AOD w/ Shift Kit ...

89CopCoupe · Jul 28, 2005

As a few of you may know, my clean '89 5sp notch was stolen a couple of weeks ago, so the weekend of the crime I picked up a '90 AOD notch to fill the void in my life ...... I know, I know, a 5sp is king, but it was the only notch advertised in my area that was in excellent shape.

The car is bone stock down to the air silencer 'cept for a set of 3.73 cogs and a shift kit. The car has 52K actual miles. I am extremely familiar with our 5sp cars, but not too savvy with these AOD cars. My inquiry is this:

When driving, the tranny shifts great and feels smooth and quiet with nice positive shifts, but when I'm braking to a stop (with the selector in OD) the tranny will bog down to about 5-600 r's before releasing the OD gear ... essentially shifting into coast/neutral, what have you. It is especially noticeable when cold and gets better as it warms up.

Is this normal, cause it doesn't seem that way to me

I had an AOD vert years ago w/o a shift kit and it never did this sorta thing.

Plus I will have to get into the throttle a little to get it to downshift when traffic putts me down to 1100 rpms and such.

Also, IMO it shifts into D a little soon (while holding about 1/8 throttle):
1st - 2nd around 2000
2nd - D at about 1600
D - OD at around 16-1700

Is this a typical trait of these AOD's with shift kits or could my TV cable be out of adjustment ... is the modulator crap ... or is the tranny tu'd internally?

Please kick me the big knowledge ...

The Shape · Jul 28, 2005

Mine takes a bit to shift out of OD when coming to a stop as well. You should only use OD on the highway though. Driving around in town with the selector in OD is hell on the OD band. It is best to just manually shift into OD when you reach crusing speeds on the highway and click it back into D the first full stop you come to after getting of of the highway.

89MustangGX · Jul 28, 2005

I think the gears really mess with how the tranny shifts -- not much experience there either though...

sgarlic · Jul 28, 2005

My AOD doesn't shift back out of OD quite as low as yours, but if I'm cruising at say 55, in OD, then I slow down to 35 or so, it'll stay in OD.

I'm currently putting a shift kit in mine so I'll let you know if anything changes.

inklvr · Jul 29, 2005

As many problems as I've recently had with my aod, I'd say check the tv cable first. That made a huge difference in the way the trans performed. I think it's actually the reason I had to rebuild mine. I set it about as good as I could (from info I found and books) and took it to a shop to get set just right. All my problems started from installing a shift kit, so I bought a new vb with one already installed.

Scorcher2005 · Jul 29, 2005

my AOD has a B&M Transpak (i do not recommend this to anyone, go TRANSGO!!) and my tranny shifts out of OD at 40mph. well, that was w/ my 2.73s.

jwzg · Jul 29, 2005

A tight TV cable will cause those symptoms. Sticky bores in the valve body will do it as well. Who put in the shift kit, or do you know?

Tough luck on the loss man. I don't want to know what that feels like. Anyway, let us know what you find out.

crazypete · Jul 29, 2005

Ditto here. I bog before it releases OD,fresh rebuild, no sticky valves, transgo kit.

To set the TV, pull it so it has zero slack and an itty bitty bit of ...um....preload?..when the throttle is closed and then prop the throttle wide open and make sure the TV cable is more or less topped out. The top=top is the vital setting.

89CopCoupe · Jul 29, 2005

Thanks everyone for your input
I was going to check the tv cable adjustment this weekend, figuring that it's the reason, but thought a little insight from you guys might save me some time.

As far as the brand of shift kit .. I do not know
The guy I bought the car from kept it in his garage for 6 years and only put about 1000 miles on it in that time frame (based on all the receipt paperwork he gave me.)

The gears, shift kit and catback were all done by the original owner.
I have a phone number from the receipts, but might be a little odd calling him, since I bought it off the guy he sold it to.

Does leaving it in OD really kill the OD band With 3.73's wouldn't 45mph be similar to a car with 2.73's at 60

Again, thanks for the help

Joe

crazypete · Jul 29, 2005

AOD's have a very protracted sloppy 3-4 shift that lets the band slip a lot so grandma/joe-lawyer doesnt spill has/her chai latte when you shift into OD. If you are at that critical speed where the trans shifts back and forth 3-4-3-4, you'll doa lot of slipping in a short period of time and the heat will burn the band. If you get a kevlar band, you can ignore this statement as you canheat the band all you want and the drum will burn away before the band does. But you'll also need the boosted shift kit pressure and A/A+ servo just to hold the slippery kevlar band down.

drillgod2000 · Jul 29, 2005

with my transgo shift kit, i had to put in an "RPM extender" kit that should have come with the kit, or it is available seperatly from transgo i think.... when i changed to the 3.73's it screwed everything up, and the little kit helped big time.... essentially i think it is just a new plunger and spring for the governor, at least that was what the instructions said!

davs5.0 · Jul 30, 2005

89CopCoupe said:
I was going to check the tv cable adjustment this weekend, figuring that it's the reason, but thought a little insight from you guys might save me some time.

