Found a rebuilt ZF 5 speed here in BC with new seals, syncros, and bearings asking $1000 canadain.... not too bad I dont think...

Bob

 

That doesn't sound to bad. I have been into a few of them and you can loose alot of money in one. I don't usually fool with these smaller trans and I don't like an end loading transmission. By what I have heard over the years, they have held up better then alot of people thought they would have when they first came out.

 

Is that a four speed with overdrive? or just straight 5 gears?

 

it has OD....

 

I'm not sure what you're asking. A 5 speed transmission with an overdrive gear has 5 gearsets inside the transmission, just one of them with an output ratio higher than 1:1

For example .9:1 means that when you are in 5th gear, for every 9/10ths of a revolution of the input shaft (motor) you get one revolution of the output shaft (driveshaft). Your driveshaft is spinning more revolutions than your engine.

If your question was is this a 5-speed transmission, or is it a 4 speed with an external, add-on, aftermarket overdrive, then the answer is that it is a 5-speed transmission.

 

So with my four speed, that does have an over drive gear. Would that be a four speed with an after market overdrive unit? 1991

 

the zf5 is a good tranny but dose have some some limites.thats a good deal since I spent about 1300 to rebuild mine and still blew it up.if you want one that will last a long time go find an after market unit like Hillkiller or if its for a diesel the BD is a good one.do some research on the rebuild befor you buy.I've bought lots of thes trannys.

 

After market 5 speed for an IDI....never heard of such a thing, please tell us more!

 

What model tranny you got? Never heard of a 4 speed with an internal OD. Most every 4 speed I've ever seen or heard of had a 1:1 4th gear.

The aftermarket overdrive units are offered by Gear Vendors, US Gear, and companies like that. They bolt onto your stock transmission - either between the engine and tranny, or on the tail end of the tranny. They are 2-speed units. One gear will be 1:1 and the other will be around .83:1

Some of them can shift on the fly and can theoretically allow you to operate your 4 speed as if it were an 8-speed like this - 1st low, 1st hi, 2nd low, 2nd hi, 3rd low, 3rd hi, 4th low, 4th hi.

Most people don't want to mess with shifting the OD from low to hi and back for each gear, so it gets operated more like a 5 speed like this - 1st low, 2nd low, 3rd low, 4th low, 4th hi......

 

The original S42 ZF 5 had a shift pattern 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - O on the shifter.
Which could easily be considered a 4 speed with overdrive.

 

yeah dave,
thats the shift pattern in my shift ****.
to the best of my knowledge its a stock trans without an external overdrive. is there a code on the door jam or somwhere that would identify my trans? its a 1991 F-250. Dave S. and Cheaper, you sure know your IDI's, Thanks so much for sharing your vast amount of knowledge, really appreciated.

 

Ford used a Clarke 4 speed OD trans but I don't know if it would hold up. You see them behind 300 6's alot which weren't the weakest engines out there but I haven't ever seen one behind a 6.9. Don't if they offered it.

As far as a final ratio, I am happy with a higher gear and a direct trans. I am used to medium and heavy trucks and an aluminim transmission doesn't seem right.

5 speeds are nicer not because of the road gear but for the fact you have more options when you are driving.

Just an opinion

 

My Mustang has an R.O.D. 6-speed that I wouldn't mind fitting up to my F250. It's a sweet-shifting tranny and a real torque monster. If I ever decide to get rid of the Mustang (which I don't currently plan to do), I'll find a way to fit that thing up to the back of the 7.3.

 

advanced turbo systems(ats) or BD diesel performance.I also just sold a 1991 f250 exstended cab.with the Ats auto tranny.its a big purple tranny.in a tractor pull it beat most manual trucks.Come out to california and we will show you how to build a sled puller.can you hang?