AODE Valve Body Stiffening Bracket
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MLC Stang
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Mike,
I just had my AOD-E completely rebuilt by my Ford dealer. I talked to their transmission mechanic at length about what parts I wanted updated... mostly those things that are known to go bad or have TSBs written about them. I was impressed with this mechanic's knowledge level about Ford transmissions. He knew his stuff.
I replaced the stock aluminum 1-2 and 2-3 accumulator valves with the updated rubber ones that don't score the bore in the tranny case. I replaced the intermediate one-way clutch with the updated mechanical diode. The original is a known weak part. Of course I replaced the torque converter since the original ones have undersized converter clutch friction surfaces which eventually cause torque converter clutch shudder that you hear people with AODEs complaining about all the time. Plus all of the new clutch packs, bands, gaskets, and seals that come in the rebuilt kit.
I specifically asked about the valve body stiffening kit (plate?) or whatever, since I read about it on the Ford forums. My dealer searched the Ford TSB database on a zillion different phrases having to do with any such valve body part and could not find any evidence of any such part being in existance. They searched their parts database as well. No deal. They could not find anything on such a part. The tranny mechanic had not heard of it etiher.
Now, there WAS a new valve body to tranny case gasket included in the rebuild kit. Plus I have read that the original problem was that this gasket was to thick and/or compressable, which caused the valve body not to seal properly against the case. So, maybe the new valve body gasket in the rebuild kit was the fix, but I'm not really sure.
That's my experience from just last week. If anyone knows more, I'd like to know as well.
I just had my AOD-E completely rebuilt by my Ford dealer. I talked to their transmission mechanic at length about what parts I wanted updated... mostly those things that are known to go bad or have TSBs written about them. I was impressed with this mechanic's knowledge level about Ford transmissions. He knew his stuff.
I replaced the stock aluminum 1-2 and 2-3 accumulator valves with the updated rubber ones that don't score the bore in the tranny case. I replaced the intermediate one-way clutch with the updated mechanical diode. The original is a known weak part. Of course I replaced the torque converter since the original ones have undersized converter clutch friction surfaces which eventually cause torque converter clutch shudder that you hear people with AODEs complaining about all the time. Plus all of the new clutch packs, bands, gaskets, and seals that come in the rebuilt kit.
I specifically asked about the valve body stiffening kit (plate?) or whatever, since I read about it on the Ford forums. My dealer searched the Ford TSB database on a zillion different phrases having to do with any such valve body part and could not find any evidence of any such part being in existance. They searched their parts database as well. No deal. They could not find anything on such a part. The tranny mechanic had not heard of it etiher.
Now, there WAS a new valve body to tranny case gasket included in the rebuild kit. Plus I have read that the original problem was that this gasket was to thick and/or compressable, which caused the valve body not to seal properly against the case. So, maybe the new valve body gasket in the rebuild kit was the fix, but I'm not really sure.
That's my experience from just last week. If anyone knows more, I'd like to know as well.
MLC Stang
Founding Member
Mike,
That's not a valid Ford TSB number. But, since my curiosity was now peaked, I did some more research on this. I went back to my service guy at the Ford dealer.
Turns out when we were doing the TSB searches we were doing searches ONLY for a '95 Mustang GT, because that's what year mine is.
This time we looked for any year AODE Mustang from '94 through '98. We found it!
It's TSB 94-26-9. It's called a "Valve Body Reinforcing Kit", part number F4AZ-7F282-A. The kit includes a valve body reinforcing plate and 4 new bolts. It's a round plate, the bigger of two round plates that bolt to the valve body. It's designed to cure the valve body cross leak symptom that you mentioned.
The GOOD NEWS is that your car already has it because it's a '95! This TSB only affects AODEs on '94 Mustangs, Thunderbirds, and Crown Vics.
There is another TSB (TSB 97-16-7) that concerns the valve body cover plate, but that only affects '94 and '95 AODE Mustangs IF you are replacing the entire valve body with a new one of the '96 and up design. The '96 and up VB replacements use a thinner valve body COVER that seals better against the VB-to-Case gasket, PLUS it has 13 cover bolts instead of 6 bolts like on the old '94/'95 VB design. The VB cover is a big plate that covers and seals about half of the entire valve body.
So, the only way to get that new VB cover with the better seal is to replace your '95 VB with a new '96 and up valve body.
I do have the full text of both of these TSBs but I am not in a position to post them right now. Maybe later.
Hope that solves this mystery once and for all!
That's not a valid Ford TSB number. But, since my curiosity was now peaked, I did some more research on this. I went back to my service guy at the Ford dealer.
Turns out when we were doing the TSB searches we were doing searches ONLY for a '95 Mustang GT, because that's what year mine is.
This time we looked for any year AODE Mustang from '94 through '98. We found it!
It's TSB 94-26-9. It's called a "Valve Body Reinforcing Kit", part number F4AZ-7F282-A. The kit includes a valve body reinforcing plate and 4 new bolts. It's a round plate, the bigger of two round plates that bolt to the valve body. It's designed to cure the valve body cross leak symptom that you mentioned.
The GOOD NEWS is that your car already has it because it's a '95! This TSB only affects AODEs on '94 Mustangs, Thunderbirds, and Crown Vics.
There is another TSB (TSB 97-16-7) that concerns the valve body cover plate, but that only affects '94 and '95 AODE Mustangs IF you are replacing the entire valve body with a new one of the '96 and up design. The '96 and up VB replacements use a thinner valve body COVER that seals better against the VB-to-Case gasket, PLUS it has 13 cover bolts instead of 6 bolts like on the old '94/'95 VB design. The VB cover is a big plate that covers and seals about half of the entire valve body.
So, the only way to get that new VB cover with the better seal is to replace your '95 VB with a new '96 and up valve body.
I do have the full text of both of these TSBs but I am not in a position to post them right now. Maybe later.
Hope that solves this mystery once and for all!
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