My fourth gear went out in my Cougar, was told the overdrive band is fried.
I have been doing a little research and trying to find a good reliable transmission or ways to get mine rebuilt.
What recommendations do you think for around 300 hp?
I know Aamco said they would rebuild for $1200 with rebuilt torque converter. Do you recommend Aamco? 1 year 12,000 mile warranty, upgrade to 3 year 36,000 for $250 more.
Thanks!
i think as long as they will warenty it and you are happy with the price i would go for it. i, however, wouldnt go with a rebuilt torque converter. some things i prefer to get new and for some reason that is one of them.
2 words.....SHIFT KIT!
Better yet...Crown Vic AOD....bullet proof behind a stock Cougar!....I have one....want to buy it? If you buy the parts, I'll rebuild it and hop it up. I gotta get it out of my dad's garage and I'll never use it.
Besides, it's stronger due to the fact that the Panther chassis is well...heavier. And mine has 120,000 miles on it and it still has all for gears...er did when I pulled it. But I'd be willing to rebuild it in order to get rid of it.
TCI performance rebuild, Also the energy suspension mounts do wonders for it. they are priced realitvely low to through summit. Just keep in mind an AOD is only good up to 350Hp at the flywheel. Anymore you are going to be riding on borrowed time. After burning up my 3rd I decided for the performace rebuild. If your gonna spend 1200 get this TCI-431000 summit # 1259 brand new
(http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/tci-431000.jpg)
throw in a t-5 or a c4
Hmm the t-5 will barely hold more than a rebuilt AOD. And who wan'ts to get rid of there overdrive? Especially you "Mr. Drive a million miles for cat jam"
Aren't those the AOD-E? I thought the Panther was what they call the newer Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar.
Panther platform runs from '79 & up, but I wasn't aware that CV's, TC's, & GM's had different AOD specs than their Fox-body cousins of the same vintage.
It's got a regular AOD...but beefed up...I've tried to find the differences in specs...but found nothing. You have to admit, if it was the EXACT same AOD...it would fail a lot quicker and more frequent in such a heavy car. My guess is it has extra clutches and possibly some HD parts...I have yet to take an AOD apart so I couldn't tell you the differences first hand. But I've heard they are stronger and thought about it and have come to the conclusion that something is different between the two AOD's. If there isn't a difference...then it is just a coincidence that mine has survived 100,000 in a CV and then 20,000 in my Cougar with me pounding on it constantly....hmm prolly the reason my rear is bad now too...:p
hmm. I have a 91 crown vic(last year of the aod I do belive) basically sitting parked. I have heard nothing until now of them being any beefier.
I am sure a crown vic with a police interceptor would have more clutches then that.
So what about the AODs in 80's trucks? Same as CV spec? even heavier duty?
I just assumed they were all the same - they arent exactly renowned for durability in any (stock) application.
My mechanic and I dug into information about AOD's via Ford shop manuals a few years ago. Basically...yes, they're all the same inside. The Mustang AOD has a few extra clutches but that was the only difference that we ever found. The valve body was revised in 1988 and is better than the earlier ones because of improved internal oiling passages. Otherwise...there's floor shift and column shift, and that sums up the major differences right there. ;)
A shift kit sort of 'does one better' to the stock valve body in that it can be made to help the transmission shift quicker and more efficiently. That wastes less energy and eventually helps with fuel economy (although I doubt you could measure it LOL). But the tradeoff is a firmer shift, something not as desirable in mushy land yachts. Will it help an AOD last longer? By most measures, yes, so long as the transmission isn't otherwise abused.
A performance converter...for mild street, the larger in size, the better. Because the smaller you go, the higher the RPM's for the stall speed, but also the more heat you generate. I believe stock is 11" or 12"; going to a 1" smaller one is good. Going 2" smaller, meh, that should be about the limit if you're never going to take the car to the track. Most people look at stall speed, which directly correlates to your camshaft, weight of the car, and general usage. But the physical size should also be considered just so you can keep down the heat. I think the B&M Street Heat or whatever is like 8"...that's like, serious strip use only.
The best investment, though, is an external trans cooler...and not the one built into the radiator either. Heat kills transmissions, and especially so with an AOD. Regular fluid changes are good too...although I'm not too keen on flushing. An illustration: Eric buys 1988 XR7 in 1998. Eric never touches the absolutely perfectly-shifting AOD. Friend buys Eric's XR7 in 2002. Friend immediately changes AOD filter and trans fluid. Less than 2 weeks later, AOD is toast. Friend is upset. Eric says, "I told you so." :)
agreed as long as their are no sighns of trouble dont flush it. i ran a stalion 9" converter in mine...i forget the stall on it. nice unit but i way overspent on it becaust i just plain didnt need that calibure of TC. a cheeper one would have been fine in my car...
Ha...so I got lucky...sweet...even still...I want to get rid of it...or else it will sit and sit and sit and...you get the picture. Unless someone has a killer deal on an 87 XR-7 with shot tranny so I can replace the one I regretfully sold to a guy for parts. Oh in PA.
