Would it be a bad idea...

[Tiggie]

... to install a shift kit on a 180K AOD?

I want to install on in the wagon to cut down on the "sliding" between shifts, what others may refer to as squishy shifting.

Trans seems to be in good health other than not wanting to downshift above 60mph. It was ran without the TV for an unknown period of time with the previous owner. It still pulls the 4000 lbs of car up WV mountains on I-77 without any issues.

[Tiggie]

And I don't want anything wild, just like an RV/Towing style.

I like to keep OD lockout as well, which I've heard some shift kits eliminate.

[gadget73]

Scott had a shift kit done to his high mileage AOD. Works fine at 200k still. As long as all the gears are there and its not surfing on original fluid, it probably won't really hurt anything.

[Tiggie]

That sounds good then.

Anyone have any recommendations on a particular shift kit tht would allow me to keep OD lockout?

[Archangel]

I got the Trans-Go No-Yo-Yo kit, it runs about $30-35, got mine from OPT through their ebay store. Think Jon has the same kit in GL. I like how it works, shifts are definitely firmer, kickdown is more responsive, yet nothing brutal or teeth-jarring. It will not alter the shift pattern either.

[Tiggie]

Teh no-yo-yo sounds good and a decent price too. How hard was it to install (and was it just a valve body drop and modify)?

[Archangel]

yep, valve body mods, plus some separator plate drilling, and also dropping two accumulators and swapping springs and O-rings - few hours worth of work, nothing too bad

[grandpaslincoln]

Yeah, I got the same kit. The pain in the ass will be the the accumulators, working upside down trying to get all the shit back in and get the C clips back in without dumping it all in your face lol

[86GmLsCoupe]

I think I have the same shift kit and I'm very happy with it. I've used Transgo on two different transmissions so far with no issues.

[Lincolnmania]

go for it as long as the fluid isnt nasty.......shift kit is keeping my aod in the towny alive......it has 200,000 miles, i changed the fluid 4 times since 1998......fluid was nice when i got the car

[P72Ford]

Did you guys have to drill holes in the valve body to complete the kit? The Baumann Electronic Controls kit that my friend had for his T bird required the drilling of holes into the vb. Something about the pressure relief valve or something. Drilling holes in the vb scared me off from doing the mod to my car.

[Archangel]

Not the VB itself, no, the separator plate is where we drilled holes - there's a template, adjust that and drill away, easy stuff.

[P72Ford]

Hmmmm, maybe it was just the seperator plate for the BEC kit. I thought it was the vb, but it very well could have been the plate.

[Lincolnmania]

i dont know.....brian did mine

[Nathan in MI]

Yeah, most shift kits require enlarging holes in the separator plate, but it shows you which holes to drill and even comes with drill bits that are the correct size for the job, so it's really not a scary experience.