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Ford C4 and C6 Transmission Trouble Shooting Guide

Ford C4 and C6 Transmission Trouble Shooting Guide

It’s good to have a source to guide you when you’re struggling with troublesome transmission function. You can be methodical and cover all the bases during a rebuild and still things can go wrong. This is where a step-by-step approach to the problem can help get you steered in the right direction. As with just about […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission, The Best Ford Tech Articles

How to Install Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

How to Install Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

Although I focus great attention on how a transmission is built, installation and proper adjustment after the unit is installed are just as important to durability and longevity. To get longevity and durability, a transmission must be properly installed and adjusted, which means a methodical approach to getting a fresh transmission into service. Let’s begin […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission, The Best Ford Tech Articles

The Ultimate Ford Transmission Torque Converters Guide

The Ultimate Ford Transmission Torque Converters Guide

Torque converters are probably the most misunderstood component in an automatic transmission, yet they’re the simplest in both theory and function. Think of a torque converter like a water wheel in an old saw mill: the waterwheel is driven by fluid in motion. A torque converter works on the same principle—a fluid coupling or clutch […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission, The Best Ford Tech Articles

How to Install Shift Kits for Ford C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

How to Install Shift Kits for Ford C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

Automatic transmission function, in theory, is simple. In practice, it is quite complex and has been worked out by powertrain engineers determined to give you smooth and reliable operation for at least 100,000 miles. To get there, you have to have a hydraulic control system that gives you all those things you want and expect […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

How to Build a Ford C6 Select Shift Transmission: Step by Step

How to Build a Ford C6 Select Shift Transmission: Step by Step

Ford’s C6 transmission was first pressed into service for 1966. It was designed to replace a generation of heavy and outdated BorgWarner MX and FX iron-case transmissions used behind Ford big-block and Y-Block V-8s. The C6 is on a par with GM’s Turbo- Hydramatic 400 and Chrysler’s 727 Torqueflite transmissions. It is a heavyduty 3-speed […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

How to Install Shift Kits for Ford C4 Transmissions: Step by Step

How to Install Shift Kits for Ford C4 Transmissions: Step by Step

To improve shift quality in Ford’s venerable C4, you can look to B&M Racing & Performance, which has been producing some of the best transmission performance parts in the world for more than 50 years. The B&M story dates back to 1953, when Bob Spar and Mort Schuman put their heads together and founded not […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

How to Assemble Ford C4 Transmissions: Cruise-O-Matic / Select Shift

How to Assemble Ford C4 Transmissions: Cruise-O-Matic / Select Shift

Ford’s C4 Cruise-O-Matic and Select-Shift 3-speed automatic transmission is a light-duty unit intended for six-cylinder and small-block V-8 engines. Versions of the C4 have also been produced for big-blocks. The C4 was produced from 1964  through 1981 at Ford’s Sharonville, Ohio, transmission plant. An interesting footnote is the C4’s status as the first automatic transmission […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

How to Disassemble Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

How to Disassemble Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

For the sake of simplicity and space I primarily cover a C4 teardown in this book. C4 teardown technique generally applies to the C6 as well, though there are some distinct differences in the ford c6 transmission and ford c4 transmission. You’re going to be looking for the same elements of wear regardless of the […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

How to Start a Ford Transmission Rebuild Project: C4 and C6

How to Start a Ford Transmission Rebuild Project: C4 and C6

Before embarking on your Ford C4 or C6 transmission project, you’re going to need to equip yourself with a proper work setting and tools necessary to do the job. Because automatic transmissions encompass dozens of tiny parts—clips, balls, pins, valves, springs, and other items—your workspace must be well-lit, neat, orderly. “Hospital clean” is an abused […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

Everything You Want to Know About Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions

Everything You Want to Know About Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions

Ford had a fundamental challenge to its direction and future in the late 1950s—how to shed a stodgy image and dated technology. This effort began with a new generation of skirted-block FE-series V-8 engines in 1958. In 1960, Ford introduced its lightweight-iron Falcon and Comet sixes. The 90-degree Fairlane small-block V-8s followed in 1962. Prior […]

Filed Under: Ford Tech Tips, How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4 and C6 Automatic Transmission

The Ultimate Ford Transmission Torque Converters Guide

The Ultimate Ford Transmission Torque Converters Guide

Torque converters are probably the most misunderstood component in an automatic transmission, yet they’re the simplest in both theory and function. Think of a torque converter like a water wheel in an old saw mill: the waterwheel is driven by fluid … [Click here to read more...]

Mustang Engine Swap Guide

Mustang Engine Swap Guide

In this chapter I cover the common engine swaps for first-generation Mustangs that increase performance potential. My philosophy is “There’s no replacement for displacement” when it comes to increasing performance, but the key is how you get it. I … [Click here to read more...]

How to Install Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

How to Install Ford C4 and C6 Transmissions: Step by Step

Although I focus great attention on how a transmission is built, installation and proper adjustment after the unit is installed are just as important to durability and longevity. To get longevity and durability, a transmission must be properly … [Click here to read more...]

How to Disassemble Ford 4.6L & 5.4L Engines – Step-by-Step

How to Disassemble Ford 4.6L & 5.4L Engines – Step-by-Step

Because the Modular V-8 has so many different applications, it is impossible to detail all the removal and installation specifics here. However, I can touch on what you can expect across a broad range of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury applications. Gone … [Click here to read more...]

How to Build a 500 Horsepower Ford 351 Cleveland Engine

How to Build a 500 Horsepower Ford 351 Cleveland Engine

There are two Cleveland engine builds for you here: one from Trick Flow Specialties and another from Hot Rod magazine contributor Jeff Huneycutt of www.horsepowermonster.com. Each of these builds shows what can be done with both the 351C and 400 … [Click here to read more...]

