My transmission is giving me again..... No overdrive at all


Adjusting the tv cable yeilds the following
Slack side 10mph in 1st-2nd but the shift points are too soft (I wont dare go any lower) No overdrive.

Tight side consistent at 16mph (no overdrive) up until you adjust it so tight to no shift out of 1st (travel of the tv arm seems to be 1/3 way through its motion when no shift out of 1st)

At the 10mph adjustment it goes to 1-2 and then 2-3 shifts at 28

so from semi soft to no 1-2 when tight,,,, it shifts only @ 16 mph from 1-2 and 2-3 at 28. no matter what.

Kickdown works.

Pressure at idle in Neutral (tv disconected!!!! and spring holding lever back):
-Needle shakes violently from 39-42 warm (it is almost like a blur) steady at 30 cold.
-without spring and still disconnected steady at 43warm / 30 cold

Pressure at idle in park:
-30 cold
-40 warm

New fluid and filter in the past 200 miles (fluid is super clean no grit seems slicker than what came out of the bottle, does not smell burnt.
Trans cooler
remote 21 micron trans filter with bypass valve in the filter.

What could be the issues here? can fluid becoming to clean from the remote filter affect worn valves? I am at a loss..

Research says
-Stuck 3-4 accumulator, How does it get stuck sitting?
-pressure regulator valve stuck or sticking and or worn.


If this is the case, where is a good place to find a cheap "new" valve-body. I am at wits end.. every time I fix an issue with this trans I let it sit for a little bit and another grimlin pops its head.

Thanks.. I am getting to the point I am about to just take the fitech off and the digital dash and trade the truck or just get rid of it.. sucks because I have replaced alot on the truck with new stuff.

 

Dropped the pan.. The tv arm has in and out play.. I pulled it out put some force on it and it popped back farther. Bad news is after 200 miles I am still getting the sludge even with trans temps staying at 170 and the fluid which I think in the past mark told me is oxidized due to age (nope new) or heat (again 170).

 

Just to clarify: convertor was drained as well, correct?

 

Brand new converter.. Seems like the sludge started after the converter was installed. Out of paranoia about 200 miles back I changed both the fluid and filter again. Still the same thing.

 

Dropped the pan again, retorqued the valve body bolts. 1-2=16 2-3=32 No overdrive unless you go from D to (D) manually. Also now I have bucking at high rpm under load.. Feels like a missfire in 2nd and 3rd

 

OK, the fluid seems to be an issue. First, you should have about 5PSI in neutral. That is with the TV disconnected. 35-40 is telling the transmission it is about time to down shift. Sounds like a fluid pump problem, but it can be many things. I would suggest paying a fee to have it evaluated by a professional.

 

the pressure will return to zero at idle now but I have to get under the truck and push the arm back to get it to read zero.

All places around here just want to throw a new transmission in.. Ones who can rebuild them dont have a good history or just swap a junkyard unit and say they rebuilt it.

 

So I replaced the valve body. New fluid New filter.

Keeping it under 2000 RPM
1-2 firm 17 mph
2-3 firm 25 mph Engine bogs no matter how it is adjusted (replaced the 2-3) acumulator
3-4 firm 45 mph

What could cause the engine to bog in 3rd?

3.55 rear gears

 

Your shift speeds look good. Drop the pressure a little so that the 1-2 shift comes in a 15 MPH (at 1500 - 2000 RPM) instead and see if that works better for you. That is closer to the stock setting for these trucks, and the shifts will be a little smoother.

You shouldn't have a "bog." However, the shift from 2-3 will never be as firm as the 1-2 shift. Here's why:


The AOD is unique in that it does NOT have a lock-up torque converter. And yet it can run without torque-converter action. Unlike all other transmissions, the AOD has TWO input shafts. They are concentric, one inside the other.

The smaller, removable secondary input shaft is tied directly to the torque converter’s shell and forward clutch. The larger, hollow primary input shaft is driven by the torque converter’s turbine (torque multiplication) in First, Second, and Reverse gears. Full torque converter action is available in 1st and 2nd gears, and is always there, like a C6 for example.

However, 3rd and 4th gears use the direct input shaft, so there is absolutely NO torque converter action in 3rd or 4th, no matter what. In other words, the smaller, direct input shaft connects THROUGH the converter, bypassing converter action completely. This is good for gas mileage. And since there is no clutch in the torque converter nor need to control one, the AOD is simpler.

Ford calls this split torque because 40% of the engine’s torque goes through the torque converter as torque multiplication (via the impeller, stator, and turbine), while 60% goes through the smaller input shaft in Third gear. When the transmission shifts into Overdrive or Fourth gear, 100% of the engine’s torque goes through the smaller secondary input shaft as straight drive and lock-up in the gear-train and clutch pack. Tip in the throttle and the AOD goes into Third gear with the split-torque pattern. At WOT, 100% of the torque goes through the torque converter and hollow primary input shaft.

