AOD selector linkage - up or down?

Edbert · Jan 30, 2008

I had some trouble getting the neutral safety and backup-light switch wired up from the AOD to the painless kit. The starter would work in neutral but not park...was very confusing until I figured out (I think) why. What I have now is that it will start in N and 2 but not P.

I was guessing that my shifter linkage is backwards, the part coming out of the tranny. Back when I was installing this thing there was much discussion about the link that comes out of the selector shaft in the valve body, and whether it should hang down or point up. To make matters more confusing I've seen them done both ways by owners who say it works and it's the correct method. Guess it comes down to whether it was set up for column shifter or floor shifter, but they never put an AOD in a column shift mode for a Mustang did they?

I am now convinced that mine is backwards, I put the driveshaft in last night to confirm it. So I've got to pull the pan, pull the valve body and reverse the shaft right? There's no way to do it from outside the tranny?

Tim65GT · Jan 30, 2008

Mine points up. I got it (supposedly) from a '91 Gran Marquis. I don't know if that car even had a console shift. Maybe it was a cable.

Anyway after cleaning it all up, I seen that the shefter lever had been welded. So who knows?

I'm pretty sure you have to drop the pan and valve body to reverse the lever.

10secgoal · Jan 30, 2008

Edbert said:
I was guessing that my shifter linkage is backwards, the part coming out of the tranny. Back when I was installing this thing there was much discussion about the link that comes out of the selector shaft in the valve body, and whether it should hang down or point up.
<p> So I've got to pull the pan, pull the valve body and reverse the shaft right? There's no way to do it from outside the tranny?

Your right, it's backwards. The pan does have to come off. If I remember correctly it takes a 21 mm wrench to loosen the nut. And as long as you don't move the outside shaft that link rides in, it's fairly easy. It is a blast to do on you back though. I'll try to find the instructions to the rod I was using to help ya out a little.

10secgoal · Jan 30, 2008

I don't see them online. It was a lokar rod that retains the fatory shift lever. It had the instruction with it on how to do it. Not clear, as most instructions aren't, but it will give you an idea.

car_kent · Jan 30, 2008

confirmation - it points up

Edbert,

On my 68 the AOD shift lever points up (the tv cable lever points down). The stock shifter is connected to the AOD with a windsor-fox rod (i don't think windsor-fox is in business anymore & it took 3 months for the order to arrive 2 years ago). The wiring from the AOD to the painless wiring system is done through a Ron Morris neutral safety switch wiring harness.

Hope this helps,
Kent

Robdogg67 · Jan 30, 2008

Here's some video instructions on how to do it:

http://www.performanceautomatic.com/downloads.htm

click on "AOD Shift Linkage Kit" and your set. I did it also and it was easy.

bnickel · Jan 30, 2008

that's one thing i like about my fmx, when i get ready to swap the aod in i won't have to worry about wiring up the NS/back-up switch since it's contained in the shifter housing for the fmx.

Edbert · Jan 30, 2008

Great link there Rob, watched it with much enthusiasm, and I think I can handle a wrench better then the guy in the video...LOL.

Now, he mentioned it was possible without removing the valvebody, but from what I could tell the 13/16 nut and the spring would not be accessible without removing it. Does he mean that I can get the shaft out just by removing the roll-pin? Is that what you did?

Bnickel, believe me I considered rigging up a backup light thing using a brake-light (type) switch and ignoring the neutral safety circuit entirely. Manual cars back then did not have them after all.

Edbert · Jan 31, 2008

I looked at the other video on that site (great site by the way!) about removing the valve body. It looks like I can go halfway and just take off the filter assembly which will give more access, maybe enough to reverse that linkage 180 degrees. I thin the only problem might be that 13/16 nut on the shaft and if I can get the wrench on it or not.

I'm planning on doing it Saturday and crossing another major item off my pre-fire list. Should be fun laying on my back with ATF dripping in my face!

truck90278 · Jan 31, 2008

Performance automatic sells a kit with the lever and shift rod. Just simply taking the existing shaft and turning it over doesn't work. We have the Performance kit installed in our AOD and the ron morris NS switch also.

Edbert · Jan 31, 2008

truck90278 said:
Performance automatic sells a kit with the lever and shift rod. Just simply taking the existing shaft and turning it over doesn't work. We have the Performance kit installed in our AOD and the ron morris NS switch also.

Are you saying I'm not able to use the stock linkage that connects to the factory gear shift? That I knew, I have the rod that connects the stock shifter with the AOD selector, I got it from Windsor-Fox a long time ago.

Or are you saying I cannot take the selector shaft out and turn it 180 degrees regardless of how I connect it to the factory shifter?

I'm also starting to wonder/worry about the TV linkage setup...up or down...sigh. When the accelerator pedal is pressed should the TV linkage be moved clockwise or counter clockwise when viewed from the side?

car_kent · Jan 31, 2008

TV linkage

The TV linkage points down and is pulled to the rear of the car. I used the Lokar TV cable and brackets set. The bracket that positions the cable behind the TV lever is attached by a transmission pan bolt.

