88 2WD Ranger 2.9/mazda-5 - 302/AOD Swap

Diggerauditor · Nov 9, 2011

I have a 88 Ranger 2WD with tired eng/trans. I can get a 302/AOD for a couple hundred bucks so I thot Id do the swap since 2.9 parts are getting scarse around here. I was gonna just make it a carb eng but I know the AOD needs the ECM to work. Can I use the AOD on a carbed motor or would it be easier to use the whole EFI setup?

morse johnson · Nov 9, 2011

Aod can run without ecm you only need the ecm for vss on aod other then that its just connecting the kickdown cable.(vehicle speed sensor)

Diggerauditor · Nov 9, 2011

Does the VSS determine the shift points and the OD engagement?

morse johnson · Nov 9, 2011

no the kickdown cable does that if you dont connect the kickdown cable on a aod tranny you might go 1 mile down the road and your tranny could be no good. its case by case i know cause i have did it before. its looking for pressure to shift them gears thats where the cable comes in play.

Teddyzee · Nov 9, 2011

An AOD trans does not require an ECU, and does not use the Vehicle Speed Sensor.

It has a Throttle Valve (TV) cable that controls pressure and shift firmness based on throttle position- it hooks to the throttle body , or in your case, carb linkage.

Your speedometer cable will bolt right into the AOD.

Diggerauditor · Nov 10, 2011

I know these may be stupid questions but I've never done a swap like this before so please bare with me.

I know that my 2.9 has the throttle cable hooked to the TB in the front of the engine, do I need change to a shorter throttle cable or how do I hook this up.

I was going to use a 4160 Holley with Ford kickdown. The throttle is on the driver side and the trans kickdown is on the left. Where does the TV cable hook to the carb, or does it hook to the carb at all. Sorry if these are basic questions. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

Teddyzee · Nov 10, 2011

The TV cable will hook to the carb. Not sure if you can use the pieces you have, or need a specific adapter. Some google searching will help.
The throttle cable may or may not fit... How's that for help?! I used the stock cable, but my throttle body (mine is fuel injected) is on the passenger side.

Diggerauditor · May 10, 2012

OK my AOD is out of an old 85 LTD. It has column shift. How do I make it a floor shift, or can it be done. I don't know if column can be converted or not. Has anyone done this?

Dieseldale · Oct 15, 2018

Diggerauditor said:
OK my AOD is out of an old 85 LTD. It has column shift. How do I make it a floor shift, or can it be done. I don't know if column can be converted or not. Has anyone done this?

in the same boat, any luck with this?

Bird76Mojo · Oct 15, 2018

Teddyzee said:
Your speedometer cable will bolt right into the AOD.

This is NOT true on a 1987 2.0 5spd 2wd truck using the last year 92 AOD. The speedometer cable on the 87 is far too large to insert into the hole in the side of the AOD. I used a speedo cable and VSS sensor from Modern Driveline. That way my ECU has the signal it needs and my original Ranger speedo as well as my later installed 140mph Ford Motorsports speedo both work correctly.

GB

baddad457 · Oct 18, 2018

Bird76Mojo said:
This is NOT true on a 1987 2.0 5spd 2wd truck using the last year 92 AOD. The speedometer cable on the 87 is far too large to insert into the hole in the side of the AOD. I used a speedo cable and VSS sensor from Modern Driveline. That way my ECU has the signal it needs and my original Ranger speedo as well as my later installed 140mph Ford Motorsports speedo both work correctly.

GB

I don't know where you found this to be true but Ford never changed the size of the speedometer hole in their transmissions. They used the same cables and gears from the 1950's all the way to the end on the Mechanical speedometers and even afterwards until the electronic speedos by using a sensor in the speedometer hole driven by a gear. When I did my swap in an 89 Ranger the speedometer cable fit perfectly in both a C4 and later a Toploader 4 speed. The AOD had the same hole every other Ford transmission had.

baddad457 · Oct 18, 2018

Diggerauditor said:
I know these may be stupid questions but I've never done a swap like this before so please bare with me.

I know that my 2.9 has the throttle cable hooked to the TB in the front of the engine, do I need change to a shorter throttle cable or how do I hook this up.

I was going to use a 4160 Holley with Ford kickdown. The throttle is on the driver side and the trans kickdown is on the left. Where does the TV cable hook to the carb, or does it hook to the carb at all. Sorry if these are basic questions. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

I used an 85 Mustang throttle cable when I did my swap. Same cable from any Fox Mustang with a carbed V8 should work.

baddad457 · Oct 18, 2018

Diggerauditor said:
OK my AOD is out of an old 85 LTD. It has column shift. How do I make it a floor shift, or can it be done. I don't know if column can be converted or not. Has anyone done this?

You can use any aftermarket floor shifter for this. They all use a cable instead of a linkage. To use a linkage, you'd need a Stock Ford floor shifter then a different linkage arm in the transmission, one that points up instead of your column shifter arm that points down. I used a Pinto floor shifter to operate a C4, but I had a floor shifter C4 out of a 68 Mustang in my 89. All I needed to do was fabricate a linkage rod to make it work. A stock Ranger floor shifter would work too, but you'd need to flip the linkage arm on an AOD to make it work, or possibly you could use an AOD out of a Mustang, those should have had a linkage arm that points up. I've never seen one so I cannot say for sure.

bobbywalter · Oct 19, 2018

Bird76Mojo said:
This is NOT true on a 1987 2.0 5spd 2wd truck using the last year 92 AOD. The speedometer cable on the 87 is far too large to insert into the hole in the side of the AOD. I used a speedo cable and VSS sensor from Modern Driveline. That way my ECU has the signal it needs and my original Ranger speedo as well as my later installed 140mph Ford Motorsports speedo both work correctly.

GB

never seen that one.

baddad457 · Oct 19, 2018

bobbywalter said:
never seen that one.

Maybe because that was an AODE he was lookin at. Only the hole for the hold down bolt was in the tailhousing if I recall was there.

88 2WD Ranger 2.9/mazda-5 - 302/AOD Swap

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