It was weird though, the 84 with 84 CV AOD held up through a rough winter and a brutal summer with line locks, hard lauches, and much full throttle action...yet my 87 die....cruising....45 mph.........!!! Didn't touch it, just went out, then changed filter and fluid...didn't help (didn't think it would...my dad's idea). Still ran strong, just no OD.
so if i get a aod from a crown vic put a shift kit in it ...behind a 5.0ho from a stang it should be good . i know some people said an aod is an aod . but if i get a shift kit for a aod .will it fit the crown vic aod ? or am i just ramblein on and i just answerd my own question ?
Z
It will fit. They are all identical except for those Mustang ones.
My suggestion.....if I had the money...pick up an AOD and an AODE and swap the AOD valve body with the AODE...that I know is stronger than the AOD.
Oh oh...has anyone ever rigged up an AODE to operate using a paddle shift type setup? If not, that would be an awesome project...push button shifting in a Coug/Bird. I wanna do it.
From the '84 shop manual:
AOD Specifications:
Forward clutch
5.0L or 3.8L steel 4, friction 4
5.8L -------steel 5, friction 5
Reverse clutch
5.0L or 3.8L steel 2, friction 3
5.8L -------steel 3, friction 4
Direct clutch
5.0L or 5.8L steel 5, friction 5
3.8L -------steel 4, friction 4
Intermediate clutch
5.0L or 5.8L steel 3, friction 3
3.8L -------steel 2, friction 2
Hmm my cousin who owned my Tbird before me had the AOD die...sort of. Trans was fine but it blew up the torque converter at 98,000 miles :dunno:
That wont work. AODE is no different inside than an AOD, unless its behind an HO. The HO and truck AODs has extra clutches. I think you are thinking about a 4R70W, which has higher 1st and 2nd gear ratios. Even then it wont work because the case is a different casting. Take an AOD that was behind an HO Stang, or Mark7, shift kit the valve body, and add the planetary set from a 4R70W. That is how you make a bad ass street tranny. When you start making a lot of horsepower and torque, then you think about hardened internals and like that.
Stock tranny pushing 350 W HP will break the input shaft, Have broken 3 now, Luckily i HAD aod's laying around but now im out if supply so Im building a bullet proof.
That came from the Coolcats.net Tech pages....so if I'm wrong, then that page is wrong.
Clutches being the same in quantity isn't going to mean the same durability or strength. But strong internals will mean you can put more power to it and not snap the input shaft off when shifting to 3rd or OD.
The AOD-E is the 4R70W...one and the same. AOD-E is just shorter to type sometimes.
I cannot remember the torque specs of an AOD (250?) but the '70' in 4R70W means that it can withstand 700 lb/ft of torque. Obviously there's a little bit of a difference between the two. :)
The fact that the 4R70W can be had with a small-block Ford bolt pattern and converter, and just needs a separate harness and computer, is the major advantage to having one in an older car. It's really no different than retrofitting an SN95 braking system--newer parts, older car, parts fit, no problemo. Baumann Engineering seems to have the 4R70W swap down to a science. That's going to be my next transmission, that's for sure. I've had 7 cars and 15 AOD's and it just gets tiresome throwing money away. It's like, why wrestle with something that WILL fail, when you can have a better solution with just a little more effort?
they are a nice tranny. i did however rip the "front pump" as the shop called it right in 2. mark viii is a friggin heavy car though and it was a 1-2 shift at overt 7000 rpm that did it...
Some of the 03-04 Cobra guys have swapped in bone stock 4R70W's into their cars with 600 dyno proven hosepower. If only it had five gears.......
awesome info at http://www.baumannengineering.com/aodeupgr.htm
I took this info to my machine shop and he already knew about most of the updates in here and is going to do most of them to fit my application for $1500 for total rebuild including removal and installation, u joints and a decent warranty. He promised me it will be alot stronger than it came from the factory. He highly recommended the 2'' overdrive band and the A or billet A+ servo. He is looking into the best material available right now for the clutches and bands.
I already have a transmission cooler installed running in series with my radiator cooler and shift kit installed.
I highly suggest to everyone I know to stay away from transmission flushes from a speed lube like service station. I take my transmission maintenance and work to a licensed transmission shop or a dealership, not an oil change place.
The Pickup and Super Coupe AODs were the best ones... The SC AOD in my TC is TOTALLY stock(never apart)except for a hardened input shaft(broke 1st time at track) and Trans-Go shift kit. Been beating on it for over six years and it's still ticking(one of these days it'll explode)... I've used nothing but type "F" fluid, now has approx 75K mi and over 500 drag strip passes on it....
Is it possible the keep the trans (AOD) in third gear by shifting back to "L" after the 2nd to 3rd shift. I have the Trans Go shift kit and modified governor but at 4100 in 3rd gear it will shift up to 4th. It shifts out of 1st at 5400 and out of 2nd at 5250 but will shift to 4th with the gear lever in "D", otherwise it would go through the quarter in 3rd gear pulling harder. Does it require a valve $$$ body? Thanks, Fred
I beefed up my AOD by installing Red alto clutches, new 3rd direct drum(old one was toast), Lentech hardened lockup input shaft, Lentech Stage II VB with 1-2-3 and OD electronic lockout, TCI 3200 lockup converter, and a standard rebuild.
The Lentech VB is awesome, it holds 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, then flip a switch to go OD. Another thing is that the shifts are very firm and fast, it will snap your neck when you on it.