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Ford AOD transmission

 

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Ford AOD transmission



 
 
The AOD (for automatic overdrive) was a four-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission

An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manual transmission....
 with overdrive
Overdrive

Overdrive may refer to:* Operation Overdrive , a scheme to improve public transportation in and around the Medway Towns in north Kent, England...
. Introduced in 1980, it was Ford
Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
's first four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. The design is based on the same gearset as the Ford FMX transmission
Cruise-O-Matic

Ford-O-Matic was the first automatic transmission used by Ford Motor Company, designed by BorgWarner. Introduced in 1950, the 3-speed Ford-O-Matic evolved into the Cruise-O-Matic in 1958 and the FMX in 1968....
 of the 1960s and 1970s. The AOD replaced the majority of Ford's older transmissions, including the Cruise-O-Matic
Cruise-O-Matic

Ford-O-Matic was the first automatic transmission used by Ford Motor Company, designed by BorgWarner. Introduced in 1950, the 3-speed Ford-O-Matic evolved into the Cruise-O-Matic in 1958 and the FMX in 1968....
 and C5.

Applications:


AOD was redesigned with electronic controls in 1991, becoming the AODE.






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Encyclopedia


The AOD (for automatic overdrive) was a four-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission

An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manual transmission....
 with overdrive
Overdrive

Overdrive may refer to:* Operation Overdrive , a scheme to improve public transportation in and around the Medway Towns in north Kent, England...
. Introduced in 1980, it was Ford
Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
's first four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. The design is based on the same gearset as the Ford FMX transmission
Cruise-O-Matic

Ford-O-Matic was the first automatic transmission used by Ford Motor Company, designed by BorgWarner. Introduced in 1950, the 3-speed Ford-O-Matic evolved into the Cruise-O-Matic in 1958 and the FMX in 1968....
 of the 1960s and 1970s. The AOD replaced the majority of Ford's older transmissions, including the Cruise-O-Matic
Cruise-O-Matic

Ford-O-Matic was the first automatic transmission used by Ford Motor Company, designed by BorgWarner. Introduced in 1950, the 3-speed Ford-O-Matic evolved into the Cruise-O-Matic in 1958 and the FMX in 1968....
 and C5.

Applications:
  • 1980–1986 Ford LTD
    Ford LTD

    The Ford LTD was a car model name that has been used by the Ford Motor Company in North America.The LTD designation is considered by some an abbreviation of "Luxury Trim Decor" and by others as a limited body style classification for the Ford Galaxie....
  • 1980–1993 Ford Thunderbird
    Ford Thunderbird

    The Thunderbird, often abbreviated as T-Bird, was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1955 through 2005 — through thirteen generations and various body types....
  • 1980–1993 Mercury Cougar
    Mercury Cougar

    The Mercury Cougar was an automobile sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades....
  • 1980–1993 Ford Mustang
    Ford Mustang

    File:Ford mustang badge.jpgThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the Ford Falcon , a compact car....
  • 1980–1986 Mercury Marquis
    Mercury Marquis

    The Mercury Marquis was a vehicle produced by the Ford Motor Company under its Mercury brand from 1967 to 1986. It began as a full-size car, but became a mid-size in 1983....
  • 1980–1987 Lincoln Continental
    Lincoln Continental

    The Lincoln Continental, an automobile produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company, began for the 1939 model year. Over the next 63 years, despite these cars sharing underpinnings with less-expensive Ford automobiles, Continental was usually a distinctively styled, highly equipped luxury car....
  • 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI
    Lincoln Mark series

    The Lincoln Mark was Lincoln 2-door Personal luxury car coup? from 1956 to 1998, except for 1980 to 1983 model-years when the Mark VI was also offered as a sedan ....
  • 1983–1990 Ford Econoline
  • 1983–1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
    Ford LTD Crown Victoria

    The Ford LTD Crown Victoria was a Ford full-size rear-wheel drive sedan produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1983 to 1991. It was renamed the Ford Crown Victoria after 1992, but while receiving a completely different body and drivetrain, it used the same platform....
  • 1983–1992 Mercury Grand Marquis
    Mercury Grand Marquis

    The Mercury Grand Marquis is a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company. It is essentially Mercury's version of the Ford Crown Victoria with which it shares its Ford Panther platform along with the Lincoln Town Car....
  • 1982–1993 Ford Bronco
    Ford Bronco

    The Ford Bronco was a sport-utility vehicle produced from 1966 through 1996, with five distinct generations.It was initially introduced as a competitor for the Jeep CJ#CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout....
  • 1980–1990 Lincoln Town Car
    Lincoln Town Car

