my motor and trany came out of an 86 lincoln town car. I bought it from mu uncle and it was running and driving.
There are a lot of folks putting AODs in cars. I will build them if that is what they want - no problem. I just think that folks should know what they are getting in to when they make a change. Wikipedia as a source? OK- if you must. 1980 - 84 AODs had so many OD and second gear failures(intermediate clutch is used in OD) that they reworked the throttle pressure control several times. in 82 some AODs were fitted with three intermediate clutches - to prevent failure of that clutch in 83 mods to the oil flow in the AOD were made to solve failures of the OD band, cooling problems and lack of lubrication to the multishaft junctions. in 85 the AOD dropped the 3-4 accumulator (problems in 3-OD ans OD-3 shift) deleting passages in the valve body in 86 some of the AODs were fitted with the larger "B" OD servo in 88 the high performance AODs were fitted with a governor that allowed WOT shifts to 4900 rpm in 88 an improved lubrication system was added for the rear half of the AOD to prevent planetary failures. in 89 the larger "A" OD servo was introduced to prevent OD band failures in 92 the 2" OD band was introduced for trucks The stronger steel clutch drums are introduced to prevent shift problems caused by wear in the drums making the clutches stick and not apply. in 1993 the wide ratio planetary is introduced for the AODE in 93 the 2" OD band was used in all the AOD/AODEs - to prevent OD band failure all AODs use a P-R-N-OD-D-1 shift pattern no way to select and hold 2nd gear without mods. In short: To get a strong, wide ratio, well lubed AOD you need to start with a post 85 case and add the parts from the 93 gear train and add an external rear lube line to match the performance and durability of the post 88 AODs. There are two extension housings - a small and large bushing. The large bushing model needs a larger OD yoke but lubes better. There are two output shafts - a short one and a long one. The long one is an inch longer than the the other. The best AODs ever in production are those on the E and F series trucks from 92 to 93. Be careful because some of these trucks used the E4OD which is not as strong. To these "super" AODs the modifications needed are quite low. The addition of the "A+" aftermarket OD servo, power-pack clutches and some modifications to the valve body are all that is needed for up to 400 hp.
I agree with you on the "some were weaker than others" But Ive seen them go in stock form for over 150k miles with never a fluid change, and also not driven very nicely at all. Like they say, its not will it break, its when. For your everyday, want to put a AOD in your car to save on mileage, a standard rebuild would do on any year model AOD... Now to get them to hold power, some say the C4 needs lots of work also, but Ive seen many C4s rebiuld to hold 500+ HP for about $125 bucks. Im not arguing with your prices, or with anyone actually. Im just saying its not necessary to beef up one for a stock or semi stock motor
One more quick thought - in order to get the benefits of the OD you have to have a low final drive ratio. if you have a stock 3.0:1 ratio the OD will put the rpm of your engine so low (like having a 2:1 rear gear) that you will lose mileage because of power valve operation to overcome the high gear ratio. The life of the transmission will be reduced because of constant shifting when you attempt to accelerate or climb a grade. There is a benefit for those with 3.9:1 and lower gear ratios. The AOD is a valid choice for some vehicles and some uses but not for others.
