My rig started shifting funny about 2yrs ago, it didn't happen all the time, it was intermittant so I waited until I could reproduce it for diagnosis. It got worse over time, finally to a point I could reproduce it. The primary problem is the trans wants to start out in 2nd or 3rd gear from a stop. I had to manually pull it into 1st with the column many times to start out. After I get to 15mph I manually put it back in D and it upshifts OK, plus it downshifts fine when passing or climbing hills.

So I take it into the Ford dealer this week and they immediately tell me it's a ground problem in the ABS PCM module. This module tells the transmission when to downshift when coming to a stop. The service writer went on the tell me they've seen this many times, it's a common problem and extended warranties would pay for the repair, but my extended warranty expired 2yrs ago. He estimated the repair at $230, which I thought was fair enough. Then he calls the next day and says it's $650 because it took 5hrs of labor at $115/hr. What?

I didn't have much choice at that point, I said fix it. When I pick up the rig I asked to see what was done. He shows me a Ford bag with about 3' of wire in it. It was a repair kit to ground 7 pins of the PCM module. The wire was worth about $2, but they charged me $73 for the part! I couldn't believe it.

Using the harness P/N in my bill, I find a bulletin on the internet that tells all about the repair, turns out it's a well know problem by Ford dealers. After reading the bulletin there's no way this work took 5hrs. NO WAY. I got screwed.

So, if you have this problem with your Ford RV with the 4R100 Trans, check out the Ford bulletin here. You can probably do this work yourself by buying the Ford repair harness yourself for $73, P/N 1C3Z-13N850-AA. I could make one of these harnesses, there's nothing to it. It's simply 7 wires, each about 6" long, all soldered together at one end with a ground lug. The other end of the 7wires go to a connector to provide a solid ground to the PCM module, each pin is specifically shown in the service bulletin.

I hate getting screwed, even for $400!

Update:

I took the Ford bulletin by the Ford service writer that wrote up the charges and pointed out the bulletin states .9hrs labor to install the grounding strap. Told them a good mechanic could easily do this in 2hrs, not 5. I asked why their mechanics are so slow.

Long story short, they refunded $325 of the $650 I paid. I guess the moral of the story is....... don't be afraid to question things, especially if it doesn't seem right.

If I had only known.