Dumb ATX question

[JohnW63]

I have a 1995 SHO with automatic over drive transaxle. On the bottom, the thing says AXOD SHO, which obviously is Automatic Trans Over Drive for a SHO. But, what model do I really have ? AXOD ? AXOD-E ? One of the other numbers ?

I need to get a gasket and filter kit and I'm not sure which one I've got !

 

[SHOtimer]

I have had success with the AXOD-E.

Also, FYI - the only gasket that I have used that doesn't leak is the rubber fel-pro one...available at www.rockauto.com

Doug

 

[JohnW63]

Second dumb question:

The big thick shop manual suggests the "Drain the fluid with the cooler line off and engine running " method. That seems a little scary, to me. So, I'm just doing the "What ever drains out when I pull the pan " method.

How many quarts does that take ? The book talks about a COMPLETE refill after pumping it all out.

Is the Valvoline "High Mileage" DexMerc stuff work OK for this trans ? It's supposed to be OK for Mercron style applications.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

Second dumb question:

The big thick shop manual suggests the "Drain the fluid with the cooler line off and engine running " method. That seems a little scary, to me. So, I'm just doing the "What ever drains out when I pull the pan " method.

How many quarts does that take ? The book talks about a COMPLETE refill after pumping it all out.

Is the Valvoline "High Mileage" DexMerc stuff work OK for this trans ? It's supposed to be OK for Mercron style applications.

IIRC the entire trans is about 13 qts, but if you just drop the pan I believe only around 6 will come out

 

[thecrew2999]

i thought the whole system held 16 quarts or something along those lines....
id recommend doing like the book says but you olny run it a short time and you put it threw all gears so the fluid comes out. your not gonna **** it when it will still be lubed up and not reving and such.


one thing your gonna find probley like i did was that it seems when the fluid is changed the trans starts to become junk and slip... im not sure why my luck was always that way but o well

 

[projectSHO89]

I have a 1995 SHO with automatic over drive transaxle. On the bottom, the thing says AXOD SHO, which obviously is Automatic Trans Over Drive for a SHO. But, what model do I really have ? AXOD ? AXOD-E ? One of the other numbers ?

I need to get a gasket and filter kit and I'm not sure which one I've got !

You have the AX4S which was derived from the AXODE.

Do the pump and fill procedure that is in the manual. I always have 20 quarts on hand and usually use 16-18. Dropping the pan only gets 4-6 quarts of the fluid exchanged.

The Valvoline stuff is fine.

Steve

 

[1993MTXSHO]

jesus christ that trans is 16 qts? yeah, im never changing all of my fluid, itll cost to much

EDIT: don't worry when my trans blows up from not changing fluid I have a spare in my shed

 

[thecrew2999]

jesus christ that trans is 16 qts? yeah, im never changing all of my fluid, itll cost to much

EDIT: don't worry when my trans blows up from not changing fluid I have a spare in my shed

like i said tho my experiences shown me that once you change the fluid the trans hates me so i tend to not want to do it...

damn autos... shoulda kept the old school design they were solid

 

[Mr Anonymous]

like i said tho my experiences shown me that once you change the fluid the trans hates me so i tend to not want to do it...

That has to be the stupidest old wives' tale in the history of automotive gobbledeegook.

 

[JohnW63]

You have the AX4S which was derived from the AXODE.

Does that mean the kit I just got, for the AXOD-E, from NAPA is not going to work ? I can take it back for the other, I suppose.

 

[91Taurus]

The auto SHO uses the AX4N, which is Non-Sequential meaning it can skip gears.

The AX4S is Sequential and has to go through each gear one after the other. And its just an AXOD-E with a different name

The gasket and filter you got should be fine, since they all use the same pans

 

[projectSHO89]

The auto SHO uses the AX4N, which is Non-Sequential meaning it can skip gears.

The 93-95 uses the AX4S. There are several significant differences inside it, it is far more than just a name and they are not interchangeable.

The 96-99 uses the AX4N and is quite different internally from the AX4S.

The OP has a 95 therefore...

The gasket and filter you got should be fine, since they all use the same pans

This is correct as far as the 93-95 is concerned.

Steve

 

[Exitwound]

The 93-95 uses the AX4S. There are several significant differences inside it, it is far more than just a name and they are not interchangeable.

The 96-99 uses the AX4N and is quite different internally from the AX4S.

The OP has a 95 therefore...




