4R70W Input Drum, remanufactured and ready to install. Fits the 4R70W. Ships fast from the USA.
A Ford with the 4R70W that revs but barely creeps in Drive, while Reverse still backs it up the driveway, is the classic call that ends with a broken or worn input drum. This is a remanufactured 4R70W input drum, pictured as an assembly on its splined input shaft, for owners and shops rebuilding F-150, Expedition, Navigator, Mustang, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis or Town Car transmissions who would rather install a checked part than gamble on a used core.
The 4R70W input drum is the forward clutch drum. Turbine torque from the converter comes in on the input shaft and spins this drum. Inside it, the forward clutch piston squeezes a stack of frictions and steels, and when that pack locks up the drum drives the forward sun gear. The forward clutch is on in first, second and third gear in Drive and off in fourth and Reverse, so it is loaded on every launch and for most of a city drive. It also has a mechanical link to the rest of the stack: the direct clutch is driven through an intermediate stub shaft, and Sonnax lists stripped direct drum splines and broken stub shafts as a documented weak point in the AODE and 4R70W.
Separate which clutch is actually failing before you buy hard parts. Slip in first through third with a healthy fourth points at the forward circuit. Slip or a flare on the 3-4 shift points at the direct clutch, which is a different repair covered in our 4R70W 3-4 clutch failure guide. Check line pressure as well. Sonnax ties low base line pressure to delayed forward engagement and to forward and direct clutch burnout, so a new drum fed by a worn pressure regulator will fail the same way. Our 4R70W F-150 common problems guide walks through those checks.
This listing is titled for the 4R70W with no model year, so match it to your old part before you order. The 4R70W ran in Ford rear-drive cars and trucks from 1993 through 2008, and ATRA documents real changes in 2004: a new ring gear and output speed sensor that do not interchange with earlier parts, and 2004-up forward drums with three apply holes instead of one. ATRA treats the apply-hole difference as cosmetic, but the drum should still come out of a matching-era unit. Lay your old drum and shaft beside the photos, compare shaft length and spline count, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm. If you already know your year, the 2003 4R70W input drum is a year-specific option. Everything else for this unit is on the 4R70W parts page.
| Fits | 4R70W |
| Part type | Input Drum |
| Condition | Remanufactured |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
Yes. On the 4R70W the input drum is the forward clutch drum, driven by the input shaft from the converter. It is applied in first, second and third gear.
The listing does not name a year. The 4R70W was built from 1993 to 2008 with changes in 2004, so compare it to your old drum and shaft or send us your year and VIN to confirm before ordering.
It is a common cause, because the forward clutch works in Drive but not in Reverse. Check fluid level and line pressure first, then confirm by inspecting the forward clutch pack and drum at teardown.
New forward clutch frictions and steels, shaft sealing rings and piston seals at minimum. Most shops do it as part of a full overhaul with a master rebuild kit, plus fresh fluid and a cooler flush.
There is no programming step for the drum itself. Clear any stored ratio codes, refill with MERCON V, and road test so the PCM adapts shift timing to the rebuilt unit.