 

Maybe im mistaking the bog for firm.

When I had dropped it to around 15mph @ 1-2..... 2-3 came in around 22-23 mph and 3-4 40-43mph. Still 3rd was acting up but it was more pronounced. Adjusting it higher just raises the shift point but the issue remains.

Maybe bog is not the word for it.
3rd is acting the same way it would if you adjusted the tv cable to short and it goes from 1 to 3rd by 18mph. Another way to describe it would be like overdrive coming in below 38.

I verified it is not overdrive coming in by leaving it in D and not (D).

Adjusting it to the spec in the manual set at 5psi in neutral the shifts are

1-2 10mph
2-3 -18-20
3-4 didn't get that high as the shifts didn't feel right

seems to want 32 psi at neutral to shift right

I have the vacuum advance disconnected waiting on a new one. The hose is plugged off.
When I had checked the timing it was at 8* I have it at 11* now and that seemed to help the 3rd issue a little or maybe its in my head i dunno.

The truck goes vrooooom shift vrooooooooom shift vabla,vabla,vablaroooom shift vaaarooooom

 

With an AOD, third gear always seems like it comes in a little too soon. (Mustang guys do the 1-2-1 "shuffle" to get around this.) I think what you are describing is somewhat normal. That is just how it works with the "split torque" design. Remember, the AOD was the very first automatic overdrive transmission.



Those are the shift points you will get if you set the TV pressure to the absolute minimum. Ford used minimum TV pressure on full size luxury cars like the LTD because the owners expected a super soft, luxury shift. Full size trucks and Mustangs used higher TV pressure for firmer, more positive shifts. This improves performance and longevity, and where I would recommend setting it.

What you want is for overdrive to come in automatically around 45 MPH under very light throttle. Under moderate throttle, it should come in around 50 MPH as you ease up on the accelerator pedal. If it doesn't come in unless you lift your foot completely off the gas, the TV pressure is too high.

Here is an example of normal AOD shifting in a Bronco under very light throttle:

 

So 32-38 psi is ok in neutral without a guage block?
Every source online and my ford manual for the truck says insert the guage block set to 35 psi +/- 5 for shift firmness. It also says dont excede 5psi without the block installed.

Others have said this works and have nice firm shifts..

Why would mine want so much pressure? Would leaking seals be the issue?

 

I don't know. I don't look at pressure readings anymore. FoMoCo didn't use a gauge block nor pressure readings to set up every single vehicle that left their factory that had an AOD. All they did on the assembly line was to set the TV cable (or TV rod) for neither slack nor tension at idle.

Pressure settings from a Ford manual will have the AOD shifting way too soon with soft shifts and a less responsive downshift.

The safest way is to set the TV cable for full pull under wide open throttle. As long as the geometry is correct at the carburetor, you won't have any problems using this method. This will give you firmer shifts and a more responsive downshift. It also improves longevity.

 

New issues!!!!

shifts went soft and!!!

I thought my glimmer belt drive was making a noise but its not

I have a sucking whirring sound coming from the pan.

-In park, with a rubber hose as a stethoscope, the sound is coming from where the filter pickup is.
-In reverse the noise lessens, and is not as loud
-In neutral, the sound seems like it goes away
-in (D), the sound is not there
-in D the sound comes back
-in 1 the sound is there but lessens

Put it back in park the sound is louder than when first in park, move it to reverse then back the sound lessens.

Now the truck wants 60 psi at neutral in idle to shift at 13mph 1-2... 20mph 2-3.. 45mph 3-4 (this is whats triping me out). Slowing down it seems like maybe it is not downshifting until almost 10-5 mph.. when it does I hear a surge like the rpms go up then down..

The tv cable is in 1/3 of its movement in tension to keep it shifting right

So my question what are the symptoms of a stuck leaking governor? Where can I source a brand new one?

 

So dropped the driveshaft...(pain in the A).. Pulled the governor.. It did not have smooth movement... Polished it with Maguires clear coat polish and bronze wool.. Lubed it up and got it moving like butter..

Before all the trans issues at low speeds it had a gear like whine/whir then went away one day.

Before I cleaned the governor today it was not there... I cleaned it and its back...

Good news is the shift points moved up I think.. 1-2 17-20 mph 2-3 28-30 mph.. Tomarrow I am going to reset the tv pressure. Lower it to 35 like the manual says.

Why would the governor whine or is this normal
best way to describe the noise is a werrrrrrrooooooo.....