That makes no sence since they have dumped millions of dollars in advertiseing for the truck. We all know ford has terrible tranny's...thats a reason why i will never buy an auto ford. However, i thought they were supposed to get a t-56 m6 tranny in the truck? All the r&d would be done on the truck before they announced a release date and since 05 models are almost due to arrive at the dealerships it just makes no sence.

I remember when the rumors of canceling the 03 cobra came out due to problems with the blower...but look they released on time

 

IMO, if the SRT-10 has a 6spd, and the upcoming Silvy SS as well as SSR and TBlazer SS will get a 6spd manual, so should the L.

 

Well, since the projected transmission for the next Gen L is the 5R110........... I don't see what the problem is. The Superduty puts 570lb ft of torque through it already, and it has been holding up fine............ even when the diesels are being turned up.

According to one of the gentlemen who works at the 5R110, it is one tough trans.

PS, Ford auto trannies don't suck any more than anyone elses. If you look around at GM sites, you will see alot of 4L60E, 4L65E, and 4L80E failures........... and at low mileages. We used to tow them all the time.

Guess we will just have to wait and see.

 

[QUOTE=94LightningGal]
PS, Ford auto trannies don't suck any more than anyone elses. If you look around at GM sites, you will see alot of 4L60E, 4L65E, and 4L80E failures........... and at low mileages. We used to tow them all the time.
QUOTE]

i think it has been covered MANY times before that all brands have some problems. Lets hope things all work out and the lightning can continue as planned.

 

I agree L-gal.

What we are forgetting here is that we are talking about the most powerful engines ever built for the street in history. Muscle cars of the 60s weren't putting out anywhere near the ballpark of what some of today's most powerful engines are putting out.

As torque figures blast into space (it's already passed "stratosphere"), the issue isn't in making trannies tough enough, but how to make them tough enough in volume at a reasonable price, and be durable enough to last over 150,000 even with expected abuse.

Trannies dealing with high torque moving heavy loads will face a different set of duribility standards than a trannie behind an engine that's expected to be abused by the owner.

 

Not sure on the durability issue, but the auto that came in the SN95 sucked big time compared to a 460le. My wife had a 98 Mustang GT auto and that thing couldnt get out of its own way. It did sound good though.

 

The 4R70W was just an updated version of the good ol AOD. Just as the 4L60/65E is just an updated 700R4. Not much in bragging rights for either.

The 4R70W was never a performance transmission, and should have never been put in that place. However, while it did suck power, and have slow responses, it has not been a troublesome transmission. As a matter of fact, it has been quite reliable.

Now, the 4L60/65E's problems are much worse. Just a bit of history here, from someone who was involved in the specifications for the original 700R4 (on which the 4L60E is based).......... btw, it wasn't me, but was a good friend of mine. He said that the original specifications for the trans were for RWD cars, not weighing over 3500lbs, and with no (or negligible) towing capacity. The transmission was never to go into trucks. Then look at what GM did with them. They have been bandaided over the years to be ok under regular conditions. However, I cannot tell you the amount of GM trucks we towed with the front seal blown out (due to pressure built up under the stress of towing). This included even the latest versions. They also have a problem with destroying hard parts (I believe GM calls it a sun gear, which I understand is the same as forward one-way clutch, or forward sprag in tranny tech talk). The basic issue being that this transmission was never designed for towing............. and especially not heavy towing.

What the problem is with the 4L80E, I don't know. However, we also towed quite a few of them in very low mileage vehicles (under 10,000 miles).

I can even tell you what one of the biggest problems is with the Chrysler transmissions. They used a plastic ball in the steel trans cooler line to buffer the flow. When these ***** get hot, they expand and cut off the flow from the trans cooler. You then cook the trans. The amazing thing is that Chrysler may still use this design on some of their current transmissions. I am not completely sure because we closed our Auto Repair and towing business in Feb, 2003 (9/11 just killed us as our location depended on tourism).

The funny thing is, the only 4R100 that we did anything with was in a 38 foot motorhome. Why any company would use something that light duty (relatively speaking) in something that heavy is beyond me.

So, just a bit of personal experience here.

 

I know all about 4l60E's, its why i have a T56 now . I will say that in my experience and others around here locally, that the 4l60e is very reliable for stock Fbods. Its only when you get into making alot of power that they do have problems. Once I hit over 400rwhp I couldnt keep the 2-3 clutch packs from going out and a few guys have had to upgrade their sprags to a heavier duty one.

 

come on now its Ford...don't expect too much.

 

Uhhh... no. Ford has a pretty substantial history of transmission failures. That's why there are conversion kits to put GM transmissions in Mustangs, and no coversion kits to put Ford transmissions in F-cars (or anything else...). The AOD just flat-out sucks, along with the whole catalog of Ford FWD transmissions.

The core of the problem for Ford is this:

GM gets to spread out the heavy duty transmission desings across a very large market. The 4L60 family was used in a whole passel of cars and trucks that Ford could never match. If the 4L60 family wasn't enough, the 4L80 could backstop it in the trucks.

Ford is in a quandry because they don't want to have to tool a billion dollar transmission line to support Lightning alone.

GM, on the other hand, already has the Allison and the 4L80E, so from a performance truck standpoint they're set. All they have to do is find a beefy enough transfer case and then turn up the wick... God how I wish they would turn up the wick... maybe the V-10 will do it.

I find the statement of the issues regarding the 700R4 interesting, as the good old 700R4 has pretty much come into it's own lately and 4L60E's have been swallowing ever-increasing amount of power for years.

Remember, the Grand National used a 200R4... and those transmissions have seen some incredible power levels.

A pretty common understanding industry-wide is that GM makes the best automatics on the planet.

BMW uses GM transmissions for a reason...

Which reminds me of a joke...

What's the ideal Detroit race car?

A Chrysler engine (426 Hemi) backed up by a GM transmission (TH-400), running a Ford rear end (9").

 

BS! Id rather have a 502 big block over a hemi that I have to lash the valves every day.
GM is known far better for its great transmissions then Ford. I wasnt going to say anything, because then "im bashing Ford."

 

Going to the uber-duty transmissions may be a fuel economy issue. They eat more power than the lighter-duty pieces. Tough to say, though, as I don't know how much wiggle room they had on the Lightning.

 

Exactly. Hey there's nothing wrong with admitting that Ford's automatics have historically been, how should I say, not the greatest? My limited experience in driving auto Ford vehicles showed me the slow, sloppy downshifts compared to the 4L60E in my old Z28s. Then again, look under almost any serious high-powered 3rd or 4th Gen F-body and you're sure to see a 9". Why? Because the performance community universally recognizes the indestructable characteristics of Ford's venerable rear axle.

 

That "little ball" is apart of the transmission bypass valve, and it is a puck of wax that expands and contracts depending on the temp of the trans fluid. It allows the trans to get up to temp quicker and maintain optimum operating temp. Almost every vehicle out there with an auto has one in some form or fashion.

 

And BTW, this is rumor so far and the "Tomcat" is still on...