it possible that when I updated my i-1000 that the tunes themselves were not updated? I know the update did not affect the custom tune you guys had sent to fix the problem. Do the tunes have revision numbers I can check?

Again, thanks for any help you are able to provide!

[mikel]

the tune database is current.

As far as the lockup, there are dozens of tables, functions and scalars related to converter lockup in the calibration, impossible to pinpoint one that would correlate to anything you could see in forsan.