Ford AXOD transmission
Encyclopedia
The AXOD was a 4-speed automatic
transaxle
for transverse
front wheel drive automobile
s from the Ford Motor Company
. It was introduced in the 1986 Ford Taurus
/Mercury Sable
(with the 3.0 L Vulcan
V6). The AXOD and its successors are built in Ford's Van Dyke Transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan
. Production of the final member of the family, the 4F50N (a renaming of the AX4N), ended in November 2006.
The AXOD has a code letter of "T" on its data plate. The AXOD transaxle has 17 bolts to retain its fluid pan.
Applications:
This had a data plate code of "T" for 1991 and 1992 models.
Applications:
The transaxle pan on this model will sometimes read "AXOD Metric" since it's based on the AXOD transaxle.
The data plate code for this transmission is "L."
Applications:
-powered models. It became standard with both engines in 2003. It was renamed the 4F50N in 2001.
Applications:
The data plate code is "X."
Intermediate clutch failures resulting in poor 1-2 shifts or slipping are common on all AX family members.
Failure of the "Neutral to Drive Accumulator" causes hard shifts into a drive gear (R, OD, D, 1) from "N" or "P". This can become quite violent. Reasons for this part's failure: Piston stuck, or seals or springs damaged or missing. Correction for this problem: Check these parts for damage. Replace as required (located inside the transaxle, recommended that a transmission shop do the repair, but a full rebuild of the transaxle is NOT required). In general, however, difficulty shifting from neutral to overdrive, OD to N, N to R, and R to N is most likely caused by a stretched shifter cable.
Other issues such as locking and/or breaking the parking "pawl" occurs in these transmissions primarily due to owner negligence in not operating the parking brake properly, or not using the parking brake at all. If the vehicle is allowed to "roll back" onto the pawl with heavy force (such as when parking on a steep incline), the pawl may break off or seize the gears so that either the vehicle rolls away, or when the owner starts the vehicle and attempts to put the vehicle in gear, they are unable to move the shift lever from Park. This creates a compound issue in which the shifter linkage or cable can break due to excess force. The vehicle's owner guide states the appropriate procedure is to engage the parking brake before shifting to Park, rather than relying on the pawl, as the pawl is a last line of defense to prevent the vehicle from moving unintentionally. If the parking pawl breaks off or bends, serious transaxle damage can occur.
Recently, NHTSA launched an investigation into the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey due to numerous complaints with regard to the equipped 4F50N transmission. Although the investigation is centered on the Torque Converter
, these failures often require that the entire transaxle be rebuilt or replaced.
Some have found that adding a transmission fluid cooler to AX-equipped cars (i.e. the Taurus/Sable), can extend the transmission's life, as it significantly reduces the temperature of the transmission fluid. Coolers available from car parts websites are not too costly, and will pay for themselves if installed correctly. Shifting is also smoother with cooler fluid.
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
transaxle
Transaxle
In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
for transverse
Transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle. Many modern front wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration...
front wheel drive automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s from the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. It was introduced in the 1986 Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
/Mercury Sable
Mercury Sable
The Sable was a very important sedan for both Mercury and the American auto industry.Ford had lagged in introducing mid-size front wheel drive cars to compete against General Motors' Chevrolet Citation and its best-selling Chevrolet Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass/Buick Century quartet as...
(with the 3.0 L Vulcan
Ford Vulcan engine
The Ford Vulcan V6 is a 3.0 L , 60° V6 engine with an iron block and iron heads, used in some of Ford Motor Company's vehicles from model years 1986 through 2008. It was originally designed to be the optional engine in the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. In 1992, it became the standard engine for...
V6). The AXOD and its successors are built in Ford's Van Dyke Transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
. Production of the final member of the family, the 4F50N (a renaming of the AX4N), ended in November 2006.
The AXOD has a code letter of "T" on its data plate. The AXOD transaxle has 17 bolts to retain its fluid pan.
Applications:
- 1986–1990 Ford TaurusFord TaurusThe Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
- 1986–1990 Mercury SableMercury SableThe Sable was a very important sedan for both Mercury and the American auto industry.Ford had lagged in introducing mid-size front wheel drive cars to compete against General Motors' Chevrolet Citation and its best-selling Chevrolet Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass/Buick Century quartet as...
- 1988–1991 Lincoln ContinentalLincoln ContinentalThe Lincoln Continental is an automobile which was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1939 to 1948 and again from 1956 to 2002...
AXOD-E
The AXOD was updated with electronic controls in 1991 as the AXOD-E. The electronic shifting and torque converter controls were integrated with the Taurus's electronic control module for smoother shifts.This had a data plate code of "T" for 1991 and 1992 models.
Applications:
- 1991–1992 Ford TaurusFord TaurusThe Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
- 1991–1992 Mercury SableMercury SableThe Sable was a very important sedan for both Mercury and the American auto industry.Ford had lagged in introducing mid-size front wheel drive cars to compete against General Motors' Chevrolet Citation and its best-selling Chevrolet Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass/Buick Century quartet as...
