Which Shift Kit?

[mitymerc]

I'm contemplating a shift kit for my country squire.

Any opinions on transgo aod-hp or baumann recal-pro kits?

The car has a stock bottom end, GT-40 X heads, Explorer intake, 65mm t-body, 1 5/8 BBK shorties, Pypes catted X-pipe, single chamber Thunderbolts, Ford Trac-loc & 4:10 gears.

It is mainly street driven w/occasional trips to the strip.

Thanks for your input....

[1987cp]

I have a car equipped with the TransGo AOD-HP. Neat thing about their full reprogramming kit is that it comes with the 5000rpm governor (dunno if the Bauman kit includes that). I like it rather well overall, though I'll admit that I'm not nuts about the sketchy nature of the downshift from Fourth to Third under throttle. If I'm at, say, 60mph and want to catch Third and accelerate to 70, with a stock AOD it's very easy to select Third with your foot, but in this car it's nothing, nothing, nothing ... WHOOPS just caught Second instead, back to Third ... whoops, just slipped back into Fourth ... On the other hand, weird things seem to affect the exact shift characteristics, such as exhaust mods (shifts just got less jarring after my 2.25" tailpipe downgrade, though the engine revs a bit higher at WOT upshifts).

On the neat side, at least with the current state of TV adjustment, it'll downshift to First from 35mph or better, which is rather neat. WOT shifts are fairly firm, too (never had that with a stock AOD). With a 3.27 rear, its WOT shifts are 1-2 at 55 and (so I'm told) 2-3 at 90ish and 3-4 at 130ish.


Personally, I'd be interested to hear if other TransGo users have experienced this annoyance (which has me wondering from time to time whether a 5-speed wouldn't be a good idea), and whether the Bauman kit offers similar performance improvements without the Fourth-to-Third sketchiness.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

88grandmarq installed a trans-go in mine, and its great. Firmer shifts all around we added an HO governor to the mix and now she shifts around 4800 at WOT which is nice.

[88grandmarq]

I have a car equipped with the TransGo AOD-HP. Neat thing about their full reprogramming kit is that it comes with the 5000rpm governor (dunno if the Bauman kit includes that). I like it rather well overall, though I'll admit that I'm not nuts about the sketchy nature of the downshift from Fourth to Third under throttle. If I'm at, say, 60mph and want to catch Third and accelerate to 70, with a stock AOD it's very easy to select Third with your foot, but in this car it's nothing, nothing, nothing ... WHOOPS just caught Second instead, back to Third ... whoops, just slipped back into Fourth ... On the other hand, weird things seem to affect the exact shift characteristics, such as exhaust mods (shifts just got less jarring after my 2.25" tailpipe downgrade, though the engine revs a bit higher at WOT upshifts).

On the neat side, at least with the current state of TV adjustment, it'll downshift to First from 35mph or better, which is rather neat. WOT shifts are fairly firm, too (never had that with a stock AOD). With a 3.27 rear, its WOT shifts are 1-2 at 55 and (so I'm told) 2-3 at 90ish and 3-4 at 130ish.


Personally, I'd be interested to hear if other TransGo users have experienced this annoyance (which has me wondering from time to time whether a 5-speed wouldn't be a good idea), and whether the Bauman kit offers similar performance improvements without the Fourth-to-Third sketchiness.

I have never installed an HP kit, so I am not sure what exactly is involved, but from what you are describing, it sounds like the TV pressure is set too high and/or the TV arm is not a 1:1 ratio with the throttle arm.

[88grandmarq]

88grandmarq installed a trans-go in mine, and its great. Firmer shifts all around we added an HO governor to the mix and now she shifts around 4800 at WOT which is nice.

you got the regular valve body re-calibration kit from Trans Go, NOT the HP kit.

[88grandmarq]

I'm contemplating a shift kit for my country squire.

Any opinions on transgo aod-hp or baumann recal-pro kits?

The car has a stock bottom end, GT-40 X heads, Explorer intake, 65mm t-body, 1 5/8 BBK shorties, Pypes catted X-pipe, single chamber Thunderbolts, Ford Trac-loc & 4:10 gears.

It is mainly street driven w/occasional trips to the strip.

Thanks for your input....

Wait... you're running the stock non-HO cam and 14lb injectors ?
Do a HO conversion, first (better cam, 19lb injectors, HO ECM) then install an high speed shift govenor and shift kit in the trans.

I have installed many Trans Go AOD re-calibration kits (not HP kit) with very good results. the kits are simple, effective and in-expensive. From my experience, Setting the TV pressure with a Gauge really makes a difference in shift quality.

[mitymerc]

Wait... you're running the stock non-HO cam and 14lb injectors ?
Do a HO conversion, first (better cam, 19lb injectors, HO ECM) then install an high speed shift govenor and shift kit in the trans.

Sorry I left that out, it's got an '87 HO cam, 19's & an '88 comp.

The guy @ Transgo said their kit would allow the 1-D-1 shuffle because the OD band actuation was delayed in that scenario.

I wonder if it is the cause of this?

though I'll admit that I'm not nuts about the sketchy nature of the downshift from Fourth to Third under throttle. If I'm at, say, 60mph and want to catch 1987Third and accelerate to 70, with a stock AOD it's very easy to select Third with your foot, but in this car it's nothing, nothing, nothing ... WHOOPS just caught Second instead, back to Third ... whoops, just slipped back into Fourth ...

