AX4S Transmission Interchangeability 1995 - 2000

[searcherrr]

My main most question is what is a Ford Service Number and what does it mean? It is number at the end of the lines on Chart 1 that starts with "F" or "X" or "Y" - I realize the AX4S transmissions were used in all years Windstar, but this Ford Service Number is different for nearly every year. Is this a physical difference or just a record difference ... way to catalog the transmission for those years? If I wanted to move my rebuilt AX4S 1995 transmission to a 2000 Windstar would I need to bring over a 1995 PCM or not? Anything more to it?

Given this:
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Chart 1 - Versions I found somewhere online:
DTSTRM717 Windstar 1995 3.0 lt AX4S-AXOD-E F58Z7V000ARM
DTSTRM715 Windstar 1995 3.8 lt AX4S-AXOD-E F48Z7V000BRM
DTSTRM716 Windstar 1995 3.8 lt AX4S-AXOD-E F48Z7V000CRM
DTSTRM720 Windstar 1996 3.0 lt AX4S-AXOD-E F68Z7V000BARM
DTSTRM1033 Windstar 1998 3.0 lt AX4S AXOD-E F78Z7V000ARM
DTSTRM1035 Windstar 1998 3.0 lt AX4S AXOD-E F88Z7V000AARM
DTSTRM1384 Windstar 1999 3.8 lt AX4S-AXOD-E XF2Z7V000BARM
DTSTRM1420 Windstar 2000 3.0 lt AX4S YF2Z7V000ARM
DTSTRM1419 Windstar 2000 3.8 lt AX4S/AXOD-E YF2Z7V000BRM
DTSTRM719 Windstar 1996-1997 3.8 lt AX4S-AXOD-E F68Z7V000AARM
DTSTRM1034 Windstar before 9/9/97 1998 3.8lt AX4S AXOD-E F78Z7V000BRM
DTSTRM1036 Windstar after 9/9/97 1998 3.8 lt AX4S AXOD-E F88Z7V000BARM

Chart 2 - Versions I looked up myself on motorcraft.com
AX4S Versions (aka AXOD or AXODE)
Motorcraft # TRM715 1995 3.0L
Motorcraft # TRM716 1995 3.8L
Motorcraft # TRM717 1995 3.8L
Motorcraft # TRM719 1996 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM720 1996 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM719 1997 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM720 1997 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1033 1998 before 9/9/97 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1034 1998 before 9/9/97 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1035 1998 on/after 9/9/97 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1036 1998 on/after 9/9/97 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1383 1999 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1384 1999 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1419 2000 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1420 2000 all engines
Motorcraft # 1F2Z7000CCRM 2001-2003 all engines
Motorcraft # TRM1552 2001 all engines

Marking/Model#s whereabouts: The XF2P-BA number is printed on a plastic tag attached to the top of the transmission housing in my 3.8L 2000. - posted by some dude in another automotiveforums.com

Does anyone know for sure if the AX4S transmission can be used interchangeably throughout the 1995 - 2000 years? I know I said it could, but the slight variation in secondary numbering for that transmission has me wondering this and how big a change there was in the AX4S over the years. I have emailed someone who's written about AX4S, but no response yet.

The 95 Windstar engine was only used in 1994-1995 as I'm finding out although the 3.8L 232 engine is listed for previous years for those other cars too (1994 Lincoln Continental, 1994/95 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, and the topic: 1995 Ford Windstar). I wonder if there are any performance mods that were made for the Ford Taurus or Sable or Continental of those 1994-95 years?

[wiswind]

WOW!.....that question is way over my head.
One thing about the '95 PCM, which is why I am responding.
Will the '95 PCM be able to handle a year other than '95 engine?
I would expect that it would not, but....again, I am not an authority there.

[searcherrr]

Originally Posted by wiswind

WOW!.....that question is way over my head.
One thing about the '95 PCM, which is why I am responding.
Will the '95 PCM be able to handle a year other than '95 engine?
I would expect that it would not, but....again, I am not an authority there.

To have this question be over your head makes me think I'm not going to get an answer. For reference sake I am saying PCM = Powertrain Control Module in that it only controls the transmission itself. I am HOPING that if you could swap the PCM's that all ECM's for all years would work with any year PCM.

[wiswind]

I could be wrong....but I think that there is 1 PCM.....and it is for the engine AND transmission.

