OK guys I need your help. I posted earlier about the flashing O/D light on my truck (97' 4X4 F-150). The truck has 68K miles on it. The Ford dealer near me is saying that the clutches in the tranny are bad and it needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Did Ford have a problem early on with these transmissions. I need fire power to take to Ford.

Thanks for your help.

 

Ford techs have an atrocious record when it comes to diagnosing transmission problems. They have a tendancy to advise $$$replacement$$$ nearly every time there is an issue.

Another issue that makes me question their judgement is that I have never heard of faulty clutches causing a transmission MIL. They may cause shifting a drivability problems but it would be felt rather that indicated by the MIL.

You don't state which transmission you have there but I suspect it's the 4R70W. You can confirm this if you find a "U" on the vehicle specs sticker on the driverside door jam. If you search the internet, you'll come accross a lot of information about its weak points and suggested modifications.

 

My last truck ('95 F-350 4x4) had the tranny go at 130,000 miles. I have 2 neighbors with similar trucks that got only 45- 50,000 miles before their's went. My mechanic (a specialist w/ auto. transmissions) told me that the AO4D has problems that Ford is aware of, but will not correct, even with their newer units. B&M makes a rebuild kit that fixes the problem areas, but to install it, the transmission has to be removed and opened up($$$). I don't remember the specifics, but the guy said it would be very easy to put the right parts in during assembly. Evidently it would cost an additional $10 or so per unit, and Ford was not willing to do it.

 

Actually, the 4R100 is JD Powers best in class for all but one application it goes in. There are some issues with certain 2001 MY, but other than that the big box is built about as good as you can ask. Never heard of an AO4D, do you mean the AOD (AOD-E, AOD-W, 4R70W) or E4OD/4R100?

G