    The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size, rear-wheel drive luxury vehicles sedan sold by Ford Motor Company upscale Lincoln brand. The Town Car features a V8 engine and large exterior and interior dimensions....
  • 1980–1987 Lincoln Continental
    Lincoln Continental

    The Lincoln Continental, an automobile produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company, began for the 1939 model year. Over the next 63 years, despite these cars sharing underpinnings with less-expensive Ford automobiles, Continental was usually a distinctively styled, highly equipped luxury car....
  • 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI
    Lincoln Mark series

    The Lincoln Mark was Lincoln 2-door Personal luxury car coup? from 1956 to 1998, except for 1980 to 1983 model-years when the Mark VI was also offered as a sedan ....
  • 1984–1992 Lincoln Mark VII
  • 1992 Ford Crown Victoria
    Ford Crown Victoria

    The Ford Crown Victoria is a rear-wheel drive Ford full-size first produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market in the mid-1950s....


Gear ratios

  • First: 2.40:1
  • Second: 1.47:1
  • Third: 1.00:1
  • Overdrive: 0.67:1
  • Reverse: 2.00:1


AODE

The AOD was redesigned with electronic controls in 1991, becoming the AODE. It was mainly intended for the new Modular
Ford Modular engine

The Modular engine is Ford Motor Company's current high volume overhead camshaft V8 engine and V10 engine gasoline engine family. It gradually replaced the Ford Windsor engine small-block and Ford 385 engine big-block engines over several years in the mid-1990s....
 V8 at first, but it was also adapted to the old AOD bell-housing for vehicles still powered by OHV engines. While the AOD and AODE/4R70W share some basic components like oil pans, gear sets (AODs and AODE can be retrofit with 4R70W gear sets), most of the internals are not interchangeable. The transmissions are not interchangeable either, as the AOD only uses a throttle valve cable for operation. The AODE and 4R70W are controlled by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) also sometimes referred to as the Electronic Engine Control (EEC).

Applications:
  • 1991–1994 Lincoln Town Car
    Lincoln Town Car

    The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size, rear-wheel drive luxury vehicles sedan sold by Ford Motor Company upscale Lincoln brand. The Town Car features a V8 engine and large exterior and interior dimensions....
  • 1993–1994 Ford Crown Victoria
    Ford Crown Victoria

    The Ford Crown Victoria is a rear-wheel drive Ford full-size first produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market in the mid-1950s....
  • 1993–1994 Mercury Grand Marquis
    Mercury Grand Marquis

    The Mercury Grand Marquis is a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company. It is essentially Mercury's version of the Ford Crown Victoria with which it shares its Ford Panther platform along with the Lincoln Town Car....
  • 1994–1995 Ford Mustang
    Ford Mustang

    File:Ford mustang badge.jpgThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the Ford Falcon , a compact car....


4R70W


A revised version of the AODE was released in 1993 with the Lincoln Mark VIII
Lincoln Mark VIII

See Lincoln Mark for a complete overview of the Lincoln Mark Series.Introduced for the 1993 model year, the completely new Lincoln Mark VIII was a large, rear-wheel drive Grand tourer luxury car coupe that was the successor to the Lincoln Continental Mark VII....
. 4R70W stands for 4 gears, Rearwheeldrive, 70 number assigned by Ford which represents the input torque in Lb-Ft for which the transmission was designed times 10 (70 x 10 = 700 Lb-Ft) and Wide gear ratio. It has lower 1st and 2nd gear ratios for better take-off acceleration and improved gearset strength. On vehicles powered by a 5.4 L V8, a stronger gearset is used than in normal duty 4R70Ws. In 1998, due to durability concerns, the intermediate one-way roller clutch was replaced with a mechanical diode providing extra holding capacity and longer service.

The gear ratios are: 1st: 2.84 :1 2nd: 1.55 :1 3rd: 1.00 :1 4th: 0.70 :1 Rev: 2.23 :1

Applications:
    • 1993–1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
      Lincoln Mark VIII

      See Lincoln Mark for a complete overview of the Lincoln Mark Series.Introduced for the 1993 model year, the completely new Lincoln Mark VIII was a large, rear-wheel drive Grand tourer luxury car coupe that was the successor to the Lincoln Continental Mark VII....
    • 1993–2003 Ford F-Series
      Ford F-Series

      The F-Series is a series of pickup truck#North American full-size pickups from Ford Motor Company sold for over five decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150....
    • 1994–1997 Ford Thunderbird
      Ford Thunderbird