How to Assembly Ford 4.6L & 5.4L Engines – Step-by-Step

How to Assembly Ford 4.6L & 5.4L Engines – Step-by-Step

Once you have disassembled the engine, selected the best parts, and finished the machine work, it may seem as if the toughest part of a rebuild is over, but it isn’t. As with every other aspect of a Modular engine rebuild, the assembly is challenging … [Click here to read more...]

Ford Small-Block Rebuild: Torque Specs, Sequences, and Alignment

Ford Small-Block Rebuild: Torque Specs, Sequences, and Alignment

Cylinder Numbers and Firing Order / Torque Sequences This Tech Tip is From the Full Book, HOW TO REBUILD THE SMALL-BLOCK FORD. For a comprehensive guide on this entire subject you can visit this link: LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK … [Click here to read more...]

Ford FE Engines:  The Complete History

Ford FE Engines: The Complete History

The FE Ford engine was released into production in 1958. The earliest applications included use in the short-lived Edsel program. The FE was not a replacement for the Y-block; it was a larger companion to an engine family sharing some design … [Click here to read more...]

Ford FE Engine Intake Manifolds: The Ultimate Guide

Ford FE Engine Intake Manifolds: The Ultimate Guide

Ford FE intake manifolds are unique to this engine family, and instantly recognizable when compared to any other engine’s parts. One third of the valve cover extends over the intake casting, and the pushrods run through cast or machined passages in … [Click here to read more...]

Ford Cylinder Heads and Valvetrain Interchange: Small-Block

Ford Cylinder Heads and Valvetrain Interchange: Small-Block

Few things determine an engine’s personality more than cylinder heads, camshafts, and rocker arms. Ford V-8s have always struggled to make power because they’ve always been limited by factory cylinder head design. Port size on small-block Fords has … [Click here to read more...]

Ford C4 and C6 Transmission Trouble Shooting Guide

Ford C4 and C6 Transmission Trouble Shooting Guide

It’s good to have a source to guide you when you’re struggling with troublesome transmission function. You can be methodical and cover all the bases during a rebuild and still things can go wrong. This is where a step-by-step approach to the problem … [Click here to read more...]

Ford Axle History and Identification: Ford Differentials

Ford Axle History and Identification: Ford Differentials

Before you embark on the rebuild and start scouring local scrap yards and online websites, it will be helpful to understand what to look for and what to avoid in these axles. First, you need to understand some fundamentals of the Ford axles to help … [Click here to read more...]

Ford AODE/4R70W Guide: Calibration, Building, Troubleshooting

Ford AODE/4R70W Guide: Calibration, Building, Troubleshooting

Ford’s AOD evolved into a highly successful mechanically modulated transmission from its 1980 introduction until production ended in 1991. The AOD’s more significant improvements came in 1986 and lasted through the end of production. Ford developed … [Click here to read more...]

Ford AOD Transmission Installation and Swapping Guide

Ford AOD Transmission Installation and Swapping Guide

Although transmission installation and adjustment appears straight-forward, you should take an orderly, methodical approach to ensure success. You’re either swapping in an AOD, AODE, or 4R70W, or you’re removing and reinstalling one. Size up the job … [Click here to read more...]

Ford 9 Inch Differential Guide: Third-Member Assembly

Ford 9 Inch Differential Guide: Third-Member Assembly

This is where you combine the assembled differential with the gear case and hypoid gears. Plus, you also add the necessary bearings, seals, and shims. You can purchase individual pieces or a complete kit that includes everything that you … [Click here to read more...]

Ford 351 Cleveland Engines: Block Identification Guide

Ford 351 Cleveland Engines: Block Identification Guide

There has always been some confusion when it comes to Cleveland block identification. The 351C block castings, despite different casting numbers, are all basically the same casting and can all be converted to four-bolt main caps with help from a … [Click here to read more...]

Ford 351 Cleveland Engine Ignition Guide: Timing

Ford 351 Cleveland Engine Ignition Guide: Timing

Adjusting ignition timing must be performed with a timing light with an accurate harmonic balancer. Be sure your harmonic balancer has its timing marks properly indexed. You’d be surprised how many times you get it wrong using a worn-out balancer or … [Click here to read more...]

4.6L & 5.4L Ford Rebuild Cheat Sheet: Selecting Parts

4.6L & 5.4L Ford Rebuild Cheat Sheet: Selecting Parts

Parts selection is one of the most important elements of engine building because all parts must operate in concert with one another. Never has this been more crucial than with Ford’s Modular V-8 because of the many variations produced since 1991. You … [Click here to read more...]

4.6L & 5.4L Ford Rebuild Cheat Sheet: Before You Begin

4.6L & 5.4L Ford Rebuild Cheat Sheet: Before You Begin

When Ford introduced the 4.6L single overhead cam (SOHC) “Modular” V-8 in 1991 in the Lincoln Town Car, it took Ford enthusiasts by surprise because it was unlike any other Ford V-8 ever made. It wasn’t like the classic FE-Series 427 SOHC V-8 that … [Click here to read more...]

351 Cleveland Cylinder Heads Guide: Factory Iron Heads

351 Cleveland Cylinder Heads Guide: Factory Iron Heads

Although there’s some confusion over Cleveland cylinder heads, the 335-series engine family has the easiest line-up of Ford cylinder heads to understand. • 351C-4V closed wedge chamber (bolt-fulcrum rockers) 351C-4V closed wedge chamber, … [Click here to read more...]

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