I am FAR from the most knowlegable person on this forum.....so there may be someone else who can offer better guidance.
I am just another partial DIY guy who is trying to get as much life out of my paid off vehicle as possible.
I wish is could offer more information...and I feel bad about the problems you are having.
But I think it is better to be up front when something is over my head.
However, we have several very experienced mechanics on this forum that really seem to know their stuff.

To be honest.....my underwear is just as bunched up as the next guy when MY CEL comes on!!!!!

[searcherrr]

Originally Posted by wiswind

I could be wrong....but I think that there is 1 PCM.....and it is for the engine AND transmission.

I am FAR from the most knowlegable person on this forum.....so there may be someone else who can offer better guidance.
I am just another partial DIY guy who is trying to get as much life out of my paid off vehicle as possible.
I wish is could offer more information...and I feel bad about the problems you are having.
But I think it is better to be up front when something is over my head.
However, we have several very experienced mechanics on this forum that really seem to know their stuff.

To be honest.....my underwear is just as bunched up as the next guy when MY CEL comes on!!!!!

I just hope that the other guys that know stuff jump on this too. If there is only 1 PCM then I just replaced it a few weeks ago before the overheat thing happened. I wish I could find my damn Ford Repair CD-ROM... it would help a little.... although most of the time it seems to leave me hanging and also has given me the wrong info (spark plug gap) in the past. I wonder if the PCM they put in was updated from the time it has been sitting on the shelf waiting to be used.... and if say a 2000 AX4S was put into the 1995 (reverse of what I'm asking in the 1st post) if it would work fine.

[tomj76]

According to my '96 service manual published by Ford, there is only one module that controls both the engine and the transmission. The good news is that from what I can tell the PCM only reads sensors and actuates solenoid controls in the transmission and it doesn't interface with any higher level electronics.

In my opinion, trying to mix major components from different model years is a huge can of worms. It could be easy and no problem, but you won't know until you go through the process. In the end you'll have a vehicle that is an unknown. Can you imagine going to a service shop telling the technician... "I have a '03, with a transmission from a '95". I can just imagine the reaction that says something like "I'll take a look at it, but I can't make any guarantees".

However, that said, it's probably the Ford does offer information on compatibility of various components with model years. When I needed the new transmission, the repairshop spent so time looking for one that could serve as a replacement in the '96 model year. My guess is that overhaul shops might be able to offer the same information.

As far as those service numbers... again this is only a guess, but I'd bet that Ford needs to uniquely label each revision of the manufactured part, regardless of the extent of the changes. Each number reflects the fact that something was changed, but not the extent of the change.

I'm just another DIY, so take all this with a huge grain of salt.

[95Win]

IMHO, if you are swapping a same model trans behind (beside) an identical engine it should work. I would take a little time and do a visual comparison of the electrical connectors then do some on-line parts store browsing to see if some of the replaceable sensors/switches have the same PN. I like to use the Advance Auto site because you can see the range of years and models a specific part will fit. That's where I found out the trans rebuild kit PN for my '95 Winstar was the same as for the Taurus/Sable.
As far as HD parts go you might check to see if there are any 'Police Special' parts available for a Taurus/Sable.

[searcherrr]

Well, I found some tranny rebuilder people (those rebuilding or dealing with AX4S trannies) and sellers and I sent them all emails. Here was the email I sent them:
"I have a situation where I have a rebuilt AX4S transmission for my 1995 3.8L Ford Windstar. You would be of huge help if you could tell me why I could or couldn't use this rebuilt transmission in a newer Windstar of say the 2000 model year 3.8L. What do the engineering or service number codes mean? Do they stand for physical gear differences? Do they call for different PCM's through the years? I'm in a situation where I may buy a newer model Windstar but want to preserve my rebuilt 1995 transmission. I can't see it right now, but there is also the possibility in the future I'd do business with you if I ever needed to buy a new transmission for my 2000 Windstar especially if I choose to replace the transmission immediately when I purchase the new 2000 model."

Here are the ones that came back with answers:

Answer 1: Ratios are different and the electronics and valvebody will not be a match

Answer 2: The manufacturers tool and engineer there transmissions with the intent of improving and perfecting as they move toward the next platform change! Most auto customizers study these changes and are able to bypass and convert transmissions to different years...because there are so many transmissions and the ones being converted are mostly high performance, converting a Windstar tranny would be futile...my advise to you would be to sell it on ebay!!