- 1991–1992 Lincoln Continental
AX4S
The AXOD-E was renamed AX4S in 1993. In addition to the name change, improvements in the lubrication of the gearset and capacity upgrades were made. A centrifugal piston assembly was implemented in the intermediate clutch position to improve 1st-2nd and 2nd-1st shift quality and an increase in the clutch's durability was made on some models. High energy friction materials were also introduced. A new twin piston torque converter clutch (TCC) was introduced with the AX4S and the AX4N on some models.The transaxle pan on this model will sometimes read "AXOD Metric" since it's based on the AXOD transaxle.
The data plate code for this transmission is "L."
Applications:
- 1993–1994 Lincoln Continental
- 1993–2003 Ford TaurusFord TaurusThe Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
- 1993–2003 Mercury SableMercury SableThe Sable was a very important sedan for both Mercury and the American auto industry.Ford had lagged in introducing mid-size front wheel drive cars to compete against General Motors' Chevrolet Citation and its best-selling Chevrolet Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass/Buick Century quartet as...
- 1995–2000 Ford WindstarFord WindstarThe Ford Windstar is a minivan that was produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from the 1995 to 2003 model years. This front-wheel drive minivan was the second minivan designed by the company, serving as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Aerostar minivan. The two were sold concurrently...
AX4N/4F50N
The AX4N is an improved version of the basic AXOD, and is more reliable. This transaxle shifts non-synchronously (as indicated by the "N" in AX4N) resulting in improved shift quality over the previous AX4S. Although similar in design and dimensions, it is a different transaxle than previous AXOD transmissions. The AX4N has 19 bolts to retain the fluid pan. It was used in the 1996–99 Taurus SHO models, and was standard on Duratec-powered models. It also appears in some 1994–2002 VulcanFord Vulcan engine
The Ford Vulcan V6 is a 3.0 L , 60° V6 engine with an iron block and iron heads, used in some of Ford Motor Company's vehicles from model years 1986 through 2008. It was originally designed to be the optional engine in the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. In 1992, it became the standard engine for...
-powered models. It became standard with both engines in 2003. It was renamed the 4F50N in 2001.
Applications:
- 1996–1999 Ford Taurus SHO
- 1994–2007 Ford TaurusFord TaurusThe Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
- 1995–2000 Lincoln Continental
- 1994–2005 Mercury SableMercury SableThe Sable was a very important sedan for both Mercury and the American auto industry.Ford had lagged in introducing mid-size front wheel drive cars to compete against General Motors' Chevrolet Citation and its best-selling Chevrolet Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass/Buick Century quartet as...
- 2001–2003 Ford WindstarFord WindstarThe Ford Windstar is a minivan that was produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from the 1995 to 2003 model years. This front-wheel drive minivan was the second minivan designed by the company, serving as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Aerostar minivan. The two were sold concurrently...
- 2004–2007 Ford FreestarFord FreestarThe Ford Freestar is a minivan that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 2004 until November 2006. It replaced the Ford Windstar for the 2004 model year. The name change accommodated Ford's strategy to rename all their cars to words beginning in F...
- 2004–2007 Mercury MontereyFord FreestarThe Ford Freestar is a minivan that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 2004 until November 2006. It replaced the Ford Windstar for the 2004 model year. The name change accommodated Ford's strategy to rename all their cars to words beginning in F...
The data plate code is "X."
Reliability issues
Earlier AXOD and AXOD-E models have a poor reliability record due to internal lubrication problems. These were mostly remedied by 1995. These transaxles require fluid and filter changes every 30,000 miles to maximize service life.Intermediate clutch failures resulting in poor 1-2 shifts or slipping are common on all AX family members.
Failure of the "Neutral to Drive Accumulator" causes hard shifts into a drive gear (R, OD, D, 1) from "N" or "P". This can become quite violent. Reasons for this part's failure: Piston stuck, or seals or springs damaged or missing. Correction for this problem: Check these parts for damage. Replace as required (located inside the transaxle, recommended that a transmission shop do the repair, but a full rebuild of the transaxle is NOT required). In general, however, difficulty shifting from neutral to overdrive, OD to N, N to R, and R to N is most likely caused by a stretched shifter cable.
Other issues such as locking and/or breaking the parking "pawl" occurs in these transmissions primarily due to owner negligence in not operating the parking brake properly, or not using the parking brake at all. If the vehicle is allowed to "roll back" onto the pawl with heavy force (such as when parking on a steep incline), the pawl may break off or seize the gears so that either the vehicle rolls away, or when the owner starts the vehicle and attempts to put the vehicle in gear, they are unable to move the shift lever from Park. This creates a compound issue in which the shifter linkage or cable can break due to excess force. The vehicle's owner guide states the appropriate procedure is to engage the parking brake before shifting to Park, rather than relying on the pawl, as the pawl is a last line of defense to prevent the vehicle from moving unintentionally. If the parking pawl breaks off or bends, serious transaxle damage can occur.
Recently, NHTSA launched an investigation into the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey due to numerous complaints with regard to the equipped 4F50N transmission. Although the investigation is centered on the Torque Converter
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...
, these failures often require that the entire transaxle be rebuilt or replaced.
Some have found that adding a transmission fluid cooler to AX-equipped cars (i.e. the Taurus/Sable), can extend the transmission's life, as it significantly reduces the temperature of the transmission fluid. Coolers available from car parts websites are not too costly, and will pay for themselves if installed correctly. Shifting is also smoother with cooler fluid.