Ford AOD transmission
Encyclopedia
The AOD is a four-speed automatic transmission
with overdrive
. Introduced in 1980, it was Ford
's first four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. The design is based on the same gearset as the 1960s and 1970s. The AOD replaced the majority of Ford's older transmissions, including the C4 and C6.
Applications:
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 because the 4R70W and AODE use electronic solenoids to shift instead of conventional hydraulics. The transmissions are not interchangeable either, as the AOD only uses a throttle valve cable for operation. The AODE and 4R70W's shift points are controlled by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) also sometimes referred to as the Electronic Engine Control (EEC).
Applications:
. 4R70W stands for 4 gears, Rearwheeldrive, 70 stands for the 4th gear ratio, 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.
While there is speculation that the 70 can be multiplied by 10 to indicate the ft-lbs of torque this transmission is capable of handling including torque converter multiplication, (i.e. 700 ft-lbs of torque), there is no reliable source indicating this. In fact a Ford document stated that the 2003 "Expedition's 4R70W transmission is rated to handle up to 506 foot-pounds of torque, which provides a large performance cushion beyond the peak torque rating of Expedition's largest available engine." http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?vehicle_id=548&press_subsection_id=423&make_id=92 . It is more plausible that the number indicates the torque handling capability in N-m, as 506 ft-lbs converts to 686 N-m which could be rounded to 700 N-m. The "70" may also refer to the transmission's torque capacity after torque converter multiplication which occurs at low rpm's when the torque converter is more "elastic".
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:
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 than previous models.
The most practical modification for the 4R70W is the J-mod. It involves modifying the valve body separator plate and gaskets and changing out some accumulator springs and removing others to alter the shift timing of the transmission. It encompasses modifications specified by one of the Ford engineers who designed the transmission. It offers faster engagement, 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", and ends up bouncing in and out of lock-up to slip. This causes the engine to flare up and then down again as the clutch cannot hold back the power of the engine.
2003
2004
2005
2006 to 2008
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
with overdrive
Overdrive (mechanics)
Overdrive is a term used to describe a mechanism that allows an automobile to cruise at sustained speed with reduced engine RPM, leading to better fuel economy, lower noise and lower wear...
. Introduced in 1980, it was Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's first four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. The design is based on the same gearset as the 1960s and 1970s. The AOD replaced the majority of Ford's older transmissions, including the C4 and C6.
Applications:
- 1980–1986 Ford LTDFord LTDThe Ford LTD was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company in North America. A range of full-size cars wore various forms of the LTD nameplate from 1965 to 1991 in the United States...
- 1980–1993 Ford ThunderbirdFord ThunderbirdThe Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
- 1980–1993 Mercury CougarMercury CougarThe Mercury Cougar is an automobile which was sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division from 1967 to 2002. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar...
- 1984–1993 Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
- 1980–1986 Mercury MarquisMercury MarquisThese were known as the "Continental Styling" years, as Mercury was trying to market itself as an affordable Lincoln, rather than a more expensive Ford...
- 1980–1987 Lincoln ContinentalLincoln ContinentalThe Lincoln Continental is an automobile which was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1939 to 1948 and again from 1956 to 2002...
- 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI
- 1983–1990 Ford Econoline
- 1983–1991 Ford LTD Crown VictoriaFord LTD Crown VictoriaThe Ford LTD Crown Victoria is a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1983 to 1991. As part of a redesign for the 1992 model year, it was renamed the Ford Crown Victoria...
- 1983–1992 Mercury Grand MarquisMercury Grand MarquisThe Mercury Grand Marquis was a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company; the Grand Marquis was the flagship of the Mercury lineup. The nameplate itself had been in use since 1975 as the premium trim level of the Mercury Marquis; the Grand...
- 1982–1993 Ford BroncoFord BroncoThe Ford Bronco is a sport utility vehicle that was produced from 1966 to 1996, with five distinct generations. Broncos can be divided into two categories: early Broncos and full-size Broncos ....
- 1981–1992 Lincoln Town CarLincoln Town CarThe Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
- 1980–1987 Lincoln ContinentalLincoln ContinentalThe Lincoln Continental is an automobile which was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1939 to 1948 and again from 1956 to 2002...
- 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI
- 1984–1992 Lincoln Mark VII
- 1992 Ford Crown VictoriaFord Crown Victoria-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
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 1992, becoming the AODE. It was mainly intended for the new ModularFord Modular engine
The Ford Modular engine is Ford Motor Company's overhead camshaft V8 and V10 engine family, which has been produced in 4.6L, 5.0L , 5.4L, and 6.8L variations. Contrary to popular belief, the Modular engine did not get its name from its design or sharing of certain parts among the engine family...
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 because the 4R70W and AODE use electronic solenoids to shift instead of conventional hydraulics. The transmissions are not interchangeable either, as the AOD only uses a throttle valve cable for operation. The AODE and 4R70W's shift points are controlled by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) also sometimes referred to as the Electronic Engine Control (EEC).
