Let me first beg forgiveness over my stupidity with transmissions, they're like voodoo magic to me. Anyway, I bought a rebuilt AOD (the older non electric one) off ebay about 2 years ago to put in my 56 F-100 with a 302. I finally got it in my truck a month ago and installed a Lokar TV cable with Holley carb bracket. Unfortunately due to some various confusing articles I found on how to set the correct pressure for the cable, I ended up setting the pressure at 33 psi without a guage block and carefully drove the truck from my house to my shop about 2 miles away in slow traffic. Now I know from the various posts I've searched on this forum this should spell death for my transmission but I'm hoping hoping hoping that the small fact that the tranny never shifted out of first gear the whole way (not for lack of pushing the truck's rpm up a bit to see if it would) that my tranny may still be salvagable. I tried setting the pressure correctly tonight and drove it up and down the alley but it still doesn't shift out of first. Am I bummed? Or could I still be lucky? Thanks for any and all replies!!!!

Craig
http://www.evil-wheels.com

 

What do you have the pressure set at?

 

Currently at 33 psi with the 1/4" guage installed on the cable

Craig
http://www.evil-wheels.com

 

That sounds too high. If I remember correctly its something like 29 to 31 psi.

Try that and see if it shifts. If not, start lowering the pressure until it does and see what pressure that is. If your speedo works correctly/accurately you can also check the shifting by road speed. It should shift from 1st gear at light throttle at about 12 - 14 mph. Then into OD at about 48 mph. Of course, if you have a really short gear ratio (4.10 or 4.56) is may be lower.

I don't think you would have burned up anything in that short drive in 1st gear. If you babied it it should have not slipped. Typically, the cable's grommet fails and burns the transmission's OD clutches up because it slipped in OD at speed on the highway.

If you can't get the thing to shift by dropping pressure, is the fluid burnt? You might pull the pan and inspect it for debis. If something is comming apart, the debris can hang the valve and cause it not to shift.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Well I set it at a lower psi and it's still not shifting. Could this possibly be a stuck governor in the tail shaft? Or does anyone know if this tranny is for sure fried because I drove it even in just first gear? How does the tranny act when it gets fried this way?

Craig
http://www.evil-wheels.com

 

The governor certainly could be stuck. In fact, you said it sat for some time after you got it (and it was a reman). The governor could very well be stuck from sitting.

I doubt its fried from driving it in first gear. If its burnt, you will smell it in the fluid.

If it was burnt up it would slip in first since that was the only gear that you drove it in. Usually, when one of these get burnt up from too low a throttle pressure it burns up the OD clutches. You were never in OD.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Well I pulled the governor out and the thing is cherry. It slides with no binding....I'm stumped. Is it just time for me to take it to the ford dealership?

 

Not sure the ford dealer is the best solution. Unless they have a transmission technician that has been around a long time he probably doesn't have much experience with the AOD.

I would look for a reputable transmission shop. It may very well be a problem in the valve body.

Good Luck,
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

here's some anecdotal evidence, take it for what it's worth.

The first time I tried an AOD, i was younger and dumber, and didn't know the tv cable's importance, so i didn't hook it up right away. Within a 10 mile drive, it lost all gears one by one, until it wouldnt shift out of first.

The second time, a few years later, I did all my research and put an AOD in my current truck. It was one I had sitting around, and I didn't expect it to last. I merely wanted to see if the modified drivetrain idea for my highboy would be feasible. It lost it's OD first, and then it lost 3rd gear. 2nd was going when i pulled it.

I've got 20000mi so far out of my latest tranny, a beefed up unit I have well cooled, only being pushed around by a 300 six. The pressures are good, but I need a tailshaft governor for 4.10 gearing to have my shifts where I would like.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the help Steve, I've managed to befriend a local tranny mechanic who will check out my tranny later this week.