Testing the Latest Transmission Controllers. With stand alone control of electronically controlled overdrive automatics, its easier to dial in accurate upshifts, and you can just stab the throttle, steer it, and the trans will do the rest. The performance world is changing. While power remains almighty, the new world is all about how to get that power to the tires. The best way to control an automatic transmission is to use one of the new, electronically controlled overdrive gearboxes Transmission Computer. But swapping one of these newer transmission computer e trannies into an older muscle car requires some type of aftermarket, stand alone transmission controller. Names like EZ TCU and Simple Shift made us wonder if these controllers could live up to their hype. The only way to know for sure was to put them to the test. We gathered five different transmission computer controllers and subjected them to a real world flogging on a big block street car to see if each could do the job. All the controllers perform the same basic functions, allowing you to custom tailor shift points both at part and wide open throttle, as well as shift firmness at various throttle openings. Bford-super-duty-4r100-tranny%2Bcompare-torque-converter.jpg' alt='E4od Torque Converter Install' title='E4od Torque Converter Install' />The 62 code almost always indicates the need for a new torque converter on diesels. The MLPS will set its own code when it fails. If its the old style MLPS that is. How specifically each box accomplishes these tasks and how easy it is to effect changes are the key questions. Perhaps the most important differentiation for the average enthusiast is whether the box requires a laptop computer or relies on a hand held device with analog controls. Transmission Computer Our Test Mule. The best way to test these controllers was to bolt them all in the same car and evaluate their performance. Car Craft family member Ed Taylor recently purchased a 7. Sonic R Pc Crack. Nova that had been languishing in front of Ken Duttweilers shop for several years. We power washed the grease left behind by the previous turbo Buick V6 and bolted in a Holley, carbureted, 4. F143789880.jpg' alt='E4od Torque Converter Install' title='E4od Torque Converter Install' />This personal website is a collection of information about my truck. The information that is gathered here I do not personally endorse or am I reccommending. AFE/torque-converter-info.jpg' alt='E4od Torque Converter Install' title='E4od Torque Converter Install' />Chevy. You might recall the Rat as the dyno mule we whipped mercilessly for a big block oval port head test in our Mar. Big Block Cylinder Head Test, pg. Behind our 5. 90hp, 6. L8. 0E that Ed Taylor scored from Craigslist. We stuffed the 4. L8. 0E into the car using a TCI flexplate and a 1. Street Fighter torque converter along with a very nice custom aluminum crossmember from American Powertrain and a Dynatech aluminum driveshaft, and the big pieces were in place. Of course, it took more than just a motor and trans to turn this orphan into a road warrior. Other goodies we wanted for the buildup included a new pair of bucket seats from Scat to replace the aged originals and a new set of Toyo Proxes R8. Tread. Source and mounted on lightweight RT S Weld wheels. With the big block squeezed in, there was no room for a mechanical fan, so we opted for a pair of electric fans from Maradyne mounted to a killer Afco aluminum radiator. That combination worked to prevent the engine temp from exceeding 1. F. We also added a set of Wilwood front disc brakes because the Rat promised enough power to demand equal stopping performance. For the intake, we needed a 9. Holley to feed the Rat, and for the exhaust side a pair of Hedman 2 inch headers snaked around the stock manual steering box. We completed the exhaust with a great sounding, 2. Magna. Flow installed by our pal Kevin Mc. Millan. After two months of busted knuckle work, the car was up and running, and we were ready for street testing. No Magic Box. One of the first things we discovered when we began testing controllers is that we had unintentionally combined a very high torque engine with a loose converter and a used 4. L8. 0E transmission. We began questioning the first couple of controllers when even with maximum setting on the trans line pressure, we couldnt get the rear tires to bark on the gear changes. After we talked with the controller manufacturers, one point became very clear The controller is not a magic fix for a weak transmission. HGM Automotive, the builders of the Compu. Shift II, told us it designs its box to be used with a new transmission and assumes the trans has been modified for performance use. So when we were not able to hit the rear tires as hard as we felt appropriate for a performance application, it was obvious that while our transmission was in decent shape, it was not capable of what you might call harsh shifts without some help in terms of a mechanical shift improver kit or even a rebuild with new clutches. If you are contemplating the use of a previously owned transmission, remember that even the best controller cannot compensate for a weak or damaged transmission. This is less of a