Cut-to-fit black kickdown cable for the Ford AOD that keeps TV pressure right when the factory rod will not fit a swap or aftermarket carburetor.
An AOD that slips into overdrive, shifts early and mushy, or sits in first until 40 mph is very often an AOD with a throttle valve problem, not a worn-out transmission. That is especially true after a carburetor swap, an EFI conversion, or an AOD going into a Fox body, F-150, Bronco, Crown Victoria, Town Car or hot rod it was not built for. The Lokar KD-2AODU is a cut-to-fit, black universal housing T.V. cable kit for the 1980-1993 Ford AOD that brings its own transmission-side lever and bracket, so the cable pulls the throttle valve in the right geometry.
Lokar sells it as a kickdown kit, but its own instructions say it plainly: on the AOD this cable actuates the throttle valve. The AOD has no computer. T.V. pressure is the only signal it gets about engine load, and it uses that pressure to raise line pressure and to push shift points up as you open the throttle. Too little T.V. and the unit shifts early with low line pressure, which is how direct clutches burn and overdrive bands glaze. Too much, or a linkage that is disconnected, and the valve goes to full T.V.; BE Controls notes the transmission then hangs in first or shifts very late and hard. Either way the cable is not a convenience item on this transmission. It is the shift control.
Do not adjust an AOD by feel. Put a gauge on the T.V. port, the middle of the three test ports on the passenger side near the tail housing, warm the fluid to roughly 100-150 F, and check pressure in Neutral, never in Park. With Lokar's gauge tool in place the target on a stock unit is 35 psi; with the tool out it should fall to near zero and start rising the moment the throttle moves. If you cannot get those numbers with the old linkage, the linkage is your problem. If the numbers are right and it still slips, read our AOD common problems guide and the AOD slipping under load breakdown before buying hard parts.
Fits the Ford AOD four-speed overdrive automatic used from 1980 to 1993 in F-150 and Bronco trucks, Mustang, Crown Victoria, Thunderbird and Lincoln Town Car, plus the many AODs swapped into older Fords. The listing is the black universal housing version; Lokar lists the AOD cable with a 48 inch housing that you trim on install. The kit includes the transmission T.V. lever, kickdown extender, trans cable bracket with spacer and bolt, return spring and a T.V. cable gauge tool. It is not the AODE or 4R70W, which are electronically controlled and have no T.V. cable, so confirm your unit, or send us the year, engine and transmission tag. Other parts for the unit are in our AOD parts collection.
If the direct clutch or overdrive band is already burnt, the AOD master rebuild kit with clutches and band covers the soft parts, and a worn valve body with stuck T.V. or boost valves can be replaced with the TransGo-calibrated AOD valve body. Refill with Mercon ATF.
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Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. The AODE and 4R70W use electronic pressure control and have no T.V. cable. This kit is only for the hydraulically controlled 1980-1993 AOD.
No. Lokar states this kit is not designed to work with aftermarket T.V. correction brackets or geometry correctors at the throttle. It corrects the geometry with the T.V. lever it supplies for the transmission.
Lokar's procedure sets 35 psi at warm idle in Neutral with its gauge tool inserted on a stock unit, near zero with the tool removed, and pressure that rises as soon as the throttle moves. Modified units may need more, so ask the transmission builder.
A Lokar cable bracket and springs for your carburetor or throttle body, and an oil pressure gauge that reads accurately from zero to at least 60 psi with a 1/8 inch NPT fitting for the T.V. port.
Yes. Low T.V. pressure drops line pressure and lets the direct clutch and overdrive band slip under load. Lokar warns that skipping the pressure adjustment can fail a transmission within the first few miles.
It does the same job. The black universal housing is cut with heavy diagonal cutters or a hacksaw and the ferrule is removed before cutting, while the braided housing is cut with a cutoff wheel with the ferrule left on.
