- Joined
- February 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,824
- Reaction score
- 84
- City, State
- Sacramento, CA 95827
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 XLT
A couple things happened in recent posts and culminated in my doing a little web surfing. First I saw where Shelby was making a special edition Expedition with a blown engine, 500HP and 500 ft lbs torque, and I wondered what trannie they planned to use. Then I read Brian (Brain)'s thread on his Frankentranny discussing the 5R110W. I mean it sounded like an offshoot of the 5R series we have been discussing, and I thought WOW.... what a long ways the C-3 has come.
Then I got to thinking about what Brian had said about HD trannies, Allison etc.... and decided to see what I could find. First hit was this:
"Ford Motor Company has approved an all new transmission to replace the current 4R100 beginning with the 2003 model year. The new transmission will be available in F-Series trucks, E-Series vans and some Sport Utilities. Every subsystem and component of the 5R110W is either new or has been significantly improved.
The 5R110W has been designed with Direct Electronic Shift Control (DESC) for enhanced shifting, will have five forward gears (the first forward gear will be a wide ratio towing gear), a new torque converter to handle 550 ft.lbs. of torque; although, later versions will be able to handle a whopping 600 ft.lbs. of torque.
Ford has designed the transmission to exceed GM's next generation automatic transmission currently under development by Allison.
Sharonville Transmission, home of Ford's heavy hitting automatic transmissions will have the honors for the manufacture of these newest transmissions beginning in August of 2002. The 5R110W will initially be available for use in diesel powered applications only. The gasoline versions will appear in February of 2003. Sharonville will manufacture both transmissions at the same time while the 4R100 is phased out completely.
Sharonville will begin building the 5R110W on the Low Volume Assembly Line (LVL) to make certain the program launches smoothly. As production of the transmission increases, Ford will add additional test and assembly stations along with many build process revisions until LVL can handle all 5R110W production for the 2003 model year. The entire Sharonville line will change over entirely to 5R110W production and end 4R100 production for the 2004 model year.
The 5R110W program began over two years ago and, according to sources, has been very successful. Ford transmission failures assembled by the Sharonville plant have been criticized lately; however, the defects are a result of engineering problems rather than assembly. Ford's newest transmission will be the flagship product of the Sharonville plant and will help Ford maintain truck leadership."
Clearly based, in part anyway, the 4R100, which is a far cry from the 5R55 series. Don't hold your breath in other words.
I didn't post this in Brain's thread so as not to clutter it up with useless trivia. Still.... sounds like one hell of a transmission!
Another piece of interesting trivia about Sharonville Transmission (which I had never heard of priot to tonight:
Sharonville Transmission --
Sharonville, Ohio (USA)
2003 Year End Employees:
Hourly: 1,955
Salary: 271
Products: 4R100, 5R110W, 4R70W and 5R55S transmissions, 4R70W torque converters,
FN and CD4E components
4R100 Transmissions: Ford Econoline, Excursion, Expedition and F-Series and Lincoln Navigator and Blackwood
4R70W Transmissions: Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car; Mercury Grand Marquis
5R55S Transmissions: Lincoln LS and Thunderbird
4R70W Torque Converters: Ford Crown Victoria, Econoline, Expedition, F-Series, Mustang, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Mountaineer and Grand Marquis
CD4E Components: Ford Escape FN Gear Components: Ford Focus
Year Opened: 1958
Plant Size (sq. ft.): 2,415,000
2003 Production (# units): 300,426 - 4R100 transmissions; 189,478 - 4R70W transmissions; 56,563 – 5R55S transmissions; 1,106,231 - 4R70W torque converters; 255,960 - FN gear sets/components; 340,594 - CD4E units; 85,713 - 5R55W Converters; 249,575 - 5R110W transmissions
ALMOST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND TRANSMISSIONS IN ONE YEAR ! Holy smokes.
Then I got to thinking about what Brian had said about HD trannies, Allison etc.... and decided to see what I could find. First hit was this:
"Ford Motor Company has approved an all new transmission to replace the current 4R100 beginning with the 2003 model year. The new transmission will be available in F-Series trucks, E-Series vans and some Sport Utilities. Every subsystem and component of the 5R110W is either new or has been significantly improved.
The 5R110W has been designed with Direct Electronic Shift Control (DESC) for enhanced shifting, will have five forward gears (the first forward gear will be a wide ratio towing gear), a new torque converter to handle 550 ft.lbs. of torque; although, later versions will be able to handle a whopping 600 ft.lbs. of torque.
Ford has designed the transmission to exceed GM's next generation automatic transmission currently under development by Allison.
Sharonville Transmission, home of Ford's heavy hitting automatic transmissions will have the honors for the manufacture of these newest transmissions beginning in August of 2002. The 5R110W will initially be available for use in diesel powered applications only. The gasoline versions will appear in February of 2003. Sharonville will manufacture both transmissions at the same time while the 4R100 is phased out completely.
Sharonville will begin building the 5R110W on the Low Volume Assembly Line (LVL) to make certain the program launches smoothly. As production of the transmission increases, Ford will add additional test and assembly stations along with many build process revisions until LVL can handle all 5R110W production for the 2003 model year. The entire Sharonville line will change over entirely to 5R110W production and end 4R100 production for the 2004 model year.
The 5R110W program began over two years ago and, according to sources, has been very successful. Ford transmission failures assembled by the Sharonville plant have been criticized lately; however, the defects are a result of engineering problems rather than assembly. Ford's newest transmission will be the flagship product of the Sharonville plant and will help Ford maintain truck leadership."
Clearly based, in part anyway, the 4R100, which is a far cry from the 5R55 series. Don't hold your breath in other words.
I didn't post this in Brain's thread so as not to clutter it up with useless trivia. Still.... sounds like one hell of a transmission!
Another piece of interesting trivia about Sharonville Transmission (which I had never heard of priot to tonight:
Sharonville Transmission --
Sharonville, Ohio (USA)
2003 Year End Employees:
Hourly: 1,955
Salary: 271
Products: 4R100, 5R110W, 4R70W and 5R55S transmissions, 4R70W torque converters,
FN and CD4E components
4R100 Transmissions: Ford Econoline, Excursion, Expedition and F-Series and Lincoln Navigator and Blackwood
4R70W Transmissions: Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car; Mercury Grand Marquis
5R55S Transmissions: Lincoln LS and Thunderbird
4R70W Torque Converters: Ford Crown Victoria, Econoline, Expedition, F-Series, Mustang, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Mountaineer and Grand Marquis
CD4E Components: Ford Escape FN Gear Components: Ford Focus
Year Opened: 1958
Plant Size (sq. ft.): 2,415,000
2003 Production (# units): 300,426 - 4R100 transmissions; 189,478 - 4R70W transmissions; 56,563 – 5R55S transmissions; 1,106,231 - 4R70W torque converters; 255,960 - FN gear sets/components; 340,594 - CD4E units; 85,713 - 5R55W Converters; 249,575 - 5R110W transmissions
ALMOST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND TRANSMISSIONS IN ONE YEAR ! Holy smokes.
