impaled

my dad has a 1989 5.0 AOD and is having some transmission problems. we were out driving to lunch today and we were in the "OD" position on the shifter. all of a sudden we start coasting and when he goes to speed up, it free revs like it was in neutral. he then moved the shifter to the "D" position and it worked fine driving in third gear. on the way back from lunch we stopped at walmart to pick up some tranny fluid because we thought it might be becasue the tranny fluid was low. it drove home fine and we checked the fluid and it was in theproper range. this is kind of odd that this is happening because the tranny was just rebuilt aroung 10k miles ago. do any of you have an idea of what could be going on? your feedback is appreciated.

Blckstng93

Your trans is slipping which can be bad news. It might need another rebuild (yes, already) but check a few things first...

Make sure the plastic grommet that holds the TV cable to the throttle body linkage is still there. They break when they get old, never drive without that grommet, itll kill the trans. Also, have the TV cable and/or the manual linkage adjusted to see if that fixes it. You can also do a line pressure test which can tell you whats going on inside the trans, or what shouldnt be.

If the bands or clutches go bad for any reason, itll need a rebuild.

My original AOD (#1) lasted for about 65k, losing some of 2 and all of 3rd. Ford 'rebuilt' it (#2) but it slipped within 15k, losing 3 and 4. All that for $1460. Some shops will reuse old parts if they are within specs according to a few shops i called. Sad aint it? So i had a private trans shop rebuild that trans (#3) and they used all new parts, including a stock convertor, and threw in a shift kit. Total cost $1400 or so. Im over 70k on that same trans and can run 1-4 no problem. Reverse is starting to die and fluid is beginning to turn a dullish pink but other than that its all good.

Good luck.

shawnk007

U have a burned out overdrive band. Join the club man.....VERY common issue with the AOD.

impaled

i will probably take it in to have it looked at. if it needs a rebuild or full replacement (the housing may be bad for some reason), what sholud i get? i was also thinking that i want something that is built for more horse power/torque. any recommedations? keep in mind that this is not my daily driver, and time is not really that big of an issue.I would rather wait longer for a better price or higher quality productthan have it running tomorrow. thanks again for the responses.

lacrosseseth

i had the same problem. it wasnt downshifting and got the plastic gromett and fixed that. a week later 4th was gone.

does the car downshift when u mash the pedal or does it bog down cuz it could be ur gromett on the kickdown cable. that was the factory defect from ford.

impaled

what happens is if i jump on it for a second and let off and i step on the gas again to maintain speed, it starts reving like im in neutral and the car coasts. the only way it will go again is if i put it in 3rd (the "D" position) or in low gear. i dont really know if that makesalot of sense, butits kind of hard to describe.

right now, im assuming it needs a rebuild or full replacement until i know different. i will probably take it in to get looked at in the next fewdays.what would you guys recommend for replacement? i want something that is built tougher and made to handle more power.

lacrosseseth

how much hp and torque?

lacrosseseth

94StinkinLincoln

new clutches and large overdrive band. the aod when u shift into 4th at WOT it kills the od band. big no no! take off overdrive when u race. and dont do the 1st-D-1st shuffle on the aod also...its bad for the tranny.

impaled

yea the fluid was kind of brownish or dirty looking.

im not exactly sure what mythe plans are for that car, but as long as it looks like ai have to spend some money on it, i may as well get something that would be tough enough for whatever i would throw at it. idk maybe a supercharger or turbo or something


i found this website

Performance Automotive and Transmission Center

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/AOD.htm#Level%203


i was looking at the level 3 for about $2,000. they say its good for up to 600 horse. has anybody had experience with them???