      The Thunderbird, often abbreviated as T-Bird, was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1955 through 2005 — through thirteen generations and various body types....
    • 1995–1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
      Lincoln Mark VIII

      See Lincoln Mark for a complete overview of the Lincoln Mark Series.Introduced for the 1993 model year, the completely new Lincoln Mark VIII was a large, rear-wheel drive Grand tourer luxury car coupe that was the successor to the Lincoln Continental Mark VII....
    • 1995–2004 Ford Crown Victoria
      Ford Crown Victoria

      The Ford Crown Victoria is a rear-wheel drive Ford full-size first produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market in the mid-1950s....
    • 1996–2001 Ford Explorer
      Ford Explorer

      The Ford Explorer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990. It's manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky ....
    • 1993–2004 Lincoln Town Car
      Lincoln Town Car

      The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size, rear-wheel drive luxury vehicles sedan sold by Ford Motor Company upscale Lincoln brand. The Town Car features a V8 engine and large exterior and interior dimensions....
    • 1994–1997 Mercury Cougar
      Mercury Cougar

      The Mercury Cougar was an automobile sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades....
    • 1995–2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
      Mercury Grand Marquis

      The Mercury Grand Marquis is a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company. It is essentially Mercury's version of the Ford Crown Victoria with which it shares its Ford Panther platform along with the Lincoln Town Car....
    • 1997–2004 Ford Expedition
      Ford Expedition

      The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced in 1997 it slots between the smaller Ford Explorer, and the now discontinued and larger Ford Excursion....
    • 1997–2001 Mercury Mountaineer
      Mercury Mountaineer

      The Mercury Mountaineer is a midsize luxury sport utility vehicle manufactured by the Mercury brand name and owned by the Ford Motor Company. The Mountaineer shares many features with the Ford Explorer, and in terms of hardware, the vehicles are virtually identical....
    • 1996–2004 Ford Mustang
      Ford Mustang

      File:Ford mustang badge.jpgThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the Ford Falcon , a compact car....


Many improvements have been made to the 4R70W since 1993, the most significant was the use of a "Mechanical Diode" beginning with the 1998 models. Newer transmissions are referred to as 4R70E, 4R75W or 4R75E to differentiate them from previous models. The 4R75E/W has greater torque capacity (75 x 10 = 750 Lb-Ft) than previous models.

The most practical modification for the 4R70W is the . It involves modifying the valve body gaskets and changing some accumulator springs to alter the shift timing of the transmission. It encompasses modifications specified by one of the Ford engineers that designed the transmission. It offers quicker shifting, smoother operation, and increased service life. All parts can be bought at Ford dealers for less than $60 including the fluid.

A 20,000+ GVW cooler is highly recommended for all vehicles. Breakdown of the transmission fluid often results in "converter shudder" (feels like driving over rumble strips) where converter tries to maintain a steady slip rate during lock-up, but alternates between slipping and grabbing. Frequent fluid changes, especially when used for towing, are the single best method to prevent shudder. Shudder occurs because the torque converter never fully enters "lock-up", but is designed to slip slightly during steady-state operation. The reason Ford decided to use "Steady-state-slip" is often discussed but no complete answer has been found.

4R7xx Usage

2002
  • 4R70W used in all applications
2003
  • 4R75W used in Mercury Marauder, V8 Mustang (GT and Mach 1), and 5.4 L trucks (F150, Van, and Expedition)
  • 4R70W used in all other applications (V6 Mustang, 4.6 L Van, 4.2 L F150, 4.6 L F150, and Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar)
2004
  • 4R75E used in 5.4 L-3v F150
  • 4R70E used in 4.6 L F150 (except F150 Heritage)
  • 4R75W used in Mercury Marauder, V8 Mustang (GT and Mach 1), and 5.4 L-2v trucks (Van, and Expedition)
  • 4R70W used in all other applications (V6 Mustang, 4.6 L Van, 4.6 L Expedition, Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar, and F150 Heritage).
2005
  • 4R75E used in 5.4 L trucks (F150, Van, and Expedition)
  • 4R70W used in F150 Heritage (sold only in Mexico)
  • 4R70E used in all other applications (4.6 L Van, Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar, and 4.6 L F150 (except F150 Classic (sold only in Mexico))
2006 to 2008
  • 4R70W used in F150 Heritage (sold only in Mexico)
  • 4R75E used in all other applications (Van, Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar, and F150 (except F150 Heritage (sold only in Mexico))


See also