3 Speed Transmission

[Architect]

I just purchased a 2004 MM and it has a 3 speed with OD tranmission....:mad:
I thought it was suppose to have a 4 speed trany with OD...
Whats the deal?:confused:
For you guys who know how to read VINumbers...this one is:
2MHHM79V34X664073
What can you tell me....:help:
Really disappointed that it doesn't have the 4 speed...it's one of the reasons I waited for a 2004...opps on my part...
Thanks,
Walt. (Architect)

[Rider90]

I just purchased a 2004 MM and it has a 3 speed with OD tranmission....:mad:
I thought it was suppose to have a 4 speed trany with OD...
Whats the deal?:confused:
For you guys who know how to read VINumbers...this one is:
2MHHM79V34X664073
What can you tell me....:help:
Really disappointed that it doesn't have the 4 speed...it's one of the reasons I waited for a 2004...opps on my part...
Thanks,
Walt. (Architect)

It has what it is supposed to have, 3 "gears" and an O/D Band...It is not a five speed transmission.

[BillyGman]

It has what it is supposed to have, 3 "gears" and an O/D Band...It is not a five speed transmission.Exactly. The 4th gear IS the overdrive gear. Get it? Why would you want so many gears anyway? It's a heavy car, but it isn't a tractor trailer truck. I've heard of some euro cars planning on 7 speed automatic transmissions soon. Where does it end? Will there be a 10 speed by 2010? The car would be shifting every 50 feet!!! :rolleyes: Please excuse my rant sir. It's just becoming one of my pet peeves I guess.

[blackf0rk]

More numbers = faster right? ;)

[Rider90]

More numbers = faster right? ;)

No no, thats more stickers... :baaa:

[BillyGman]

More numbers = faster right? ;)I cannot dispute that, but the trend is just too extreme IMO. It seems that many car manufactures want to replace the wide powerbands, and abundant torque of bigger engines with transmissions that have bazillion gears. Perhaps guys who were into real muscle cars of old can relate more to what I'm stating here. I mean who would've thought that Ford would've evolved into a car manufacture that offers only a measely 281 cubic inch engine for a big 4,200 LB car? And a manufacture who's biggest engine being offered for any of it's cars is a 330 cubic inch engine, and up until the announcement of the SVT 2007 Shelby GT500, the only car that you can even get the 330 cube engine in is a millionaire's car (the 2005 Ford GT supercar) unless ofcourse you wanted to buy a truck (the Ford Lightning) to go fast which of course cannot be used for plowing snow like other trucks can be.

So instead of real power we've been given more gears, with a demand for even more on the way to replace engine torque and wide powerbands. I think it's great having an overdrive gear for the highway, which enables guys like me to run 4.10's or even 4.56's in a street driven car, and be able to still drive it comfortably on the highway. but we don't need, a 5th, 6th, and 7th gear in order to have an overdrive.

Lidio has stated that he has noticed that in his 2005 Mustang, the 5 speed automatic isn't even as beefy as the former 4 speed gearbox of our Marauders. That's probably because for them to make a transmission with so many gears in it, they likely need to lighten it up in certain areas, otherwise the thing would be so massive, that it would be like an anchor. I just don't like the performance trends in cars these days. It sounds like some other car manufactures are getting it by the announcements of bigger engines (Chevy for one). All is they have to do now is to come out with some decent looking body styles that don't look like they were designed by a "GIRLY" man. :rolleyes: Again, sorry for the rant. I'm glad that atleast SVT is finally going to be coming out with a Shelby that has the 330 cube engine in it. I guess the only question about that offering that's yet to be answered is IF the dealers aren't going to gouge the price on it up to $50K Maybe someone else out their feels my pain. If not, carry on......

[Fourth Horseman]

:stupid: I can see maybe a 5 speed auto for small engined cars, but it is getting carried away, IMO.

[Wires]

When I was deciding on a new rear gear ratio, I did some experimenting. I'll admit, this was prompted by the oportunity to drive a lincoln LS.

