AOD upgrades

[88grandmarq]

oddly enough, adding an external cooler to my trans did NOT require any additional fluid.

regular Mercon/Dextron III should work fine. Mercon V is a semi-synthetic blend and holds up better under heat. Ford also has new fluid out (Mercon SP) which I think is a full synthetic and expensive ($4+)

[Archangel]

I finally installed the Trans-Go shift kit yesterday! First I drained the tranny through the retirn line, the converter, and the pan, then when removing the VB there was some more fluid trapped inside, and even after I dropped the VB there was still ATF trapped above the pistons for the bands. Then comes unbolting the separator plate and its gaskets so the valves become reachable. Finally it comes to just reading the instructions and replacing the parts they say - I was lucky enough to not have any plugs stuck, so the only tricky moments were installing the springs for the 3rd and 4th accumulator pistons and the overdrive servo. The kit comes with several springs to adjust capacity fpr 1-2 and 2-3 shifts, I installed the ones that'd give me shortest shift. There are also 4 holes to be drilled to 0.055" with the option of one of them upped to 0.063-0.067" if installed in a police or taxi vehicle, so I did that too. Then there's another hole, a round one, that's supposed to be drilled to 0.086-0.093, but it's already bigger than that, they say in the instructions how to close holes, but this particular one is just too freaking huge for that, so I left it as is - dunno what it is for and how it works there, but so far it seems all is good. When everything was back together I used a screwdriver and a 1/4 bit to tighten the pan bolts - no leaks yet. The whole system (big cooler included) took exactly 12qts of ATF, I used the Valvoline MaxLife Mercon/Dextron III stuff for trannies over 75,000 miles (I'm almost double that).

Now how it works - well, I like it. It holds gears for much longer than before, and also shifts extremely fast (but not harsh), as a result of which at 3/4 throttle Angie picks up speed better than with the stock setup at full throttle Only time will show how long the tranny's gonna live, but there's a slight quirk I noticed when the car was up on the hoist - with the engine running when I shift from P directly to N the wheels don't spin, but if I put in any gear (including reverse) and then go back to neutral the wheels start to slowly spin forward. The power transmitted to them is obviously not high at all, since when I dropped the car and played through the gears when in N the car actually doesn't even try to move, and the engine sounds like it should, so I assume what I'm obsrving is just some residual pressure keeping in the direct clutch... I'm not too worried about it, but I thought it'd be good to share it in case someone else is thinking of doing that kind of work to their tranny.

[gadget73]

I just got mine back today. Fucking brand new $75 one year only TV cable is bad. The "ears" on it that lock it into the bracket snapped and it won't adjust properly anymore. :cuss: The pressure isn't quite right as a result, so I can't speak on how it feels but the new torque converter does make a difference. It pulls solid from idle on up instead of like before where it had no power under 2500 rpm. I'll order a new TV cable, hopefully I can find one online cheaper than the dealership wanted. If not, I'll go get another one and change it out so it can be adjusted properly next weekend.

[Archangel]

Sorry to hear that man, but what about a Lokar cable?

[phayzer5]

Thats for carbed cars

[Lincolnmania]

our one year only tv cable is better tho........no damm gromnet to worry about

[gadget73]

Yeah, its for carb cars. Don't believe they make a cable for SEFI.

[N A]

Ivan D, how do you like your Transgo shift kit? I'm ordering one on Friday. Was it worth the money? Any regrets?

[Archangel]

Well, it made the shifts much shorter, but not really harsh, and the half-throttle upshifting RPMs went up a little. Other than that I don't really feel any difference, but given it cost less than it takes me to fill up the damn tank i think it was well worthy. Plus I actually halfway understood how the tranny works, which for me is a piece of mind by itself

Are you doing the install yourself?

[N A]

My Grand Marquis is a daily driver. It would be easier for me to drop the car off somewhere in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. Plus the way the weather changes around here, the day I plan to do the work either it will snow or be 20-degrees out with a wind chill factor of 10-degrees. Not ideal conditions for tranny work in a driveway.

Did you add a transmission cooler or switch to synthetic tranny fluid? Would any of these things help?

[Archangel]

I see - my Townie is a daily driver too, but I had access to a garage with a hoist so I was able to spend an evening on that project. I wouldn't do it in the driveway no matter what.

I've been running a 19,000 GWR B&M cooler off a friend's Vette since the summer, so even if there is a heat issue with the shift kit I wouldn't know. The cooler is installed in front of the engine radiator, where the one for the A/C used to be, and is hooked up downstream of the stock in-radiator heat-transfer tank. Hayden makes a kit so you can retain your stock quick-connect nuts on the tranny lines, it costs about $10 depending on where you get it from. Here're some pics:

(the small cooler in the bottom of the last picture is the stock tranny cooler HPP and police models get, but relocated and used for the power steering).

The ATF is currently Valvoline MaxLife Mercon/Dextron, with a bottle of red Lubeguard additive. Synthetic would be great, but at price of over $6 per quart it gets quite pricey, and the mild use my car sees simply doesn't justify such an investment.

[N A]

I ordered my kit this morning. I forgot to ask, can you squeal the tires on the 1-2 shift? "OD" and "D" are still in the original places on the column, right?

[Archangel]

I don't have enough torque to squeel the tires while shifting, and the 240lbs of sand bags in the trunk don't help much either Plus I would hate it if it was doing that, on snow/ice it's a recipe for disaster.

The column shifter positions don't change, they are determined by the mechanics of the linkage and the shift kit only plays with the hydraulic system.

[N A]

I park my GM when it's bad out. I drive my Ranger 4x4 during the winter. I had to get a 4x4 after we moved to a apartment at the top of a hill. I can squeal my right rear now in first gear in my Grand Marquis. Hopefully I can chirp the 1-2 after the Transgo kit, 3.55:1 gear and traction-lok.