Applications:
- 1992–1994 Lincoln Town CarLincoln Town CarThe Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
- 1991 and up Ford F-SeriesFord F-SeriesThe F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
- 1993–1994 Ford Crown VictoriaFord Crown Victoria-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
- 1993–1994 Mercury Grand MarquisMercury Grand MarquisThe Mercury Grand Marquis was a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company; the Grand Marquis was the flagship of the Mercury lineup. The nameplate itself had been in use since 1975 as the premium trim level of the Mercury Marquis; the Grand...
- 1994–1995 Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
4R70W
A revised version of the AODE was released in 1993 with the Lincoln Mark VIIILincoln Mark VIII
The Lincoln Mark VIII is a large, rear-wheel drive grand touring luxury coupe built from 1993 to 1998. It was the successor of the Mark VII. The Mark VIII was built at Ford's Wixom, Michigan assembly plant and was based on the FN10 platform, a relative of the MN12 platform which underpinned the...
. 4R70W stands for 4 gears, Rearwheeldrive, 70 stands for the 4th gear ratio, 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.
While there is speculation that the 70 can be multiplied by 10 to indicate the ft-lbs of torque this transmission is capable of handling including torque converter multiplication, (i.e. 700 ft-lbs of torque), there is no reliable source indicating this. In fact a Ford document stated that the 2003 "Expedition's 4R70W transmission is rated to handle up to 506 foot-pounds of torque, which provides a large performance cushion beyond the peak torque rating of Expedition's largest available engine." http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?vehicle_id=548&press_subsection_id=423&make_id=92 . It is more plausible that the number indicates the torque handling capability in N-m, as 506 ft-lbs converts to 686 N-m which could be rounded to 700 N-m. The "70" may also refer to the transmission's torque capacity after torque converter multiplication which occurs at low rpm's when the torque converter is more "elastic".
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 VIIILincoln Mark VIIIThe Lincoln Mark VIII is a large, rear-wheel drive grand touring luxury coupe built from 1993 to 1998. It was the successor of the Mark VII. The Mark VIII was built at Ford's Wixom, Michigan assembly plant and was based on the FN10 platform, a relative of the MN12 platform which underpinned the...
- 1993–2003 Ford F-SeriesFord F-SeriesThe F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
- 1994–1997 Ford ThunderbirdFord ThunderbirdThe Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
- 1995–2004 Ford Crown VictoriaFord Crown Victoria-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
- 1996–2001 Ford ExplorerFord ExplorerThe Ford Explorer is a sport-utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Chicago, Illinois...
- 1993–2004 Lincoln Town CarLincoln Town CarThe Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
- 1994–1997 Mercury CougarMercury CougarThe Mercury Cougar is an automobile which was sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division from 1967 to 2002. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar...
- 1995–2004 Mercury Grand MarquisMercury Grand MarquisThe Mercury Grand Marquis was a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company; the Grand Marquis was the flagship of the Mercury lineup. The nameplate itself had been in use since 1975 as the premium trim level of the Mercury Marquis; the Grand...
- 2003 Mercury MarauderMercury MarauderThe Marauder name first appeared as a 1963½ model in the full-size Mercury lineup. It was available as a 2-door hardtop with a forward-slanted "fastback" roofline; this was the reverse of the Breezeway roof introduced on other full-size Mercurys...
- 1997–2004 Ford ExpeditionFord ExpeditionThe Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced in 1997 as a replacement to the Ford Bronco, it was previously slotted between the smaller Ford Explorer and the larger Ford Excursion, but as of the 2005 model year, it is Ford's largest and last truck-based,...
- 1997–2001 Mercury MountaineerMercury MountaineerAlthough the redesigned Explorer had already been out for two years, Mercury introduced an Explorer twin called the Mountaineer. The Mountaineer was only slightly different from the Explorer, although it did offer a few extra luxury features that the Explorer lacked, such as a standard 302 cu in ...
- 1996–2004 Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
- 1993–1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
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 than previous models.
The most practical modification for the 4R70W is the J-mod. It involves modifying the valve body separator plate and gaskets and changing out some accumulator springs and removing others to alter the shift timing of the transmission. It encompasses modifications specified by one of the Ford engineers who designed the transmission. It offers faster engagement, 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", and ends up bouncing in and out of lock-up to slip. This causes the engine to flare up and then down again as the clutch cannot hold back the power of the engine.
4R7xx Usage
2002- 4R70W used in all applications
2003
- 4R75W used in V8 Mustang (GT and Mach 1), and 5.4 L trucks (F150, E-series Van, and Expedition)
- 4R70W used in all other applications (V6 Mustang, Mercury Marauder, 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, Police Interceptor, V8 Mustang (GT and Mach 1), and 5.4 L-2v trucks (E-series 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, E-series 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))