I was cleaning up my AOD and when I pulled the pan I found something floating in the fluid. That can't be good. Does anybody know what it is, where it goes, what it's purpose is, and is the transmission junk because this was floating in the pan?

 

That is just the assembly line dipstick plug. It just plugged the hole till they put the dipstick tube in and means your transmission pan has never been dropped.

 

Well, that's a relief, eh?!

 

Tom, I'll say!

Thanks Nathan. I guess never having the pan off means the fluid was never changed. I have no idea what the mileage is on this tranny but it's an 85 AOD so my guess is it may not have been properly taken care of. The fluid didn't smell burnt but it was very dark at the bottom of the pan. What do you think?

Okay, onward then to more questions. The part that the speedometer connects to is pictured below. Do I need anything else other than a cable and housing? How does the cable attach to this thing? I'm used to the GM screw on type. What kind of cable do I need to make my Dolphin mechanical speedometer with a screw-on cable mount work with this transmission? It looks like the end is a little boogered. Is that a problem? :confused




Finally, there's a switch of some kind that screws vertically into the side of the transmission. There are four prongs on it and I can't tell if there's supposed to be four or if one has broken off. Is is supposed to have four prongs or five and what does this switch do?

Sorry to show my ignorance of Ford stuff but this is my first trip down this road...

 

Vern,

The thing you're holding in your last couple pics is the backup light and neutral safety switch. There are two prongs for each function. You'll need to find a pigtail to plug into it if you want to use it.

As for the speedo cable, that end you have there is junk, but don't sweat it. Originally, the cable slipped into the collar and the collar was permanently crimped at the factory. It wasn't ever intended to be removed. Ford used that style of speedo cable from the early 60's until they quit using speedo cables at all, so it's a very common design. Do a little googling for speedo shops or check with some guage and instrument manufacturers. Many, many vendors offer speedo cables in various lengths with just about any combination of ends that you could want. Some will even custom build you one. Now that I think about it, my '65 Falcon has that end at the transmission and a screw-on end at the speedo. You might check the length of some stock replacement cables for 60's or early 70's Fords - perhaps a pickup. That might be the least expensive route. Just be aware that sometime in the 70's they went to a quick disconnect style connection at the speedo and the screw-on connection went away. I don't know what year that change happened. You will still need that gear on that cable stub, though, because a new cable probably won't come with one. Pry that black clip straight out of the side of the gear and it'll slip right off. Good luck!

 

Hmmm, not sure if I need the backup light but I would like to use a built-in neutral safety switch if I can figure out how to wire it up. So, you're saying that piece with the driven gear mounted on it is just part of the cable housing and this one is broken...so I should be able to find a replacement cable housing somewhere that has an end like this on it already...

Is this what I'm looking for?

 

Yep, you got it! If that one is the right length, it would work fine.

 

This one is 5 feet long. It's going in a 49. I think that would be long enough...how long do they come? I've seen this one and one a little over 7 feet...

 

Vern,

I need one too - where did you see/get that cable.??

Does your speedo cable hole have a set screw kinda threaded hole next to it?

Chris

 

I just got mine at Mid-Fifties Aod on trans end end stock 1955 f100 speedo on the other,Michael

 

Chris, that one is on Ebay. Look up Ford Speedometer Cable on Ebay Motors. I'll check on the speedometer today...

 

When investigating the speedo hole - I accidently pushed in the plastic covering stopper that the rebuild mechanic had left in. (it did not have a flange). Duh!!

Anyone got ideas about if it will hurt in there? It fell to the bottom of the
casing below the drive shaft. I don't particularily want to take the end casing off to recover it unless I have to.