AOD ... interesting transmission
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 309
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From: Owensboro, KY
AOD ... interesting transmission
As my '87 F150 is the first Ford I've owned with the AOD transmission, I've found that it is pretty interesting. Having driven it every day this week, I've discovered that "D" is the range I'll use for most around-town driving (I barely get over 35 MPH in town, Owensboro IS traffic hell!).
I've used "OD" a few times when I've gotten onto the expressway, but it doesn't upshift to OD until I get above 45 (which is in line with what the sticker on the visor says). And I usually have to lift off to get it to upshift at that speed, which is accompanied by a driveshaft "clunk." I assume that's a U-joint issue, but they all look good and feel tight. The truck did sit for a while before I bought it, though, and I'm no longer getting the clunk at all speeds when it shifts to OD; the 55 MPH shift (merging onto the expwy.) is particularly smooth now.
Do you think I ought to mess with the TV cable? All of the other shifts are pretty smooth and come when they're supposed to, so I didn't think it'd be much use.
Let me know what y'all think!
Thanks, JN
I've used "OD" a few times when I've gotten onto the expressway, but it doesn't upshift to OD until I get above 45 (which is in line with what the sticker on the visor says). And I usually have to lift off to get it to upshift at that speed, which is accompanied by a driveshaft "clunk." I assume that's a U-joint issue, but they all look good and feel tight. The truck did sit for a while before I bought it, though, and I'm no longer getting the clunk at all speeds when it shifts to OD; the 55 MPH shift (merging onto the expwy.) is particularly smooth now.
Do you think I ought to mess with the TV cable? All of the other shifts are pretty smooth and come when they're supposed to, so I didn't think it'd be much use.
Let me know what y'all think!
Thanks, JN
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29
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From: Baytown, TX
I wouldnt mess with it. AOD trannys are notorious for feeling loose. You could have it rebuilt and get rid of it but once they have a good amount of miles on them, they tend to get a little slack in them.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Contrary to popular belief silky smooth shifts with an automatic transmission is exactly what you don't want, it accelerates wear on all the friction materials inside the tranny and drastically reduces life. The tranny should shift firmly and provide a sudden drop in rpms with no hesitation or neutral between gears. If your AOD doesn't do that it may need a TV cable adjustment. It's easy to do but small adjustments make a big difference. The cable is spring loaded and releasing the lock on the throttle body clamp will put the cable at zero, which is not good. The cable sets the oil pressure baseline in the tranny and there is a minimum needed to prevent slipping. More cable preload = higher pressure, less preload = less pressure. The factory recomended settings for the cable are a little low if you ask me, they allow the tranny to shift up too early and the shifts are not firm enough for my tastes. You can play with the cable preload without fear of damaging the tranny, just don't drive the vehicle with no cable preload.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 590
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From: Venetia, PA
I have driven a few trucks with the AOD tranny in it, including mine. They all have that little "lurch" when it shifts to overdrive. It just seems like they were made like that. I wouldnt worry about it because despite what some people may say, these are pretty good trannys. Especially the beefed up version that is in the 92 and 93 f150s like mine. The damn thing is near bulletproof.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 153
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From: arizona
The damn thing is near bulletproof.
when i finally let it cool down. i've since been in 2 of them and it seems they are tough on overdrive bands. they will probably do the job as long as you don't abuse the od. prolly a good idea to use d below 55 unless you're on a downhill or dead flat. as long as your first 3 gears are working consistently and your od shift is either firm under light load or almost unnoticeable with out a load, your tv pressure is ok. don't mess around with it unless you have the test spacer and a pressure gage. they don't like to be wrong.
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From: DFW Metromess, TX.
Originally Posted by blue68f100
Depending on the miles you may want to consider having the fluid and filter changed. Some time as the fluid gets old valves start sticking.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 309
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From: Owensboro, KY
The first three gears work great, no problems or complaints there. I've been using "D" around town, and I plan to keep doing that. The fluid looks and smells good -- bright color, no grit that I can feel on the dipstick (I've had that happen before). Thanks for all your suggestions!
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,585
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From: Duluth, Mn.
There is a repair part availible for the funky OD shifts. But it involves removing the Valve Body and drilling.
Don't mess with the TV cable, unless you know what your doing. It can lead to premature failure.
Mine has been doing the same thing for over 100K miles, and still runs fine. It started doing it around 110K miles, and I have 230K on the truck now. So, I wouldn't worry about it to much.
Don't mess with the TV cable, unless you know what your doing. It can lead to premature failure.
Mine has been doing the same thing for over 100K miles, and still runs fine. It started doing it around 110K miles, and I have 230K on the truck now. So, I wouldn't worry about it to much.