I agree with that.. my GMC had 3.73:1 gears, OD, and 33'' tall tires... it'd cruise the interstate at 1700rpm... until it hit a upgrade, even a smaller one... then it'd shift down, but boy did it get good gas mileage for a big truck on regular flat ground. You can go 2 low also, so you better plan ahead. a 5:13 gear with 25'' tall tire wont do you that much good
Let's face it - the C4 was put behind engines from 1600 four cylinders to 351C. In applications from sub-compacts to trucks. It has a history of excellent service. It takes some machine work to make it take up to 1000hp but the little C4 can and has done it for a long time. The AOD can be a good alternative if the need is there. For a stock rear gear, standard or slightly modified 302, the AOD is not a good choice. For a modified 302 that runs a very low rear gear the AOD is an excellent choice. For a car that is primarily for drag racing you give up the best parts of the AOD in order to race competitively. When set up for drag racing the locking converter is not used (or not recommended) and the weak dual input shafts are replaced with a solid shaft. OD has a lockout switch so you don't go into OD under full power and burn up the AOD. The converter that is used with the solid shafts is very different that the stock converter (based on the C6 converter) to prevent ballooning and breakage. For most of the street Mavericks the C4 is just a better choice financially, from mileage to use and longevity aspects. see here: www.Broaderperformance.com www.lentechautomatics.com These are the two best in the industry. (even better than me)
for me the 3:55-3:73 rear gear is a plus... you have the get up and go in the lower gears and low RPMs in OD on the highway... ILMAOD...:Handshake
I have seen this argument going on for awhile alot of us talk about AOD's and everytime we do PaulS has to chime in how bad they are. Now, many of us run AOD's not just in Mavericks but in many other cars and trucks without any problems at all. One of the points of owning a Maverick is doing what you want with it, if someone wants an AOD for whatever reason or benefits we should encourage it not downtalk it...... Kind of reminds me of TL and Pinto's...... I guess I may get reprimanded or abused or whatever for saying this but I get tired of trying to find usefull information on an AOD just to have someone tell me how bad it is and how much I don't want it........If I didn't want it I would have left the C4 in it..... Oh and here is a thought they used the small block windsor for about 60 years if the C4 was that great you think they would have used it that long...If you look at the C4 it had many revisions to make it the best that it could be.. Hence the different input shafts, the semi-automatic transmissions, ect, ect.
I was thinking the same exact thing. ... I just bought a used B&M street/strip AOD that will go behind a 375-400 HP windsor with 4.11 gears so I will give testimony (good or bad) as soon as I get my car together and start thrashing on it The car won't see the street and strip until 2009 though.
actually you can do an aod cheap and easy...I figured I should post this for you alot of us didn't have to shorten our driveshafts at all, the only thing I had to do to mine is change the u-joints if you have a good running tranny already consider putting it in chances are your c-4 is still the original 30+ year old tranny and like most people(including mine when I got it) never rebuilt and hardly serviced. But do what you want I won't shy you away from either tranny they are both good units. I have not lost anything going to an AOD the shift points are almost exactly the same as the C4. It actually cost me just as much to rebuild it, the only things I had to do was modify my crossmember (if I did it again I would by one from Frank, 71 gold) and to get a Lokar cable. Ask all of the people that have put them in their cars and they will all give you positive remarks. Gas here is 4.15 a gallon my car went from 15 MPG to 19-21mpg that is 60 miles per tank I didn't get before granted that is only $16.60 bucks per filup but this is my primary car, I fill it up once a week on average sometimes twice if I got alot of stuff around town to do......lets see 16.60*52=$863.20 a year....well that is at $4.15 a gallon (if it does not go up).....that is twice what I paid for this motor and tranny....sorry something to think about
You guys misunderstand, I don't think the C4 is any better than the AOD, just that it cost more to build to the same point as the C4. If I thought it was a junk transmission I wouldn't bother rebuilding them. NOTE: my standard rebuild for both transmissions is a 400 HP unit - I don't build stock transmissions.
No offense, but you wouldn't be getting a lot of peoples business if all you built was hopped up trannys. Atleast around these parts. I'm sure you have good business, or you wouldn't still be doing it. Just curious as to why you do not offer a stock rebuild?
Andysutt, My business is running a church, a non-profit corp. and a not-for-profit association. I build transmissions as a hobby - strictly for those who want to be able to drive their older cars for the next twenty years.
Ahh understood I thought you ran that as your business. I knew you were a retired mechanic but thought this was your "means of income" other than retirement. I was wondering how a tranny shop would stay open w/o offering standard rebuilds. Now, I understand. Thanks for clarifying.