Ron Morris sells a shift lever conversion kit and a TV cable.

http://www.ronmorrisperformance.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=rmp&Category_Code=AOD

Harndog · Jan 31, 2008

If using a cable operated b&m shifter withfloor shift tranny i was told shift down and tv up. You are saying this is incorrect?

hazmatpony · Jan 31, 2008

When I did the AOD swap in my '66, I did the whole flip the shift arm up and used a lokar tv cable and I can say with 100% certainty, wasn't worth the effort trying to reuse the stock c4 shifter. Instead, this is what I did, first I started by throwing that peice of $*$# lokar cable in the trash and flipped the shift arm back to the stock location (pointing downward), then I went to the local junkyard and salvaged a complete shifter assembly, shift cable, tv cable and throttle cable/tv cable bracket from the throttle body and all hardware from an '89 mustang.
I then took it all home and installed it, but I also removed the stock c4 shifter handle and replaced it with the donor handle (it looked better) and doing it this way, you are able to keep all the stock components from a late model setup, which made it a hell of alot easyier for setting line pressure and tv cable adjustments. It did take a fair amount of fabrication, but I am much happier with the end result than before.

car_kent · Jan 31, 2008

you have a choice

If you use the aftermarket or later year shifter designed to work with the AOD you don't have to switch the position of the shift lever, if you want to retain the original c4 stock shifter, then you make the switch. For me, the stock c4 shifter + shift lever on AOD pointing up + TV lever pointing down + lokar TV cable works. I have not tried the aftermarket shifters, so I can't speak from personal experience with that setup.

Tim65GT · Jan 31, 2008

Edbert
I'm also starting to wonder/worry about the TV linkage setup...up or down...sigh. When the accelerator pedal is pressed should the TV linkage be moved clockwise or counter clockwise when viewed from the side?

Counter Clockwise:

hazmatpony
When I did the AOD swap in my '66, I did the whole flip the shift arm up and used a lokar tv cable and I can say with 100% certainty, wasn't worth the effort trying to reuse the stock c4 shifter. Instead, this is what I did, first I started by throwing that peice of $*$# lokar cable in the trash and flipped the shift arm back to the stock location

I think the Lokar cable made it effortless and is of high quality.

Edbert · Feb 1, 2008

Counter-clockwise movement for the TV lever then, everyone agreed?

This is getting confusing, because right now my TV lever is pointing up, but when I press the throttle it moves counter-clockwise...LOL. But it makes sense, if the cable comes from the rear of the car it would point down to move counter-clockwise; but if the cable comes from the front (like mine) then the lever has to point up to move counter-clockwise.

Before I got out there tomorrow and pull the trans apart can I get confirmation that the gear selector can or cannot be swapped 180 degrees? I am sure that is wrong on mine due to the behavior of the neutral safety switch (which gears the starter circuit works on and which it does not). I think it will be okay, the shaft is round, has the groove cut for the roll-pin and a keyed end on it for the selector mechanism. But I'd hate to tear into it only to find I need a new one.

Thanks for all the feedback fellas, StangNet to the rescue!
:SNSign:

Edit: I am sort of stuck with the stock (interior) shifter assembly since I have the factory console.

Edbert · Feb 2, 2008

Edbert said:
Before I got out there tomorrow and pull the trans apart can I get confirmation that the gear selector can or cannot be swapped 180 degrees?

Can anyone answer that? I hate replying to myself and bumping my own thread, but I'm headed out to the garage and have plenty of other things to work on if the answer is "no", but if it is "yes" I'd like to do it today.

Thanks in advance!

Edbert · Feb 2, 2008

Okay, first off the Ford peice CAN be swapped 180 degrees to point upwards, and it CAN be done without removing the valve body or the filter. Pointing it upwards which fixes the shifting pattern from the factory (1967) shifter that I have connected to the AOD with the Windsor-Fox linkage. Looks like the selector shaft and link that PA sells is designed to use after-market shifters and avoid having the factory "thingy" pictured here

that thing cannot be removed from what I found and that explains why PA sells shafts that just have a hole instead of the weird captured bolt.

Anyhow, the shaft now points up and although the TV cable would have worked fine also pointing up when the AOD link pointed down but...THEY CANNOT BOTH BE UP. There's obvious interference between the two. So I'm going to have to use it downwards, with the cable coming out to the rear, which means I've cut mine too short...sigh. I think I can go to a bike shop and get a new cable with the sheath, all the other Lokar parts are fine.

Anyhow, hope this thread serves anyone else trying to do this project, it's kind of funny....I was Googling for answers today and this thread showed up at the top...LOL!

Thanks for all the help fellas!

AOD selector linkage - up or down?

Edbert

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