Need some AODE insight please!

96Mystic1189 · May 27, 2018

Hey guys, I just picked up this 95 GT to daily drive with an AODE thinking it would be a nice DD. This is my first automatic Mustang and I am trying to work out the shifting on it.

The car has a Jasper AODE and I have no idea how many miles are on it but the fluid looks clean from the dipstick. My issue is that it seems to shift too early into overdrive. I drive this car very softly trying to get the best MPGs I can. At 35 MPH, the car will go into overdrive and lock up which brings the rpm down to like 1200rpm which is just too low. Obviously if you are aggressive with the throttle you can get it to go in at a little higher speed, but not by much. Its almost as if the car does not like spending time in 3rd gear. If you turn OD off cruising around 40mph or less, all shifting is ok. It may shift early into 3rd to sometimes.

Also when its in OD and you go to climb a hill at low speeds and you press the gas, it takes a good amount of throttle to shift back down. Sometimes you need more than half throttle or so. If not, the car just vibrates because its too low of an rpm to climb hills.

So I guess I am asking if any of the sensors could be bad? Does this trans have 2 speed sensors, one for the speedo and one for the ECM? I would think the TPS would cause other issues. The range sensor seems to be more of a problem with dropping out of gear. Any insight would be great, the car has been great besides this trans. Thanks guys.

Silver95bird · May 27, 2018

1. Most of your problems are eec programming related. A good tuner can fix them. Get a chip to reprogram the computer and the kickdown will be much improved.

2. Drain the fluid, including the TC. Fill and only use Mercon V. Never have shudder again if it's changed at regular intervals.

evilcw311 · May 27, 2018

Iâ€™ve never had an auto in a mustang so I canâ€™t answer for much but do these still have detent(kick down) cables or are they totally electronic??

I know Iâ€™m showing my age here as a lot of old school cars used them and Iâ€™m not sure when they stopped.

96blak54 · May 28, 2018

I think lwarrior has mad scientist knowledge. Chime him in!

lwarrior1016 · May 28, 2018

No, evil, this is not the 1970's. We dont use kickdown cables anymore lol.

Im with silver on this one though, since this is an AODE, Im thinking you just need someone to tune the transmission the way you want it.

Do you know if the car is all stock, or if its ever had a tune before?

OLD H2S · May 28, 2018

Mechanicsville? You want to do an engine and trans swap? I have a nasty little engine for that and my buddy needs the auto trans for a drag car.

96Mystic1189 · May 28, 2018

The car is all stock minus exhaust. If this is normal for all AODE cars I would feel better but I have never read anyone talk about it in searching.

Haha I am leaving this one stock. I bought it to DD lol.

07GtS197 · May 28, 2018

Are you sure it doesnt have gears? Is the speedo correct?

And to answer your question yes it has a vss and an oss so there are 2 speed inputs. You would get some strange issues, usually late or erratic shifting, if either one was bad. And vss and oss failing are not common with these cats/transmissions.

To put it in perspective, my old 85 ltd with an aod and a 3.08 rear would be in overdrive around 32 mph under light, steady throttle. And thats considered normal when the tv pressure is set right. Though you do not have a tv cable or valve the concept is the same.

96Mystic1189 · May 28, 2018

Car has the original 3.27s I am positive on that one. The speedometer is correct, thats why I never suspected the vss. The vss is strictly an input for the speedometer right?

07GtS197 · May 28, 2018

Yes and no, it can still do screwy things as the ecu still uses it in conjunction with the oss to determine speed and shift points. At this point I would say my comment about the aod still stands. Another point of perspective I have is from the 4r70w in my vic. That thing would get into overdrive around 30 mph. And sometimes it would take quite a bit of throttle to downshift. So I think what youre experiencing is normal.

But if you really believe there is an issue you could check the ecu for trans codes and try various tests on the trans.

And some food for thought, there are many sensors that work together to determine shift points so any one of them can have an effect on shifting. Tps is a top one.

Silver95bird · May 28, 2018

Those eecs use rate of tps change in downshift schedules as well. A quick stab works better than a steady slow depression of the gas pedal.

96Mystic1189 · May 28, 2018

Thanks for the insight guys, it could just be a characteristic of this trans. I knew about the TPS but never even thought about it being a problem because there are no odd things with the motor.

Also is it normal for the shifts to hang in gear when you are accelerating about half throttle for a second or two?

Silver95bird · May 28, 2018

Check mlps alignment, and on an aode I'd test it withan ohmmeter too. They had water intrusion problems and were known for causing late/non existent shifts.

96Mystic1189 · May 28, 2018

Silver95bird said:
Check mlps alignment, and on an aode I'd test it withan ohmmeter too. They had water intrusion problems and were known for causing late/non existent shifts.

This is where I put it in neutral and align the marks right?