disclaimer as it is an acknowledgement of the physical capabilities of the transmission. While all the controllers offered the option of using a paddle shifter or up and down buttons to shift, we opted to merely place the TCI floor shifter in Drive and modify the controllers to get the transmission to shift at the correct rpm for each gear change. We thought most car crafters would prefer this method. While we didnt test the paddle shifter options, theres no doubt that each of the controllers would be fully capable of making those electronic gear changes. Tuning Tricks. There are several ways to tune these electronic transmissions. Though the process may seem confusing at first, once you know what each step represents, understanding the effects of these inputs will make you a better tuner. For example, the maximum engine rpm input is not a rev limiter. It is actually the maximum shift rpm default at which the transmission will always upshift. But maximum rpm is the point at which the transmission begins the shift process. For example, PCS told us that depending on the condition of your transmission, it could take anywhere from 4. So if you indicate a 5,5. If you dont want the engine to rev past 5,5. We should also discuss line pressure. The Compu. Shift II, for example, offers a standard called PRB or pressure boost. Most of the other controllers indicate a similar parameter expressed as a percentage of available hydraulic pressure. The Compu. Shift II will command pressures between zero and 1. Absolute pressure is what the trans is capable of producing and is measured from a pressure gauge connected to a tap on the transmission case. If your transmission is equipped with a lockup torque converter, there are several tuning areas available for torque converter clutch TCC lockup. Maximum TCC lockup is usually expressed as the percentage of TPS or throttle opening. Most converters will not lock up past 5. TPS to prevent damage to the lockup clutch. There are separate options for minimum TCC lockup, as well. For larger engines like ours, its best to set the lockup minimum at zero percent to prevent the clutch from oscillating at lower throttle openings. If the percentage is set too high, a very light throttle opening may not achieve TCC lockup at highway cruise speeds. This will also retain lockup under deceleration. Most controllers also feature a brake light switch that unlocks the converter anytime the brakes are applied. Most of the controllers also offer a simple way to toggle between two different calibrations. For example, you could have calibration A set up with a performance orientation with aggressive upshift speeds and higher line pressures, while calibration B could be used for towing or light duty daily driving applications. The controllers with this feature include a single wire that is grounded with a simple toggle switch to switch calibrations. Fords Unlimited Car Club Tech Info C4 to AOD Transmission Swap. Over the 1. 99. 4 Christmas holiday, I replaced the C4 automatic in my mothers 1. Mustang convertible with an AOD. The main reason for the transmission swap was to gain the benefits of the AODs 0. RPM and increased MPG. The car in question is powered by a mild 3. CFM Holley, dual plane intake, mild cam, dual exhausts and, before the swap, had a perfectly good C4 transmission. While this is essentially a bolt in job, there are lots of little details that you should be aware of to make things go smoothly. These details, in no particular order, include Procuring the Transmission. Extension Housing. Converter Compatibility. Gear Ratios. Working with Aluminum. Transmission Jack and Jackstands. Transmission Tunnel Clearance. Exhaust System Clearance. Transmission Crossmember and Insulator. Flexplate Diameter and Balance. Block Plate. Nuts and Bolts. Starter Driveshaft and Yoke. Mechanical Interlocks. Shifter Operation. Speedometer Gear. Electrical Connections. Throttle Valve Operation. Hydraulic Fittings. Dipstick Tube. Drain Plugs. Transmission Fluid. Shift Kits and Transmission Coolers. Cs Source Tpb on this page. To give you an idea of whats involved in a swap like this, Ive covered my experience with each of these details in the paragraphs below. Ive also listed some comparative transmission weights, dimensions, and gear ratios at the end. Procuring the Transmission. If youre pulling the AOD from a car, getting all of the related bits bolts, electrical connector, dipstick tube, converter, yoke, block plate, linkages, levers, shifter, hydraulic fittings, etc., will make life a lot easier. However, we used a transmission purchased from a friend of my Dads who rebuilds transmissions. The price was right 1. Because of the Christmas holiday, getting all the right pieces was harder than usual, but we managed. Extension Housing. When purchasing your transmission, be aware that there are two tailshaft lengths used on AODs. The short model is the one that is closest to the C4 in overall length. I forgot to measure it but the SVO catalog says its 1. The catalog also indicates the short extension housing AOD was used in all passenger cars except rear wheel drive Lincoln Marks and Continentals not sure about the Town Cars, 2. WD F 1. 50 trucks built after 1. E 1. 