Everything I can find points to SROD...I just wanna make certain. I've
google searched it but every thread I find on different sites all comes
up unanswered/inconclusive..."It might possibly be an SROD" doesn't
help me. "Its an RTS transmission" isn't of much help either. So could
someone please help me positively ID this monster? It's the original
transmission...never been out of the truck. Here are the details.

Has a Ford logo embossed in the driver's side. Seems to be all aluminum.
Top-loading 3 speed w/OD. Tailcone is also used as the rear support
for the transmission. Has fill plug at angle on passenger side of
transmission. 1st gear is NOT a granny gear. The part numbers RF
E5TR 7006 AA and C-2605524 are embossed above the Ford logo
on the driver's side. Door code for truck is B. Truck was produced in
May, 1987 as an 87 model. Is an F150 XL rclb 2wd with an EFI 300 I6
and this 4-speed manual.

I need to find out what transmission this is to satisfy my desire to
know every detail about my truck and to know if I can safely remove
the tailcone to try to repair the speedometer drive gear or if the
inside of the transmission will fall apart when I pull it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys/gals!

 

a pic would help

 

give your local ford dealer a call with the vin!!! lots can be told from a vin.. or the door jam numbers..

 

Well, I don't think a pic of it in the truck is gonna help a whole lot...but here's a pic I found just like it...by googling the part number...guy who has this one doesn't know what it is.

[IMG]www.homercidal.com/Mustang/DSCN1313sm.JPG[/IMG]

And my local Ford dealer isn't too friendly when it comes to looking up stuff on older stuff...'Cause that's going above and beyond and they can't do that, ya see?

edit, i don't know why the damn image tags won't work...i left them on purpose so everybody could see that i did it right. in fact, the last time i re-posted them i let the forum do the IMG tags. so here's that same link, with URL tags

www.homercidal.com/Mustang/DSCN1313sm.JPG

 

LOL?? haha call them and say you are looking to buy a replacement tranny but don't know exactly what yours is.. ask them for what they would charge for the transmission aswell i am more than 100% sure they would tell you.. if that fails give me or anyone else the vin and we can call our local ford dealers.. afterall parts lookup is kind of part of their job.. they have someone that sits at a desk and does nothing but lookup parts when someone calls in..

 

How is your trans shifted?

Is there a turret behind the top cover with a tube going forward? If so, that is "SROD", as in "Single Rail Over Drive".

Or is the shifter part of the top cover, like a NP435 or BWT18/19 or any other older granny first 4 speed?

That is simply a top-shifted version of the trans.

The aluminum cased units are seen as pretty weak, so don't side step the clutch.

As for pulling the tail shaft housing, check the link below for an exploded view. Might help.

Trans info here:

Domestic Truck Tranny Guide

Page 114 here, looks like a generic "top loader" exploded view, but these should all be very similar other than the shifter and shift forks:

http://www.motivegear.com/pdf/LD_TRANSCAT_004_1.pdf

BTW it's a 4 speed OD, not a 3 speed with OD. There is a 3 speed with OD, different animal. (pet peeve...)

 

yea, i know...i once was that "someone". but yea, if no one on here can tell me i'll try different avenues. on FordF150.net there's a user (Steve83) who's real helpful and is always posting charts/pics/guides to everything...he has this one for decoding the door jamb sticker...but when it gets to my transmission it points to two it could possibly be...one being the SROD and the other being a Tremec T-170 (i think)...i know people say a variation of the T-170 IS the SROD, but i need to know is it EXACTLY an SROD or is it a T-170? when you go buy parts it will make a difference...

