Tbird 5 Speed Transmission?

[HKS]

I just looked at info on PortholeAuthority.com and noticed that our 2002-5 birds have a 5 speed transmission with overdrive.
So, do we have a 6 speed transmission?

Usually overdrive was not on the shifter. Maybe with the 2003 select shift you can count the gears as you keep selecting.
HKS

[kbrighton]

No, there are 5 gears, with 5th being an overdrive ratio (0.75).

[wcoates]

No, there are 5 gears, with 5th being an overdrive ratio (0.75).

Know it makes no sense for a guy that has had transmission trouble in the past but.................. Since yesterday was the first day it did not rain since the World series ended ( but raining again today -and the rest of the week ) it was time for the hard top to go on.

Beautiful day so on the way slapped the shifter through the gate and took the car up to 6000+ rpm before shifting through the gears. I am surprised at the get up and go. Hard to imagine that it is actually smaller than the 260 cu. in. that was in my 1963 Ford Falcon convertible.

[HKS]

No, there are 5 gears, with 5th being an overdrive ratio (0.75).

kbrighton,
Thank you for the info.

Just as I suspected. It means nothing, just sales lingo.

Having .75 transmission gear available and then a high ratio differential is meaningless unless you want to replace the differential.

[TBird1stLuv]

Bill, sounds like you enjoyed the ride! Hope you have a little more good weather to have "TBird fun" before the cold weather sets in. Ruby gets out when we can. It is quite surprising what the small block V8 can do. I agree now that my transmission shifts better... she is quite snappy (which translates to happy for me).

[Sealy]

My 2004 has both 5 speed (overdrive enabled) and 4 speed (overdrive not enabled). Also, it is both automatic and manual. And, the online owners manual lists a 3 speed option, as well. Not sure if any of this has anything to do with anythings here, just thought I'd add in to the confusion.

[TBird1stLuv]

I think they you are referring to the Select Shift option right? I didn't get that option on my car...sniff sniff . I think it is still considered a 5 speed though....

[428PI]

i haven't noticed this on my tbird and would have to have a scanner hooked up to see the shifts but I know on the older A4LD's which this trans is based on was only a 4 speed but felt like 5 speeds because of the small torque converter and when it locked up it felt like another shift. Our converter might lock up during a shift but not sure.

[jerrym3]

Remember the old days when "3sp manual with OD" meant that, to engage OD, you had to lift your foot off the accelerator above a certain speed? OD wasn't a big seller back then. Gas was relatively cheap. (I think that OD equipped cars had a slightly lower rear end ratio.) GM offered HydraMatics and Jetaway 4 sp auto trans, but they were not OD transmissions.

Nice thing about OD is that you can have a lower rear end ratio for quicker acceleration, and still cruise at a lower RPM on the highway for better gas mileage.

I actually use the Select Shift function quite a bit in my LS and Retro.

Going up steep grades, I select the gear I want to keep the engine in the correct RPM zone. Going downhill, I select the gear I want for engine braking. In stop/go traffic, I leave it in "2" for gentle starts and some engine braking. Going off a highway onto a sharp exit ramp, I downshift to reduce speed rather than just hard braking. If I see traffic up ahead slowing down (traffic light or congestion), I use the downshift function.

Adds a little extra "fun factor" to driving both cars.

(Anybody remember the Ford "three and a half speed" manual trans? Not an OD trans, but a rare option. Three speed column shift with a first gear synchro.)

[428PI]

jerrym3 The early Fox Mustangs had a 3 speed with OD manual trans. I had an 83 Capri with 5.0 HO and it had the 5 speed manual (4 speeds with OD). I have never heard of the "three and a half speed" trans. How early are you talking?

[jerrym3]

Pretty sure the 64 Galaxie offered the 3.5 trans.

I'll do some googling to confirm.

[jerrym3]

3 or 4-speed manual

Ford Motor Company

Ford Design 4-Speed 3.03 Top Loader

1964–1973

Borg-Warner T-10 Dagenham 4-speed

A Toploader transmission is a manually shifted three and four speed gearbox introduced in 1963 by the Ford Motor Company to replace the BorgWarner T-10. It was used in most Fords and Mercurys from 1964 until 1973 as well as some foreign models. Officially designated the 3.03 three speed or Ford design four speed. The 3.03 is the centerline distance between counter shaft and mainshaft. The Toploader got its name from the fact that the access plate to the inner workings was located on the top of the main case as opposed to the side, a convention used on most gearboxes such as the Ford Dagenham or GM's Saginaw or Muncie. This feature increased the rigidity of the case significantly. Distinguishing the three speed from the four is as simple as counting the fasteners on the top plate. The four speed has ten; the three, nine. Both the three and four speed top loader gearboxes were designed to function in constant mesh, due to synchronizer sleeves being used instead of sliding gears, and be fully synchronized, with the exception of reverse. Forward gears are helical-type while reverse gear including the exterior of the first and second synchronizers sleeve are spur-type gears. This transmission is also known as the Tremec T-170, HEH, or RUG depending on the year(s) of production.^[1] At some point in the early 70's production was moved to Mexico and the name was changed to Tremec.

[jerrym3]

I did some fact checking with some Ford guys on another website.

The Ford 3 sp synchro manual trans came out in 1963,

But here's the kicker.

According to one of the guys, the trans was so good that it was available on the 1964 GTO. But, very few GTO buyers bought three speed manual GTO's.