Editing Troubleshooting Cruise-O-Matic transmissions

==Introduction== The Ford-O-Matic was the first automatic transmission widely used by Ford Motor Company. It was designed by Borg Warner Corporation and introduced in 1951 model year cars. The Ford-O-Matic evolved into the "MX" and "FX" (aka "Cruise-O-Matic") transmissions in 1958 and the FMX in 1968. This line continued in production until 1980, when the AOD was introduced. Besides FoMoCo, variations of this same design were used by other automobile manufacturers such as AMC, International Harvester, Studebaker, Volvo and Jaguar. ==Ford Cruise O Matic transmissions== Cruise-O-Matic transmissions have a few common issues that can usually be sorted out easily. ===Cruise-O-Matic shift linkage=== ====Worn out shifter bushings==== Sloppy shifter, can jump from park into reverse with no effect from shifter adjustment. ===Case cracking=== Medium size Cruise-O-Matics were prone to cracking at the bolt hole attaching the rear servo to the case. The effect of this is chattering or slippage while in reverse, sometimes to the point where reverse no longer works. Severe cracking left unrepaired can lead to the bolt at the crack shearing and damage to the servo. In situations where you cannot replace the case because of the desire to retain the casting numbers for a "matching numbers" car, a competent welder would have to repair the case and a crack reinforcement bracket, sold by Northwest Transmission Supply installed. Some welders will suggest filling the bolt hole with welding material and then re-tapping it for a 5/16" bolt. It is up to the mechanic to decide which course of action to take. It is important with the Cruise-O-Matic to insure that you are fully stopped before shifting from reverse to forward to prevent case breakage. There are some that suggest restricting the feed line to the rear servo so that the piston engages more slowly and smoothly. In this transmission, the rear servo tends to engage rather harshly and during high rev conditions, such as when the car is cold and idling high, it is more prone to case breakage. [[Category:Ford]] [[Category:Transmission]] [[Category:Troubleshooting]]

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