Shift kit

read the tranny articles here about the Jerry Mod

www.tccoa.com

That is such a great information resource. Another vote for reading TCCOA

Never done one on a Mustang, but I've done a chevy truck and a dodge truck.. both were pretty straight forward.

Install a drain plug kit on the pan while it's off, and test it for leaks BEFORE you seal it all back up.

Make sure your work area is plenty clean, replace the transmission filter while it's off, and take your time. You'll be fine if you follow the directions and keep it clean. Don't rush. It'll take probably 6-8 full hours if you go by the directions, don't have any problems.

My shift kit came with a video for installation and a very detailed map of the trans. I thought I would be able to do the install myself, but it seems too difficult for me (and I did my own PI swap). I called a few different transmission shops and a few performance shops around me and NOBODY would touch the install. This kinda made me wonder if I really wanted to even risk having someone install it and mess it up....so now there is a shift kit under my bed that I dont know if I even want to mess with.

Trust me man, its worth it. I have a 3 speed automatic 1970 stang and with that shift kit installed it kicks like downshifting a manual trans. not only that but it gives a much harder jump when shifting under full throttle.

I agree the shiftkit is worth the price and labor install. My 98 has a trans-go kit and my old 96 had one as well. I drove the 96 for 70,000 miles and never had a problem with the trans. My 98 is doing great too, it's a lot of fun the first time you hear your tires chirp 2nd gear in drive when you aren't even getting on it hard. I don't know why you are haveing a hard time getting one installed, all the shops I called wanted to do mine I just had to decide on how much I wanted to pay (each shop diffrent prices). Paid 200 in the end.

stang302v8 said:

Trust me man, its worth it. I have a 3 speed automatic 1970 stang and with that shift kit installed it kicks like downshifting a manual trans. not only that but it gives a much harder jump when shifting under full throttle.

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different tranny different results. shifts-kits are usually worse for the 4R70W

J-mod, tq converter, gears and a tuner to firm up the shifts will set you straight and 5sp'd too

Oh yeah.. before you bother doing any other mods to your tranny, get a nice tranny cooler if you haven't already. It'll lower temperatures and extend yourtransmission life. It's well worth it, and will look cool through the grille too.

tomustang said:

J-mod, tq converter, gears and a tuner to firm up the shifts will set you straight and 5sp'd too

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sgarlic said:

Oh yeah.. before you bother doing any other mods to your tranny, get a nice tranny cooler if you haven't already. It'll lower temperatures and extend yourtransmission life.

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This was one of my first modifications. Heat breaks down the Meron in transmission fluid, which is the key ingredient for protection against friction. Once the Mercon is gone, the parts start to recieve excessive wear and tear. This can be avoided with a simple transmission cooler. I use the one from Steeda and I've had no problems with it. Other good companies for coolers are Flex-a-lite, B&M, and Performance Automatic( I think they make a cooler).

tomustang said:

shifts-kits are usually worse for the 4R70W

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If not installed correctly, or using the wrong shift kit, such as shift kits that use blocker rings or require you to tamper with the line pressure, via the pressure control solenoid, then you run the risk of seriously damaging the transmission. Blocker rings are to be avoided, as they only shorted the "stroke" of the accumulator piston during shifts. This is bad news, because the accumulator piston should fully stroke when engaging gear shifts. Tampering with line pressure will result in firmer shifts, but at a potential price of starving certain internal clutches of proper lubrication. Avoid tampering with line pressure at all costs.

streetstang03 said:

read the tranny articles here about the Jerry Mod

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I agree. Read all the articles involving the Jerry mod shift kit. It will help explains things and give you a better idea of how the 4r70w transmission operates.

A few quick notes. If you're not mechanically minded, or have never worked on a transmission before, you might want to let someone else do this job. Any good transmission shop should be able to handle this for you. It involves simply pulling the stock valve body, enlarging certain holes in the seperator plate, swapping a spring in one accumulator piston, and removing a spring from the other accumulator piston. Its pretty straight forward. Be sure to pick up the new seperator plate gaskets that you will need. These are a must. I did the Jerry mod once on my car, the gasket was bad(though it looked brand new), I put it back in, and the transmission blew on me. Learn from my mistake.