Does leaving it in OD really kill the OD band With 3.73's wouldn't 45mph be similar to a car with 2.73's at 60

Again, thanks for the help

Joe

The best way to check tv pressure is with a gauge. A decent trans shop should be able to do it for minimal $$$.

As far as leaving the shifter in OD, I did it for years and never had a problem. The best thing you can do for your AOD to help it live is get yourself a really good trans cooler. Most of us use B&M stacked plate coolers. The bigger the better. Heat is the nemy of all the parts in your aod and the cooler will make all the internals last.

89CopCoupe · Jul 30, 2005

davs5.0 said:
.........As far as leaving the shifter in OD, I did it for years and never had a problem. The best thing you can do for your AOD to help it live is get yourself a really good trans cooler..........

That's what I'm lead to believe ... with this shift kit, it snaps into OD and stays there until I come to a stop when it doesn't like releasing so much ... there is no "slippy", intermediate feel when it pops into OD ... no matter the speed.

I live in Washington State, so the weather is typically mild and a transvestite cooler seems unnecessary ... as I drive my cars fairly gentle ...
... my "roll the tread off the tires daily" has be purged from my system from age and prior vehicles owned that took a walloping ... poor cars

I'll make it right whatever it is ... I'm one of those a.r. type of people when it comes to cars and them being perfect ... it's a never ending battle with these damn things ...

Again thanks for the help everyone

The Shape · Jul 30, 2005

LOL Whats a Transvestite cooler? I went with a B&M myself. Seriously though besides the fact that I have been told it is hard on the OD band I leave my car locked into D around town because it keeps the RPM's up. When I am going 42 miles an hour in OD doing 1200 RPM,s or whatever it makes my car feel like a Yugo. In D I turn about 1800 at the same speed and it feels much more powerful. I am sure that has alot to do with gearing though.

Foxfan88 · Jul 30, 2005

My car with its 2.73 wony shift into OD unless the car is around 2000rpm in D
I can coast and it wont shift form OD to D until around 800rpms

Funhog · Jul 30, 2005

I have a B&M Shift Kit in my car and I usually drive with the car in OD. My buddys told me that it was good for the car. From reading the post it seems like it is bad unless on the highway. So around town and stop and go kinda stuff drive it in D and if I am cruising then use OD..is that right?

89CopCoupe · Jul 30, 2005

Well, I hope I do melt down this AOD ... then it will force me to do the 5sp swap to this one

Ourobos · Jul 30, 2005

I put the transgo in mine, with 3.27 gears, and it made a BIG impovement. I recommend calling transgo about what you should go with, since you have the 3.73s, they have great tech. With the transgo, at 1/8th throttle like you mention, mine shifts

1-2 2800 rpm
2-3 3000 rpm
3-4 2900 rpm

If I kindly mash the throttle in first, it definately chirps sencond gear on it's own. Mine downshifts are normal, not sloppy like you described (even without the kit, mine wasn't THAT sloppy..). I too only put mine into overdrive on the highway, unless I'm just tooling around with shiftpoints etc.. Keep us posted.

89CopCoupe · Jul 30, 2005

One thing I don't have any problem with is sloppy shifts up or down ... it's the not wanting to release OD when stopping that gives me reservation ...

Mechanical actuation is soo much better than hydraulic/vacuum ... with a 5sp it comes out of OD when you pull it out of OD ... the ability to manipulate is so much more to my liking ...

Although, you can eat a hot dog and drive an auto much easier, plus if you ever get caught in stop-and-go traffic the auto is king.

davs5.0 · Jul 30, 2005

A trans cooler is always a good idea no matter where you live. I'm up here in the great white north and I'll take the cooler fluid anyday of the week.

The slow release of your car from od to d is also due in a small way to the lockup converter. Just drive a 4 banger FWD and you'll really feel the converter unlock when you let off the gas.

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