My Ford Ranger has a Trans Cooler on it. It also had a tow package, so that may be why. I'm kind of wondering if it has a shift kit in it, because it has really firm shifts at WOT. Then again, I've never driven a Ranger that hasn't had unnoticeable shifts. Other than that, the trans has been great.

 

Shift Kits don't hurt a good transmission. A soft shifting transmission will benefit from a shift kit, but if it's already shifting slushy, a shift kit is sort-of a band-aid.

My F250's C6 was shifting soft after I got it from my grandfather. I installed a Shift Kit with the "RV/Towing" components (They usually come with 2 types in the box, "RV/Towing" and "Street/Strip", the latter being a firmer, harder shift) I added an inline cooler and replaced the factory cooler lines with new ones I made from Aluminum.
Aside from the front & rear seal leaking, the transmission shifts good and firm. A little more bite than stock, but not neck-breaking. I don't drive the truck much, but plan to in the future when I take my '56 F100 off the road for a makeover. Later down the road a built C6 will replace the stocker when I put the 575hp turbo motor in the ol F250.

My daily driven '56 F100 is powered by GM (yeah I know). The TH400 took a dirt nap and I swapped it out for a TH400 that had about 20k on it since the stock rebuild. I installed a B&M Shift Kit (RV, again), Inline Cooler, All new Cooler Lines, Derale Pan with Cooling Tubes, new front & rear seals, and a Trans Temp Gauge. I tend to go overkill, but I didn't want to do this again anytime soon. It shifts great, nice and firm. The skinny tires out back have no traction off the line, but even romping on it, it doesn't chirp 2nd gear, so it's not too hard of a shift. When this truck is taken off the road for a makeover, I will install a late model 5.3 LS Engine with EFI and about 350hp. I'll be keeping the TH400 as it is, then later install a T56 6-spd.

 

The RV/Towing shift kit helps reduce heat buildup. The Street/strip shift kit makes the shifts harder/firmer/faster for improved acceleration, but at the expense of added drivetrain fatique.
A good RV/Towing shift kit + extra cooler goes a long ways towards extending service life in an auto trans that is used for heavier work. The stock trans and cooler are plenty for trucks that don't see a lot of hauling/towing and are driven in a more "normal" manner.
That said, I have the stock cooler and no shift kit in my C6, and I do tend to work it a bit harder than I should. I will at least be adding a better cooler in the future...... I tend to manual shift it when working it hard, and as such, I back off the throttle a bit when I am shifting up.

 

Agreed. Over time the clutches/bands wear out, springs fatigue, piston valves stick, etc. A shift kit isn't a band aid for a poorly shifting trans. Some shift kits address problems, such as the AODE kit. Others are purely for performance. Again, if your trans has a problem with poor shifting, a shift kit isn't the answer.

If someone wants a trans cooler for cheap, go to a JY and pull a factory cooler off a 80-96 truck. The mounting holes are already in your core support. Regardless of if you tow or not, have a shift kit or not, a trans cooler is beneficial to the life of your trans.

 

I wasnt stating that a shift kit is a temporary fix to a transmission problem, just saying if you have a soft shifting transmission, like it's softer than stock, a shift kit will help get it back to normal, but it won't fix the issue of the worn out clutches or bands. The increased line pressure will help it shift firmer, and might help it last a little longer than it would have if no shift kit was installed, but it's no solution to a worn transmission. The C6 in my F250 was shifting weak, and now 4 years after the shift kit, still shifts as firm as it did the days I installed the kit, and even holds the added power of heads/cam/intake/carb/headers. I don't think the transmission would have lasted 4 years, nor handled the added power without the shift kit. As I said in my previous post, I intend to built a C6 for the new motor when the time comes.

 

OK, yeah, I forgot he mentioned his '05 Mazda. My apologies.