 

it's identical to the picture i posted. i'll have to go look tomorrow for a "turret" or not (i think i'm following what you're saying, but having been in the Army nearly a decade, that's not a turret. a turret is a round hole in the top of a tank or wheeled vehicle that someone sticks their head out of and fires a weapon.) what i think you're referring to is a protruding "rail" on one side of the shifter. and again, i'll look tomorrow. but, as i said, it's identical to the picture i posted. looked some more at MotiveGear's website...i don't think i have an SROD as they describe the "turret" in more detail...and i don't think i have that...

it's top shifted...shifter appears to be part of the top cover from what i can tell. it's a traditional shift pattern...1 3
2 OD R


oh, and again, i've looked at that "motivegear" website (1st link) like 10 times today...everyone seems to wanna post it. it doesn't give concrete evidence as to what transmission i have. heck, it says the SROD wasn't used after 1983. my truck is an all-original 1987...how do you explain that? heck, it shows NO 4-speed being used in 1987...when it's fairly common knowledge Ford didn't offer a 5-speed (that i've heard of) until 1988. like i said, nothing concrete on that site.

from what i've gathered, i don't think it can be an SROD. supposedly, on an SROD, there's a "false fill plug" on the side, that if you try to pull it out, something inside the transmission will fall apart...there's no such "plug" on my transmission. only an actual fill plug, at an angle, on the passenger side. i'm starting to wonder if it's the T170FT (code-RTS)...also called a TOD. i dunno, i just need to find out...

thanks for the help guys!!

 

If your trans is top shifted, it is the top-shift variant. These are all very much the same design trans. Some have different bearings for example, like a trans in a pickup vs. a Mustang. The "Single Rail..." describes the shifter set up. Since the SROD is the most common one, they all get tagged SROD. As for the T170, there are other versions of this trans that are not OD. As I understand it, Ford had (or licensed or whatever) Tremec to build these using the design of the original performance top loader 4 speed as found in Boss 302s, behind 427s and in anything Ford with a 4 speed after 1964.

Toploader History

Other info:

Toploader 4 Speed Transmissions

Parts:

Tremec 4 Speed Manual RUG & RTS Manual Transmission Rebuild Kits - Drivetrain.com

Do you have "RUG" or "RTS" cast into the case?

You will probably have to call to confirm you are ordering the correct parts once you get info off the casting, or find a tag.

 

Wow, thanks for that info man! I'll look tomorrow to see if I see "RUG" or "RTS" stamped into the case. It'd have to be on the passenger side (didn't really look there today) or a tag on the top where I can't see. I suppose it could be a top-shift variant...but it doesn't seem to look like/have the characteristics of the SRODs I've read about/seen. I see the turret you refer to in a picture I found...mine doesn't have that and my tail cone looks totally different. Also, I don't have a fill plug (false or real) on the driver's side...

But thanks again for the continued help!

 

My truck had the same transmission in it from the factory. The Ford service manual calls it a TOD, Top Mounted Shifter Overdrive. The transmission won't fall apart when you pull the tail housing - the gearset is fully contained in the center section. It looks like the speedometer drive gear is held in by a snap ring.

The service manual lists the speedometer drive gear part number as 17285, but I don't know if there is a prefix or anything that goes with that number.

 

I had one those 4 speeds in my 84 Flareside. I loved it, the spacing was perfect of a 302 2wd grocery getter

 

The gear spacing was one reason I decided to swap the TOD for a ZF. First and second were ok, but third would lug really badly until the engine got back into the powerband. I felt like I was driving a five-speed without third gear.

 

I had one in a 1981 f100 Bought new.With a 300 6cyl. I could barely get the truck to move going up hill without slipping the hell out of the clutch.

 

Wow, thanks a lot Eric! Really helped me know what I have...and thanks for the help on the speedo gear! Yea, it seems to be a pretty stout transmission (since 1987 with 0 issues) and yep, 3rd is spaced a little too far, lol. And Kahuna...your 81 must have been sick...if my truck won't go up a hill...it's because it's smoking a rear tire...stock EFI 300...tons of low end torque...I have to start off in second (which it'll still do up a hill easily) when the pavement is the slightest bit slick...

Anyhow, thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it!!!