If we had a 5 speed, we could get a low enough first to be the equivalant of having the 4.56 with our current transmission, and, at the same time, cruise in 5th like having a 3.25 with our current transmission - the best of both - no 4.01 compromize.

Yes, 6 or 7 may be too many, but 5 would be much nicer.

[Captain Steve]

I agree with Wires.

If the reliability was there, it would be nice for us NA guys to have the 5 speed that's in the Mustang. With the lower ratio 1st gear, and similar OD band, you would have the equivilant of 4.10s in 1st, but the same highway milage up top.

Also, with closer gear ratios, you get the benefit of staying in the high RPM range when you go WOT.

You would also have the option of going with 3.73s to get 4.56-like 1st gear launch, and 4.10-like hwy mileage.

[SergntMac]

Ditto to Wires and the good Captain...Five speeds would be nice, auto or manual...

[BillyGman]

Also, with closer gear ratios, you get the benefit of staying in the high RPM range when you go WOT......

Which is exactly what you need when you have the narrow RPM range of power that smaller N/A engines offer, and that's why I like larger displacement engines. Because you don't always need to be in that narrow RPM range when going at WOT in order to get some serious acceleration out of them, and therefore you don't neccessarily need all of those gears. This is good. I like all this gearhead talk. :D

[twolow]

I perfer something simple.

I would perfer if my car had:

P - Park
R - Reverse
N - Neutral
R - Rabbit
T - Turtle

My lawn mower has it so why not the MM?

[RF Overlord]

Walt, as the others have already said, you have the correct number of gears; the 4R75W in your '04 (like the 4R70W in the '03s) is called a "4-speed" transmission because it has 4 forward gear ratios, with top gear being an overdrive, in this case .82 to 1. The "4" means it has 4 speeds, the "R" is for rear-wheel drive, and the "W" is for a wide-ratio gearset...I don't know what the "70" and "75" indicate.

In my old-school way of thinking, a "4-speed" transmission has just what it says: 4 forward speeds, with top gear being 1 to 1 (like the good ol' Muncie Rock Crusher in my buddy's '70 Chevelle SS). I would have called our transmission a "3-speed with overdrive"...I know it's a matter of semantics, but I guess the marketing departments think calling it a "4-Speed" is much more impressive to people who don't know any better.... :rolleyes:

[Joe Walsh]

In my old-school way of thinking, a "4-speed" transmission has just what it says: 4 forward speeds, with top gear being 1 to 1 (like the good ol' Muncie Rock Crusher in my buddy's '70 Chevelle SS). I would have called our transmission a "3-speed with overdrive"...I know it's a matter of semantics, but I guess the marketing departments think calling it a "4-Speed" is much more impressive to people who don't know any better.... :rolleyes:

So True!!!

If the Powerglide were still offered today, the Marketing types would figure out some way to call it a: 4 speed automatic!!! :lol:

2 forward speeds + Neutral & Reverse!!! = 4

[BlackHole]

Exactly. The 4th gear IS the overdrive gear. Get it? Why would you want so many gears anyway? It's a heavy car, but it isn't a tractor trailer truck. I've heard of some euro cars planning on 7 speed automatic transmissions soon. Where does it end? Will there be a 10 speed by 2010? The car would be shifting every 50 feet!!! :rolleyes: Please excuse my rant sir. It's just becoming one of my pet peeves I guess.

Mercedes Benz has exactly that for all they'er 2005 models S600 /SL600/SL65 AMG/Mclaren SLR/and I think SL55 and C55 AMG's not sure on the last 2 though all of the others are 7 speed auto's but when you can do 150+ MPH in 4th why would you want another 3 speeds

[teamrope]

Remember back in the day when it wasn't that uncomon to see a 2 speed powerglide equipt Chevy running in the 13's?

[dwasson]

The future is probably CVTs like the 500.

[Joe Walsh]

The future is probably CVTs like the 500.