Answer 3:
I'm sorry you cannot use that transmission in your 2000 Windstar.they are not interchangeable as you stated the gear sets are different.the 1995 trans stands all
by it self. the the # on the trans say's what year,model,make and engine size that you have
also the torque convertors are not interchangeable the earlier one is what's called an on/off
and the later one is a modulated one(electronics) are different.

if you need a transmission we have several in stock for the correct year and model

2000 Ford Winstar 3.8ltr installed with a 12mth 12,000 mile warranty is 1400.00

I hope thishelps


Answer 4: "don't know sorry, haven't read the book, will look when i have time"



Answer 5: Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, it is difficult to give you the concise answer you have requested. Please call us at anyime and we will be more than happy to explain the process and the costs involved. Thank you again for your interest in our product!

I'm just gonna trust the guys answers. If I ever had the time and money I would be curious to see what would happen if they were interchanged. IE: If I put a 2000 tranny in a 1995 or 96 Windstar.... see what happens..... though I'm sure I'll never have this luxury to experiment. lol

[Ghosty64]

I am changing a ax4s trans from a 95 windstorm and I have the whole donor vehicle I have a00 or 01 windstar and im wondering if I can change the harness and pcm and if it will work in my 95

[12Ounce]

Manufacturers make several changes on a model during its year of production. That's why so many replacement parts are VIN # specific. I can imagine tranny shops have a difficult task keeping up with the variations.

Just for info, when I replaced my tranny some years back ... I got it from Ford after supplying my VIN #. It came full of fluid. I took a look under the valve body cover ... all the electrics were brand new! I assume it was current with all the, then, upgrades. And this for less than $2000 exchange. Of course, this was some years ago. Its still with us, doing well with over 250K on it. Have changed Mobil 1 perhaps twice.

[12Ounce]

Ghosty, I would give that question to a tranny rebuilder. Just for info, Windstar went through a major controls change in '99 ... and I think a significant upgrade in 2002.

[Ghosty64]

Thanks for the info and your time to reply to my questions,
I'M going to ask the local trans shop to see what my options are I'll let us know what I find out

[tomj76]

One of the posts above (11/1/2007) says that you can't do that.

Ford upgraded the AX4S transmission to the AX4N in 2001 for the Windstar. This transmission is fundamentally different (by employing non-synchronous shifting). Changing the PCM is a requirement. You may have issues with the speedometer output. I don't know if the 2001 PCM will have the correct programming for your '95 Essex or Vulcan motor.

[tadam985]

This is just my opinion but I believe if you ask a transmission shop about your transmission they automatically see dollar signs and wanna rebuild your transmission aka change a sensor in lots of cases, rather than give you answers you're looking for. I'm about to go 96 Windstar transmission to a 2000 transmission, line you said both Vans have same part number for transmission. I would like to hear from someone that's not interested in me bringing them my van so they can make 2 Grand off me when I already have a donor. Anyway have you installed the transmission yet and was it a success?

[tomj76]

About 4 years ago I spend several months investigating rebuilding my AX4S transmission for my 1996 Windstar. I learned that there is an amazing amount of consistency between years, but there are also changes to watch out for. The good news is that when you're doing your own rebuild you can compare parts to check for any differences. I remember that there are different speedometer output gears and different teeth counts on a couple of the transmission gears. There is also different shaped oil pans with a different number of screw holes. Also, Ford switched later model years to the AX4N, which is has different shift capabilities from the AX4S.

The MAKCO transmission parts website was very helpful to me in learning the differences.

BTW, I know that you're not planning to do a DIY rebuild, but I did not have any "special" transmission tools to do this, just a standard mechanics toolset. I improvised for a few things, such using hardware and plumbing parts to make a DIY spring compressor to assemble the clutch packs. Also, I was able to get a local transmission shop to press in a few bushings that required replacement. For the valve body I used some very fine emery cloth (e.g. 2000 grit) to clean up valve movements.
I also spent a lot of time reading internet articles that help guide me, finding assembly information, looking at parts diagrams, etc. However, in the end not only did it work, but I was able to resolve a problem (TCC chatter) that a prior rebuilder had not been able to correct. I probably spent about $700 on the rebuild kit and other replacement extra parts (new wiring, solenoids, replacement parts, bushings).