I know this is slightly off topic but hopefully since I've been around here for a long time and don't make a habit of posting off topic I can squeek this by, because I'm really trying to get this customers car done and back to him after way too long of a build. IT's pure StreetRod so I won't burden you all with those boring details, but I desprately need some help or advise. I changed a customers car from a column shift to a floor shift and now the trans is not shifting out of first gear. I did have the shift shaft out and modified it for the shift leaver for the floor shift so I had the pan dropped and the shift shaft out of the trans. Is there something I could have done to make it not shift out of low. Thanks Rudy
aren't the aod's the ones that you can't manually shift to low gear.....? is possible the shaft is upside down ....???? (guess) haha brandon
Man, I wouldn't rule out anything at this point. There was a bunch of pieces involved getting the shaft out.
If you got the linkage set up right, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the throttle pressure rod or cable. It may have gotten knocked off either at the transmission or at the carb. I believe the aod has (Low) (2nd) and (D-od) on the shift pattern or is it low-2-3 and od? I haven;t seen an AOD lately.
Gues something else I should have asked....Will the ****** not shift (as in you can select all the ranges and get p-n-d and r), or will the shifter not shift (as in it is stuck)?
I don't know squat about transmissions Rudy, but I dug through some books to look for some AOD pics. I'm guessing if there's no tension on the kick down lever that the torsion spring isn't on correctly. I think your probably going to have to take off the trans pan off and maybe take a pic for someone to look at.
Thanks for the diagram Gus. I do remember the torsion spring on the inside. It makes sence that it is somehow stuck in the p***ing gear/ kickdown mode and thats why it won't up shift right? Does the throttle Shaft need tension on it? I can move it by hand or by pulling on the cable and it does spring back but there is no tension on it right now. Thanks so much for the exploded view Gus that will help alot. IT all looks familiar, in fact I had it apart twice already because the shaft seal was leaking. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate cars!
You just have to keep saying to yourself, 'it's almost gone, it's almost gone'. Anyone else have any ideas what the issue might be?
linkage pulling it into low is a good guess - shift pattern is Low (1st) then D (2/3) then (OD). TV not installed or adjusted properly? Do you have park (pawl engaged) and reverse?
Just got back from a test drive, it's about 8 dagrees out side and this car is a roadster with no top Damn!! I put some tension on the throttle lever and still low only. The other gears work just right park,reveres, nutural ect. I have a feeling something inside is amiss. Guess I'll drop the pan and have a look. Thanks again for the help guys.
Rudy...give me a call and I can put the power of the powertrain ***istance to work for you. 1-800-392-7946. I work at the Ford powertrain ***istance center. Or hit my cell 313-283-2815
Did the trans work fine before? I would pull the pan again and check your kickdown manually at the valve body.Disconnect the lever & try to watch the TV valve at the valve body to see that th plunger is moving in & out. Does your kickdown rod have movement [ i.e its not direct connected to the carb with no play ]? In other words, when the throttle is partially depressed [ 1/3 to 1/2 ] is the kickdown also being pushed all the way down? Try to drive it without the kickdown lever & see if it shifts then. It should shift ,albeit very quickly. I think the TV kickdown is gonna be your culprit!
An AOD ****** is probably the most sensitive of all when it comes to TV adjustment. Best thing is to hook up a pressure gauge to the tv port on the drivers side rear of the ******. There are 3 pressure ports there & its the middle one. At idle you should have NO pressure! Then move the tv linkage 5/16" & it should read 25-30 lbs. Adjust accordingly to get that reading & shift feel. NO guesswork on this one. If you want, call me on my toll free# & I can give you more info. (877) 737-4438 DAVE
FWIW, the tv linkage or rod is NOT kickdown. The tv linkage is just that, it controls the tv pressure! If not adjusted properly, the trans will burn up in a very short period of time. DAVE
GREAT to see you back on line bud! We missed you at the HAMB Drags this year but thought about you often.
Many people make the common mistake of calling a TV cable a "kickdown cable", that probably came to be since TH-350 transmissions and their close cousins actually DO use a cable to engage the 'p***ing gear'...so when they see the TV cable installed in roughly the same manner, they're used to calling it a "kickdown cable". Of course, as Dave says, the TV isn't a kickdown cable at all, it's a Throttle Valve (TV) cable that control line pressure at various degrees of throttle opening. It's the same job that a vacuum modulator does in a TH-350 or C4 type of ******. Mopar automatics used TV cables for years. Of all overdrives, the AOD is my favorite. It takes a little more care to set one up, but they work great, and can be built to handle decent power levels. (A lot of the upgrades can be done with factory parts such as using Lincoln drums with the additional clutches and such). The Mopar 518 is a halfway decent overdrive trans as well, but overall, the AOD gets my vote. Pretty small, fairly light, common and cheap, easy to work on and very reliable.
I guess I`m confused as to why the TV is different than the kickdown? Doesn`t it do the same thing? It controls the upshift, right? It does downshift the trans when heavy throttle is applied, right? If the TV is adjusted to long will it not keep the trans in 1st gear longer? If the TV is too short won`t it shift alot sooner? Just wondering.
What Fat Hack says is correct. On an AOD, if the cable or rod is adjusted too long, or for that matter to short the trans wont upshift. On ******s w/ a modulator, thats what controls line pressure. This trans pressure is controled by throttle valve pressure. I wasnt trying to be sarcastic, its a very common mistake made by a lot of guys using an AOD. DAVE
I beg to differ but an AOD will shift even without a TV rod! All it does is control the shift points.
Try running one w/o a tv rod for a few days & see what happens. Like I said earlier, put a guage in the tv port & then tell me the rod only controls shift points. DAVE
Shifts is right on this one. AOD TV is for pressure. Run without it and you won't be running long. I have fixed more AOD's because the TV grommet broke and the transmission lost pressure. People drive them till they stop......Then they are broke. ******Man
I agree with you on this one, but have a question. I recently finished rebuilding a friend's 100,000+ mile 1989 Mercury AOD that had the grommet break. Result was a smoked OD band as well as the forward clutches. Replaced those parts as well as all of the rubber seals. Thoroughly dis***embled and cleaned the entire valve body also. Re***embled the trans and reinstalled into the car (w/ new grommet) and all worked 100% perfectly. Shifts were all very good and at the right time. After sitting overnight outside (cooling to ~ 20degF), the trans acts like it has too much TV pressure - very very late upshifts unless you lift on the throttle... TV cable and lever move without sticking or binding... TV lever on trans has the correct "feel"... The wierd part is that the trans works perfectly once warmed to near operating temp. Any ideas??? Sticky governor???
ANYWAY! If you find that you need a AOD trans, I got one here in Topeka that I`ll garantee to be good CHEAP! Let me know.
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