This is correct as far as the 93-95 is concerned.

Steve

I have a 97 and it says AX4S on the pan. What the ****, I wonder if the original owner of my car had the pan replaced at some point.

 

[projectSHO89]

I have a 97 and it says AX4S on the pan. What the ****, I wonder if the original owner of my car had the pan replaced at some point.

No, the pans and the shell are the same.

It's the innards that are different.

Steve

 

[thecrew2999]

That has to be the stupidest old wives' tale in the history of automotive gobbledeegook.

maybe i waited to long i dont know but thats just how my luck went..

funny thing is in the ford owners manual on a 2004 crown vic (buddy has one) it says to change the fluid once at like 20k miles then never change it again because something about the new fluid will cause it to slip after all this happens...

when he stops by again ill grab his owners manual and snap a picture because i didnt believe it at first either

 

[hawkeye18]

Trans holds 17 quarts. 12 in the body, 5 in the TQ.

The AX4S in the SHO is physically compatible with the regular taurus (and vice versa), but a taurus AX4S in an SHO will not last long. The SHO AX4S has several more clutch packs and upgraded valves to (almost) cope with the added top-end horsepower and torque.

The SHO AX4S pan usually says "AXOD-E" or, in my case, "AXOD METRIC", as all of these trannies share the same 17 bolt pan, and - let's face it - Ford is cheap, and reused pans whenever possible.

The Gen3 SHO uses the AX4N, which, as correctly stated above, enjoys the ability to skip gears while shifting (Non-sequential shifting), whereas the AX4S must shift through 3rd when you floor it going 55.

The AX4N in the Gen3 SHO is, while very similar, incompatible with the Gen2, due to subtle yet important differences in the casing. Also, the AX4N pan is 19 bolts. Parts catalog often list gaskets and filters for both the AX4S and AX4N for the Gen2 due to some sables coming with the AX4N as early as 1994.

Therefore, when shopping for gaskets, you need to pay attention to the bolt count in it. If it's 17, it's for a Gen2. If it's 19, it's for a Gen3.

Hope this helps.

 

[thecrew2999]

good bit of info

 

[Mr Anonymous]

maybe i waited to long i dont know but thats just how my luck went..

funny thing is in the ford owners manual on a 2004 crown vic (buddy has one) it says to change the fluid once at like 20k miles then never change it again because something about the new fluid will cause it to slip after all this happens...

when he stops by again ill grab his owners manual and snap a picture because i didnt believe it at first either

That's it exactly. It's a function of people starting to see issues with their tranny, they change the fluid, and then the tranny dies soon thereafter.

It's like saying you start hearing rod knock. You change your oil, and shortly thereafter you spin a rod bearing. By the same logic you should have left the old oil in and never changed it.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

The auto SHO uses the AX4N, which is Non-Sequential meaning it can skip gears.

The AX4S is Sequential and has to go through each gear one after the other. And its just an AXOD-E with a different name

The gasket and filter you got should be fine, since they all use the same pans

The Gen3 SHO uses the AX4N, which, as correctly stated above, enjoys the ability to skip gears while shifting (Non-sequential shifting), whereas the AX4S must shift through 3rd when you floor it going 55.

Despite the overwhelming desire to do so, I'm going to resist the temptation to rename this thread "DUMB ATX ANSWERS". :shakehead

The "S" in AX4S and the "N" in AX4N refer to the transmission being SYNCHRONIZED or NON-SYNCHRONIZED. Think of the function of a synchronizer in a manual transmission. It has NOTHING to do with sequential shifting. :shakehead In fact, either transmission can be shifted non-sequentially.

The AXOD-E and AX4S designations refer to the exact same transmission. The AX4S designation was issued to the AXOD-E when the AX4N transmission was being developed in order to clearly differentiate the two.

With regard to the filter and gasket, you are usually better off buying the two separately (although most filter kits will include one or more cork gaskets which you can just discard). All SHO auto transmissions use the same filter, the one with the tall neck and orange seal. For the V6 cars, the Fel-Pro rubber gasket is the best choice, and for V8 cars, the gasket is re-useable but if you need to replace it SPX makes the gasket for Ford as well as most aftermarket brands.

For reference, here are some common part numbers:

Filter Kit: Motorcraft FT-128, Wix 58822

V6 Rubber Pan Gasket: Fel-Pro TOS18680

 

[Bill Strobel]

What is the function of the synchronizer vs the non-synchronized version of the trans?