GREAT advice, Wulff. I couldn't agree more. I would also like to add the importance of changing the transmission fluid and filter every 3 years or so. It surprises me the number of people who never even think about changing the transmission fluid and filter in their vehicles. Just like engine oil, transmission fluid breaks down and gets dirty and needs to be replaced, along with the filter.

 

Take a look at this link.
TCCoA Tech Articles
A series of articles about Ford transmission strength and weakness. Mainly later models but still interesting. Written by a Ford powertrain engineer.

 

The Shift Kit fix the problem on our E150 missing 3rd gear. We also have 2 F150 1 with shift kit and 1 without. For me the one without is much better. The problem with the shift kit is it always shifts hard.

Shift Kit don't really makes you accelerate much faster but it makes you FEEL you are accelerating faster. The hard shifting makes your head move upward causing false feeling that your accelerating much faster. The same feeling when driving a car & a truck. It feels like the truck accelerate much faster than the car.

A/T can stand excessive fluid temperature without causing any damage as long it don't get below the minimum level. To much heat will cause the fluid to evaporate. The most common reason why A/T fails is water contamination from the radiator. Based on my experience you will not see any metal particle sticking to the magnet if water is not present.

 

Hello guys, I just this thread and i must say that all makes sense, but i have to add that the shift kit is a good thing. I also have an 88 ford Mustang LX with the 5.0 HO and AOD trans and have installed the shift kit in it myself back in 1994. I still own the car today , it had 40k miles at the time of shift kit installation and now it has 216389 miles and still have that same transmission . Only thing have done over the years was just normal fluid and filter changes. still running strong and shifting good. not to hard. it wont bark tires if that is what you are thinking but it doesn't take forever to shift. And i love it. Have rebuilt the engine once do to oil pump failure back in "96 but no other problems. And the engine now has aver 100k since overhaul. still running strong. Can't wait for the snow to melt.

No that said I too have a problem with my 1983 Ford F-100 truck with 5.0L V8 engine and AOD trans . A week and 1/2 ago went to pick up a newer used engine for it and when i got to the guys house the truck would not go into reverse. i could here it clunk into the gear but no movement of the truck backwards. So anybody has any ideas here.? Truck has 109k miles on it , ran great in the morning including reverse and then in the afternoon , no reverse. i do have engine braking when shifted into low gear manually. All fwd gears work great. but for how long i don't know and don't want to get stranded either so i no longer drive it. 1983 Ford F-100 5.0L V8 2v Carb and AOD with rod For Throttle valve . Please let me know. Thanks.

 

Agreed. The transmission in my truck was pretty slushy when I got it and kept getting worse. I put a shift kit in by TCI and used the street/strip setting, it made it shift a lot better but if I get on it very hard it slips. It hasn't gotten any worse since I put the kit on so it must have helped somehow. It was getting worse quickly before. I knew the RV/towing setting would be easier on the tranny and would last longer, but I want to put a stick in the truck and I would feel bad swapping it out and selling someone a slipping tranny so I'm just going to party till she pukes.

 

Shift kits for the auto transmissions are more beneficial to people looking for performance and towing ability. Definitely not geared towards a comfortable ride, and not really for the everyday on the road daily drivers. I have a shift kit in my C-6 behind my 7.3 which I use for hauling, towing, and all around work. Yeah it shifts rough when I'm on my way to school or work with nothing but the truck itself, but you don't get the terrible slip an heat and constant shifting when towing and hauling over hills and such. It adds more control over gearing with the throttle instead of sporadic shifting when it wants to. I'd take that over a heated and worn torque converter and trans any day.

1983 F-250 XLT reg cab custom steel flatbed, custom steel front bumper w/ warn winch, 33" BFG all terrains, 7.3L k&n filter system, tuned injection pump down-piped dual 3" exhaust, pillar pod with glow shift gauges, C-6 auto with shift kit. p.s... yes it was converted from a 6.9L.

 

That tube facing down from the trans is an overflow vent for excess fluid.

 

Yes

I also do what I can to make the shift points higher because I hate being in third by the time I'm going ten mph