When I asked the guy at Baumann how to hold it in 2nd. He said you could do the shuffle, but when asked if it would eat the tranny he was kind of sketchy & evasive.

So I'm leaning towards the Transgo, although I don't like the sound of the 4-3 downshift issue. (I like to romp around on the Highway)

1987cp, What happens if you manually pull it out of OD and into D?

[1987cp]

I have never installed an HP kit, so I am not sure what exactly is involved, but from what you are describing, it sounds like the TV pressure is set too high and/or the TV arm is not a 1:1 ratio with the throttle arm.

I'm all but certain the full HP kit is just the normal shift reprogramming kit plus the AOD-HIREV governor kit, so similar results to installing the reprogramming kit and then a HO governor. I suppose anything is possible as far as linkage ratios causing weirdness ... though it does seem unlikely to me, as on this particular car, the TV cable kit is basically identical to the current Lokar TV cable kit (which didn't cause weirdness on a car with a stock AOD), and I've experienced satisfactory forced downshifts to Second or First but not to Third both with and without the TV corrector on the throttle lever, and also regardless of how tight or loose I've adjusted the cable (full pressure at WOT, zero tension at idle, and seemingly anywhere in between). I suppose it's also remotely possible that I have a plunger in the valvebody sticking in such a way that it doesn't downshift to Third until nearly pressure has built up to force it to downshift to Second? Or is it possibly the result of some sort of grey area between taking less TV pressure to downshift to Third versus being able to shift into Fourth at WOT?

The guy @ Transgo said their kit would allow the 1-D-1 shuffle because the OD band actuation was delayed in that scenario.

I've found that that game is entirely unnecessary. torquelover told me he used to pull it to "1" anyway on highway on-ramps, but like I said, mine catches First nearly any time I want it, so I just leave the shifter alone for most driving situations.

1987cp, What happens if you manually pull it out of OD and into D?

Uh ... it shifts 1-2-3? :p

[88grandmarq]

doing the 1 D 1 shuffle is never a good idea. it forces the bands to apply and be subjected to full engine torque, which is something they were not designed for.

1987cp... some of the funky shifting could be caused by a faulty or binding TV cable.
TV cable on my 89 CV is binding and causes delayed OD engagment. it also causes the trans to be sluggish coming out of OD, pressing the throttle more, causes the trans to down shift to 2nd, much like you described.

[1987cp]

1987cp... some of the funky shifting could be caused by a faulty or binding TV cable.
TV cable on my 89 CV is binding and causes delayed OD engagment. it also causes the trans to be sluggish coming out of OD, pressing the throttle more, causes the trans to down shift to 2nd, much like you described.

Oh, very interesting! So should I attempt to lubricate the cable, or possibly change it out for the newer on I have?

[88grandmarq]

you can try lubricating the cable... some times it works, sometimes it doesnt.

the trick is to get enough room to actually get some lubricant down the cable sheathing.
I suppose some dry graphite would be best, but no idea how to get it in the cable.

[gadget73]

Penetrating oil with graphite in it would be my suggestion. The carrying oil will get the graphite down the cable, but if/when it evaporates, it leaves the graphite behind.


Honestly though, when cables begin to bind,the best solution is to replace the assembly. The steel wire inside usually starts to fray, which causes the binding. Often lubing it will get you a little more time, but its hiding the real problem. Marine throttle cables always specify to never lubricate the cable, just replace the whole thing when it gets funny.

[mitymerc]

I've found that that game is entirely unnecessary. torquelover told me he used to pull it to "1" anyway on highway on-ramps, but like I said, mine catches First nearly any time I want it, so I just leave the shifter alone for most driving situations.

Uh ... it shifts 1-2-3? :p

The shuffle idea would be to keep it in 2nd @ the strip....

In re: pulling it down to 3 from OD, I meant to get from OD to 3 on demand w/o the OD -2nd-3rd thing you described...

From my understanding of the tv cable, the sticky cable idea makes sense , but what do I know? I'm a clutch & stick kinda guy.....LOL.

[1987cp]

Ah. Well, if you have a governor matched to the powerband of your engine, there's absolutely no need to do the gear-selector shuffle to keep it in gear. Mine shifts at about 5000rpm, and my engine makes power to about that point, so it's all good and I would expect there would be little, if anything, to be gained from making it rev higher at a dragstrip.

I dislike dropping the selector from OD to D except for driving situations where I definitely don't want OD (such as, in this car at least, maintaining 55mph on an incline or some comparable situation). And since it sounds like I can fix my problem by swapping in another TV cable I already have, that problem I described should soon be not a problem anyway.

[hav24wheel]

I went with a B&M kit in my car. I couldn't get the AOD-HP kit quick enough when I changed the seals in my trans. So that's the main reason. I also didn't need a higher governor yet. Only difference I noticed was quicker shifts, and it'll hold the gear longer under half throttle. I have my TV rod set at its max setting, and had it set that way before I did the shift kit. At 65 mph I have to let off the gas a tad to get it to hit OD. Overall I like it, It shifts quick and firm. But it does sound like the AOD-HP kit would be better for u. That way u can change the governor speed.