50 vans. Also, dont confuse the AOD with the AOD E, which has the rear mount located farther aft and uses an electronic valve body that requires a separate computer like that available from Baumann Engineering unless you are using an EEC IV engine computer. There are also extension housing variations among C4s, with a short tailshaft model 6 58 used on some pickups and vans. Our C4 was the standard tailshaft model 1. Converter Compatibility. The AOD transmission and torque converter are a matched pair. The AOD uses a hollow two piece input shaft one shaft inside the other for lock up purposes and requires a specific torque converter. This arrangement is used to bypass the converter torque multiplication in higher gears 6. This is an attractive feature when using a high stall speed converter, since locking up the converter eliminates the excessive slippage and attendant heat generation, RPM rise, and increased fuel consumption associated with such converters. On the down side, the input shaft is weaker than a similarly sized solid one piece design and you lose the torque multiplication effect. Gear Ratios. The first three gears of the AOD and C4 are of similar ratio. We were looking for longer legs and increased fuel economy so we left our rear end gears alone. If better acceleration is the goal, a ring and pinion swap may be in order. The beauty of this swap is that the AODs 0. Come to think of it, weve got some extra 3. I can talk Dad into swapping them in one of these days. Working with Aluminum. Like the C6 and C4, the AOD has an aluminum case so use a never seize compound on the aluminum threads e. Also, when working with small aluminum threads e. I prefer a beam type torque wrench so I can tell when Im approaching the desired torque value. I dont trust the click type wrenches on the little stuff. Transmission Jack and Jackstands. Despite its aluminum case, the AOD is no lightweight. I measured 1. 50 lbs without fluid or converter. Moms bathroom scale for the tranny and 3. Get the car up in the air as high as possible to give yourself some room to maneuver. We used a pair of stacked railroad ties underneath each front tire and a pair of tall jackstands under the rear axle housing. Transmission Tunnel Clearance. The AOD is beefier around the middle than the C4, so it uses up more space in the transmission tunnel. Our 7. 1 Mustang was designed to swallow a C6, so there was no problem. It might be tight on cars with narrow tunnels like 6. Mustangs, but Im told they will fit with no problem. Exhaust System Clearance. No problem here on our particular car dual exhaust without a crossover. We could have installed the AOD without ever touching the exhaust, but we decided to unbolt the pipes from the exhaust manifolds for extra working room. This will vary from car to car so be prepared for potential exhaust work. When working with exhaust, its always a good idea to have a torch around to loosen old rusted on bolts. Soaking in a rust penetrant is a good idea as well. Since I had the pipes unbolted from the manifolds, I took the opportunity to put in new exhaust donuts. Transmission Crossmember and Insulator. The only bit of true fabricating that was required for this swap was the transmission mount crossmember. While the AOD and C4 overall lengths are within a half inch of each other, the mounting pad for the insulator on the AOD is 2 inches farther aft, so the crossmember mounting point needs to be moved an equal amount. Whether you need to buy or fabricate a custom cross member depends on the car youre swapping the transmission into. On some full sized cars, its supposed to be as easy as switching to a second set of aft mounting holes. Since I planned to do the swap over Christmas break, in another state, and was spending someone elses money, I decided to purchase a custom crossmember, rather than fabricate one. I purchased it from a shop thats now out of business but there are other vendors who carry the crossmember. Also, a friend who swapped an AOD into his 6. Mach 1 found an FMX crossmember can be adapted to fit with only minor modification. Flexplate Diameter and Balance. One of the more important parts of the swap is to choose the proper flexplate for your application. The integral bellhousing AOD requires a flexplate with 1. The C4, however, uses a detachable bellhousing that is matched to one of three different flexplate sizes 1. The 1. 48 teeth flexplates are comparatively rare, having been used in cars like the V8 Mustang II. The 1. 57 teeth flexplates were generally used in 2. W3. 51. C applications. The C4 1. 64 teeth flexplates and the AOD 1. All 3. 51. Ws and 3. Cs use 2. 8. 2 oz in balance factors. In my case, the flexplate in the 1. Mustang came with 1. Since they both have 1. I was under the impression that flexplates from either a 3. W wAOD or early 2. C4 from a full size car would work. Looking through the books at the parts store showed different part numbers, and listed the 3. Sap Crystal Reports 2013 Serial'>Sap Crystal Reports 2013 Serial. W part as working with an AOT, not AOD, transmission. Not knowing if the AOT indicated a subtle variation that I was unaware of, I decided to order the early 2. C4full size part OEM D1.