Ankle Deep, Time to Dive

[92BIRD]

So my last two posts were probably hints that my transmission is dead, so transmission shop right? 1800.00 dollars, noooo.... dont have that kind of money, so, myself and my father (mechanic for 25+ years who didnt want anything to do with it before now, are diving in.) We are buying the pieces locally from PDQ, before I jump in and realize im screwed, are there special tools I will need to do a complete rebuild on it? Also, are there any brands to stay away from in terms of parts going in?

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

I haven't dug deep into a tranny yet, however what I do know is not so much who/what to stay away from, but more who to go to.

Lentech is the leading ********* on building high performance trannies. You're not quite going to need ALL the goodies like a modified SC would need, but some of the items won't hurt at all. I would source all the parts I can through Lentech. (http://www.lentechautomatics.com/aodhome.html) They have an overhaul kit that comes with everything you need to rebuild your transmission. In addition to that I would get a stage 1 valve body...estimated price for all that is about $800, but well worth it if you plan on doing it yourself. This will include all the clutches, bands, etc that you need. It will probably be better than anything that you can get locally. And they will help you out with any questions that you have. One key thing is a much larger OD band than stock. A very LARGE problem with local rebuild kits (I've seen this throughout the country) is that there were 3 different versions of the AOD the one for the n/a 3.8 (C-servo), one for the 5.0 (B-servo) and one for the SC (A-servo). Most rebuild shops and suppliers supply the parts for the C-servo tranny, sometimes the B and rarely the A. My experience has been more on the SC side where a locally rebuilt (or supplied with the parts) have failed within a year and often less than 10,000 miles. It's not the ability of the installers, but the quality of the parts. They just aren't up to the task. A 5.0 doesn't have the same torque curve as a SC, but it would never hurt to upgrade to the parts that are upgrades for the SC. That will effectively eliminate any concerns about the transmission failing in a relatively short time period. The rebuild kit alone is $415-$445 depending on exact tranny (Lentech will help you determine exactly what you need) and the valve body runs about $400 as well. They are a couple things that you will never live without in an AOD equiped car again!

It may be just a little more than you are planning on spending, but it's less than the $1800 for a rebuild that may or may not last more than a year. It's also better than spending the $2500+ for a built Lentech tranny (my next transmission step).

Lentech should also answer any questions you have about special tools required to get the job done.

The only other thing I think I've already mentioned...make sure the TV cable is adjusted beyond it's minimum. If you don't mind harder shifts, the tighter the cable, the better.

 

[92BIRD]

well, for the price of lentechs overhaul kit alone, Im rebuilding the whole thing with a transgo shift kit and external cooler.... So hopefully having that, and putting it in Drive instead of OD when im flogging it will make it last long enough to get me into bootcamp and making money.

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

That will help a lot. Those 2 things saved my tranny. My TV cable came loose and if it weren't for the cooler and and the trans-go, I would have been stranded several hundred miles from home. Keep in mind if you start playing with your car and getting more power, the trans-go will only be good to about 220 at the wheels. At that point, you won't be able to stay out of OD when you're at wide open throttle. There will be nothing you can do. Mine shifts into OD consitantly at 4300 rpm in the quarter mile. That's well short of the traps, so I slow down significantly. But for a stock car that stays that way for a while, the trans-go will serve you well. And you can get a neck snapping shift from it too... I've got my TV cable as tight as it will go and love the shifts. But they're not for everyone.

Good luck with it! Let me know the results.

 

[92BIRD]

found another problem that maybe you can help with, I dropped the tank to pull the driveshaft an tranny. and the fuel pump wiring harness is TOASTED, it got too hot, an disentegrated. Anyone know where I can get a new one?

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

I don't know right off hand, but I'll do some digging to find out. You may want to consider upgrading that fuel pump while you are in there. Now's the perfect time to do it. I know that the funds may not all be there. I'm running a 255 lph FI pump in mine. If you don't plan on too many mods later you can get by with a smaller one for sure. I don't know what came in the 5.0 from the factory to know if even a stock SC one would be an upgrade for you. I'd go at least 130 lph or even the 190 lph. The reason it melted is because of the demand placed on the pump over heated the circuitry. Reduce the demand on the pump (ie larger pump) it will run cooler.

I'll check around for the wiring harness/pigtail there. It's not an uncommon issue, so there should be a fix out there available somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it. Right now, rockauto jumps to mind. It may be there. If it is, I'll shoot you a link to it so you can see it.

PS Consider this like any other project on a 16 year old car...once you start digging, you'll find more and more and more that needs to be fixed. So don't be surprized if you find a little more that needs to be addressed.

Also, when you reinstall the driveshaft, put a touch of locktite on each bolt where it attaches to the pinion gear...those bolt tend to loosen and next thing you know, they are missing...

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

Found one...Check for part number: 88860509 on rockauto.com.

http://www.rockauto.com/

If you've never been to the site before, it's pretty easy...scroll down to Ford, select year (1992) and then Thunderbird LX then the 5.0 for your engine. A bunch of folders open up below that for a lot of things you'd never think about. Not everything is there, but there's an awful lot listed. The connector you're looking for for the fuel pump is $6.39.

Also since you've got the part #, you can click on the tab for part number search and it will bring it right up for you.

 

[92BIRD]

thats the wrong end of the harness i think, the one on top of my fuel tank is an oval and i couldnt find it anywhere. and i understand its an older car an things need replacing... i just wish theyd happen when i wasnt alrdy maxin out my credit card.

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

Can you get a picture of it? That would be helpful. I'll do some more digging.

Edit: I found a good tech article on how to change your fuel pump and I see what you are talking about. Oval, 4-wire female. However, the images are not always accurate on there. Just think about all the parts they list just for the T-bird alone...and then look at all the Ford vehicles, just in '92...then all of Ford...then other manufacturers...you get the idea.

Here's my suggestion: Take the part # to a local Ford dealer. They should be able to pull it up. If not, they can pull up a picture, exploded view, of the fuel tank/pump, etc. There you can identify the connector and cross reference it. That's what I would do. I'm currently going through a very similar issue finding parts for a '94 Achieva, and that's what I did. Once you have a confirmed part # from Ford, it makes life easier locating one. I would guess that they wouldn't be over $20 from Ford...but you never know...

To refresh it, here's the info from rockauto:

4-WAY FEMALE #88860509

It is listed as a 4-way female connector which is what you are looking for...the picture is just off.

 

[92BIRD]

Got the connecter, the tranny is slowly going back together... shift kit is installed in the valve body, I just have to get a few new parts like a reverse clutch drum and one way clutch band, should have it all set up on tuesday. Thanks for your help 007.

 

[007_SuperCoupe]

Your welcome. Just a guy at a keyboard though...just passing along information that I've learned over the past 12 years or so of owning an MN12 T-bird. If you need anything else, just let me know.