That's basically what the manufacturers are trying to do with 7 speed automatics....currently CVT technology is not able to handle much more than 200 HP.
If a CVT could handle 500-600 HP, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche & Ferrari would all have them as optional transmissions.

[CBT]

:D :burnout: :D :lol: :lol: :2thumbs: :laugh: :laugh:
I perfer something simple.

I would perfer if my car had:

P - Park
R - Reverse
N - Neutral
R - Rabbit
T - Turtle

My lawn mower has it so why not the MM?

[BillyGman]

Uhmm, what's "CVT" mean? Is that "constant velocity" or something?

[Donny Carlson]

Uhmm, what's "CVT" mean? Is that "constant velocity" or something?
Continuosly
Variable
Transmission

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt2.htm

[Blue03]

Uhmm, what's "CVT" mean? Is that "constant velocity" or something?

In todays mail Mrs Blue03 received a Mercury Marketing Mailer for the new Montego. It had quotes like;

CVT. SO SMOOTH,
you won't even know
it's shifting.

More stuff like;

Montego. It's simpler. And better.
Thanks to available Continuously
Variable Transmission (CVT), Montego never shifts gears...because
there aren't any to shift. Montego's advanced
CVT gives you the power you need exactly when
you need it. Since it produces a nearly infinite
number of drive ratios, you're always treated to
responsive, smooth performance.

I don't know but I've always enjoyed the feel of shifting... to take it away?? How can that be more fun???

[427435]

I drove my wife's Explorer, for the 1st time in a while, this past weekend. It too has a 4.6 V8. A 5-speed auto, like the Explorer has, would be great in my MM. A deep 1st gear would help greatly off the line (without going to 4:10's) and the 2nd gear that seems to be inbetween our lst and 2nd gears sure would help in stoplight to stoplight "exhibitions".

A larger displacement engine would be nice, but it "ain't" going to happen with CAFE and $2.00 a gallon gasoline.

I'm hoping that the MM is resurected with the new Mustang drivetrain. Ford has to do something like that or they can kiss the patrol business by-by.

Oh yes, I have a large displacement engine (in a smaller car) with an old fashioned 4 speed (the ones without O/D, remember them). I would love a Nash 5 speed for both a lower first gear and an O/D 5th.

[BillyGman]

A Doug Nash 5 speed would be cool in your car. I agree. but now we have 6 speed manuals, and 7 speed automatics!! It's just too extreme. Why don't they just put a tractor trailer truck transmission in the new cars and be done with it. can you hear the braggings of the next generation hi-perf car enthusiasts?...."Hey my car has a 12 speed tranny"..."Oh yeah, well my car will blow the doors off yours with my aftermarket clip from gear works that adds three more gears to my 11 speed tranny, and besides, my tranny is even bigger than my engine, so when I see you at the track, you're history dude!!!" :rolleyes:

[Joe Walsh]

Oh yes, I have a large displacement engine (in a smaller car) with an old fashioned 4 speed (the ones without O/D, remember them). I would love a Nash 5 speed for both a lower first gear and an O/D 5th.


I have a 'Doug Nash' 5 speed, actually it's now a 'Richmond Gear' 5 speed, in my 427 Cobra. Not to be picky, but it is NOT an Overdrive transmission.
It is a 5 speed transmission with the first 4 gears being extra 'steep' and a 1:1 fifth gear.
This allows you to run a high (low numerical) rearend gear and still have good acceleration through the first 4 gears, then a nice lowered cruise RPM on the highway in 5th.
In my Cobra I'm running a 2:88 rear instead of the traditional 3:54 rearend gear used with the 4 speed Toploader (1:1 4th gear). The effective ratio for the first 4 gears is almost exactly the same as the first 4 gears in a 3:54/Toploader 4 speed Cobra. Then when I put it into 5th gear, I've got a 2:88/1:1 combo and a nice cruise RPM.
It is really nice on longer drives, as you don't burn as much fuel and you don't go deaf from a big block bellowing at 3,000 RPM through the side pipes!