AOD Problems

[cjman15]

My AOD was rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago to repair the OD gear which had been knocked out of it. Ever since about 10,000 miles when it goes to shift into OD from D it would delay a little bit and just rev... and it would only shift when you let off the gas... but then would work normal again. But now today i was driving and now it won't shift into OD at all unless i'm not on the gas at all... and when it's in OD, if you give it anymore than minimal gas, it just revs up, then when i let off it gets back into gear...

anyone have any ideas what tha heck is wrong with it???

 

[blk92stangg]

Sounds like your OD band is gone, or the OD servo. That sucks if you had already taken it apart just a while ago. Sounds like you need a T5 in there.

 

[TRWXXA]

Sounds like you could have a TV cable problem. That's bad news too. A misadjusted TV cable can ruin a tranny real fast.

Sorry.

At least it is something you can try to adjust yourself, or have done for you pretty easily.

 

[GTRocks]

I had the same thing happen to mine about 2 years ago. I took it in to two shops and they both agreed that the clutch packs were probably shot. Neither could tell for sure until they opened it up and it was a minimum of $600 to fix it. The good news is I put about 15k on her just driving around in D. OD becomes a joke very quickly. You might as well put her in neutral.

I spent $700 on a T5!

 

[cjman15]

UPDATE -- URGENT!!!!

OK, i did have D, and no OD... but now, all i have is 1st gear... it won't even shift into 2! Something is really Eff'd up... I got 1st and reverse... what is going on with it?!?!?! any guys know AOD's well?

 

[cjman15]

And... would it be cheaper (or more reasonable) to just try to find a used T-5 and have it put in

 

[jadedinpa]

And... would it be cheaper (or more reasonable) to just try to find a used T-5 and have it put in

depends on how you look at it. you can go to the boneyard and get an AOD from a grand marquis or LTD (just check to make sure it's the same AOD) for a good price, and then have it installed. that would probably be cheaper, but then you risk having the same thing happen 20k miles down the road.

having said that, a T5 conversion will cost a lot (especially if you have a shop do it) but it will (theoretically) last longer.

of course you could take your tranny out and have it rebuilt totally, since it sounds like last time they just did a "band-aid" fix for the OD band.

 

[Js5ohLX]

Oh come on, a well built aod will be fine, buy yeah, you cooked yours. Could be a valve body issue but that's doubtfull. If you switch to a manual, I wouldn't get a t-5, you think an aod is weak, I blew one up in third gear at 2500 rpms at half throttle getting on the e-way, what a joke. If you don't need od then get a c4. If you want to bang gears, get a tremec. If you want or need od, have if built right, and have the tv set with a pressure gauge.

 

[blk92stangg]

The benefit to going to a t5 is that they are plentiful, relatively cheap, will withstand the power from a stock to mildly modified engine. It also will swap right in with minimal problems and modifications (read cheap), so most people can do it themselves and save big time on labor. An aod will cost more to beef up, and if you plan on more power in the future, it will cost much more. It all comes down to what you want to drive. My friend HATES manual trannys, so he has no intention of ever converting, no matter how much green it costs him to keep the aod going.

 

[GTRocks]

I was just throwing out another alternative. You have to decide which you'd prefer. An AOD rebuild can run $2k. A minor fix to yours could cost as little as $600.

I'm a manual nut, and would much rather slam gears. It was a good excuse for me to get what I wanted from the start. Realistically, I probably spent $900 on all the parts. It is a big job, but not a hard job. Pedals are the worst part. They can be a real PITA to get out. If I had it to do over again, I would do the same. I don't miss that AOD one little bit. It's heavier, and slower, and not near as much fun, but that's just me.

 

[91REDGT50L]

I have an AOD trans in my Mustang, and I've had some what of the same problem as yours except mine slips out of gear. i.e. I would put it in reverse and then shift it to drive and i would have a "dead" pedal and I'd just sit there reving the engine like it was in neutral...but...if I play with it a little. I'd jump right into gear and make a little chirp. lol in other occasions I've been driving down the road and stopping at a light or stop sign and when I go to start moving from a stand still I'll do the same thing..."varoom..varoom..." reving at the light. Good thing I like the sound of my exhuast. The problem with my AOD usually happens every once in a while...not all the time. If anyone has a diagnosis of what you think I'm going through please let me know. Good Luck CJ on your trans choice/rebuild.

 

[Mustang John]

Needless to say, it's time for a rebuild for that unit. The t-5 swap is your choice. I bracket race and run nitrous, so an automatic is my choice. I'd do badly using a T-5.

You can certainly build an AOD to live under strain. We have AODs and AODE/4R70Ws running in blower and nitrous cars running in the high tens that do well.

Gonna be your personal choice I'd say. The "only" reason I wouldn't use an AOD again is that I like the control that my 4R70w with a controller gives me. So, I use that.

 

[cjman15]

yeah, i've decided to convert to a T5... it's in tha shop this week and should be ready within a couple of days. thanks

 

[9150lxct]

What about doing an AOD to a C4 or C6? or even an E4OD?

 

[cjman15]

nah, i need to have some sort of overdrive... a 3-speed wouldn't work... i drive this car everyday and everywhere... thru town, on highways... c4/c6 wouldnt work

 

[Euphoric306]

im getting my aod overhauled for 789, plus more cuz its gettin a shift kit and converter, so gluck with yer new t5 cjman but ill have to stick with auto.... no pun intended

 

[jefflee]

You'll have more fun with a T-5. I had a GT with an AOD and I went through (3) trannies (1) I put a trans-go kit in. I found an AOD out of a Mark VIII which some say are better built. It was free so I figured what the hell. The only draw back is that the tail shaft is shorter so I had to shorten the driveshaft. I also, installed a Lentech valve body. Valve body worked great! The car had 194,000 miles on it when I sold it and in mostly stock trim with nothing more then 4:10 gears, exhaust, ran 12.50@110 with a 125HP shot of nitrous.
Good luck,
Jeff,
'89 LX featured in May '04 5.0 Mustang.

 

[cjman15]

yeah, i will have alot more fun with tha T-5, thats tha other main reason i wanted to convert... thanks