My '92 5.0 2wd F150's AOD (trans code "T") seems dead.

The truck is currently in the hands of a good mechanic, but the one replacement AOD he found (in the same state, but not even locally) is $1,100. Seems nuts to me...

I have a donor 1993 5.0 2wd F150 that's pretty rusty but runs well. Unfortunately, it's got the other available transmission, the E4OD.

If I drove that entire donor truck to the garage of my mechanic, and asked him to take the E4OD trans and everything else he may need from the donor truck (wiring harness, etc.), how realistic would such a transmission swap be?

The guy is a pretty good mechanic based on recommendations of reliable people whose judgment I trust, but he's probably not a 87-96 Ford truck expert...

Thanks in advance for the advice! Very appreciated as always

 

The swap is possible but not practical with a paid mechanic doing all the work, this job will bury you in labor costs most of which will be related to transferring and sorting out the wiring.. it's not at all plug and play.

 

OK, thanks for the info. That's exactly what I needed to hear.

Hey, any idea on what I should pay for a used AOD? They seem pretty rare. It can't be from a 1980s RWD car, right? Or even a Crown Vic of the same model years as my F150...?

 

Any 2wd AOD will work so yes it could be from a car but later versions were better built so get the newest one you can find. Ford put the 4.6 modular motor in the Crown Vic in '92 so most of those '90s CVs are no good, it has to be a 5.0 car and those with the 5.0HO like T-bird, Mustang, Cougar, Lincioln MK7 would have the strongest trans.

 

OK! And price-wise, any idea what I should expect?

I have a hard time believing that that $1,100 (about a grand and a half in loonies!) is a normal price for a used transmission! I feel I can find a complete 2wd F150 for parts for a fraction of that.

 

I had an AOD rebuilt by Ford for $1500 so yeah $1100 for a used slushbox of unknown condition is highway robbery. Don't think I would pay more than $500.

 

If getting a AOD from a car, make sure it's not the shorter version(about 2 inches). Some cars had them and some did not. Found out the hard way on my friend's F150 years ago.

I would find a You-pull pick-a-part junkyard. Around my area a transmission goes for $150 to $250 depending on the yard.

 

Wow, you're sure about that? The only one that my mechanic managed to locate was in the Lake Okeechobee area, I don't know which parts yard exactly, he didn't mention that. At first sight that's a slightly longer drive than your area from where he is.

Trucks in FL are way pricier than up here so I figure maybe the same would be true for parts...... but it seems not!

I've located a $400 (Canadian dollars) used AOD locally here, I might deliver it myself if no other reasonably priced AOD can be found locally. I generally drive to FL a few times a year anyway, wouldn't be the end of the world to have to do it soon to bring an AOD.

Honestly though, if you could help me find one anywhere in DeSoto County in good condition I'd be glad to buy it off you for significantly more than what it cost you and I'd do it in a heartbeat, it would still be my cheapest option. (And also, you'd be a life-saver and I'd be eternally grateful )

Anyway, the question I was going to ask today was... this AOD here, it's from a junkyard but on a shelf already, and the guy "supposes" it's from a F150, but it may well be the shorter version. Is there a way to find out by a number on the bellhousing or something? I'd measure it, but then I have no other AOD to compare it to. (I suppose I could dig up the specs, if it came to that.)

Thanks so much, again, for all the advice

 

You can buy a new AOD from Summit for just a little more then you are paying for a used one where you are!

 

Unless the Summit Racing website I'm looking at isn't the one you're talking about, this doesn't seem to be the case, the cheapest ones are all close to ~$2,000.

I can't justify putting a $2,000 AOD in that truck. Not when I have found one available here for ~$350 USD (which may run me ~$550 USD after I've managed to take it to Florida where the truck is).

I love that truck and want to fix it, but it has to make sense financially as well.

 

Just to see where you stand on this, is there any reason you want to continue with the AOD? Why not consider an M5OD or a small block ZF5?

If there's some reason you can't drive stick, then disregard my question.

 

I'd love to, but it's just not convenient at all. Right now the truck is not nearby so I have to rely on someone else to do all the work, and I have my handyman who'd kind of waiting for it to be repaired so he can use it.

My previous Ford trucks were actually all stick (1990 F150 5.0 4x4 stick; 1994 F250HD 7.3 turbodiesel ZF5; 1995 Ranger 2.3 with the Mazda (I think) 5-speed) and so were my non-trucks (5.0 Foxstang convertible with stick).

My current Ford diesel tractor is also a manual (I don't think they were available any other way at the time).

But yeah, if I just can't find a transmission for it, I may well put it on a trailer, bring it back home where I have ample storage space, and try to put a M5OD in it someday as a project. (I'd rather not do that, but I'd still sooner do it than put a $2,000 slushbox in it.)

 

I see, well, it may come down to it being that way regardless! Hopefully you can get what you need to get for it to get it up and running again.

I just completed swapping my E4OD for a ZF5, and it really wasn't all that bad. Biggest hurdle was the shear weight of the ZF5 itself, even compared to the E4OD!

 

Yes, any AOD will "work," but they are not the same.

The difference is in the valve body and the governor. For example, an AOD from a full size LTD will have a valve body calibrated for smoother, seamless shifts, and the governor will make sure the AOD shifts early, or low in the RPM range. While an AOD from a Mustang has a different valve body calibrated for faster, firmer shifts, and the governor will make the AOD shift later, or until a higher RPM is reached. The truck AOD falls right in the middle of these two calibrations.

If you get an AOD from one of these applications, transfer the valve body and governor from your truck to the replacement if you want the same characteristics of your original transmission.

 

You're actually located exactly between me and the truck so it would be a breeze to pick up an AOD from you, you're sure you don't want to convert Lucille to a stick shift...?