Not sure but i think 95 was the first year for the 4R70W in the truck with the 5.0...Lew

 

not speaking from my personal experience,but some have said that in 95 the trucks with mass air had the 4r70w and ones that were SD had the e4od. I know this is the case with my 95,mass air and 4r70w.

 

The 4R70W is 5.0 only. It was available in 94 and newer. Older trucks got the AOD and may have included the 4.9...although I've only seen the AOD behind a 5.0. The E4OD was behind every engine, 5.0 included. The E4OD is definately a heavier duty tranny. No complaints about my 4R70W though. It's got 331,000+ miles on it, and while it's very tired, it still gets the job done reliably.

I don't believe (automatic) tranny type affected MAF or SD. My 94 5.0/E4OD and 95 5.0/4R70W are both MAF.

 

I know Broncos had the E4OD and Mass air in 95, in the 5.0

 

I think the MAF vs SD relationship comes from the fact that the 302 had MAF long before the 351, and the 351 was mostly (if not all) E40D

 

Can't really argue about either.

My Explorer had the 4W70, and it was a good tranny. It was a Limited, so it had the factory tranny cooler. Shifting out of 1st is the only thing that bugged me about the 4W70.

My '97 F350 has the E40D, and it has the factory heavy duty transmission cooler on the front. No complaints. Although I bought the truck well used, it putts along nicely.

 

For the sake of argument, If someone has a 4R70W in their truck and wanted to swap in an E40D, What considerations would they have to factor into the swap? lets say the motor is a 5.0

 

The E4OD is a longer trans than the AOD/AOD-E/4r70W. Then you have to consider the different electrical connections which may or may not be interchangeable between the two, and most probably the flexplate may need changed.

If you were to ask which is easier to rebuild/overhaul by yourself IMHO the 4R70W because it doesnt require all the specialized tools that the E4OD does (even if the E4OD is an O/D C-6), and you can use an AOD transmission rebuild guide for most of the internals except for the valve body.

 

That would be "Knock" on wood.

 

What is a "shift kit" and what exactly does it do for the transmission?

I had my AOD completely rebuilt about 2 years ago behind my warmed over 1985 carbureted 302, and the mechanic I used (10+ year friend of a family member who ONLY builds transmissions, so I trust him) didn't say anything about needing a shift kit. Although he did recommend a tranny cooler, which he did install after the rebuild.

And where does an AOD fit in along with the other transmission options for these trucks, in terms of uniqueness, performance, reliability, etc.?

 

I have a good friend who works at one of the Ford dealers here in Austin, he told me many years ago that, in order to last, the E4OD/4R100 needs an aftermarket cooler and the AOD/AODE/4R70W needs it's fluid changed real often. My Bronco went 225K on it's original E4OD (and it was still working when I pulled it) and I am now repowering to a 4.6L Triton and 4R70W trans.

 

Most transmissions are calibrated for fairly smooth and slow shifts from the factory, but a transmission is mostly clutches and smooth shifts are the equavelent to slipping the clutch on a manual transmission, and that's a great way to wear out the clutch prematurely. A shift kit is a small package of parts that goes into the valve body and alters the line pressure and shift speed of the transmission, the result is faster and firmer shifts that greatly reduce wear and extend transmission life.



The AOD predated all the electrically controlled versions, and it is as capable as any of them it just has to be built up to handle higher loads and more HP.

Don't kid youself about the strength of the other transmissions either, the E4OD that is installed behind a 302 is nowhere near as strong as one that is bolted up behind a 460. The 460 version gets bigger bands and more clutches and runs higher line pressure than the light duty version so they are not at all equavelent.

 

My truck is a 94 4x4 with the 302, it has the 4R70W behind it. The guy who had my truck before used it to tow his boat and he said he never had any problems and the truck had good power. I havent towed anything yet since Ive had it so i cant back that up but in the few months Ive had the truck Ive had zero problems with the tranny. It shifts into gear easily, its not sluggish, and it shifts nice and like some other people said its very predictible. Just my review.