After all the talk in here about the JMod, I decided to have it done, well after spending $116.00 on the parts and another $150.00 to have it done, its not worth it, to be honest, I haven't noticed much of a difference. Geno you were right !!!!

After all the talk in here about the JMod, I decided to have it done, well after spending $116.00 on the parts and another $150.00 to have it done, its not worth it, to be honest, I haven't noticed much of a difference. Geno you were right !!!!

Told ya'

Told ya'

God, I hate those 2 words !!!..........lol

so dont do it than?

Ok, so now I've heard more opinions than I can keep track of. I definitely will not bother with the JMOD. Are you guys recommending a shift kit? I already have a chip with increased line pressure. Would it be bad to have a shift kit in addition to that chip?

Call Baumann engineering and get the Baumanator shift kit for $100.00 and be done with it.

Installed hundreds, use it myself, works incredible.

that was my original plan

I have to disagree. Since day one when I bought my car I knew I had to do something about the laggy tranny I had. I was a member of Lincoln forums for a while so I knew all about the problems our trannies have, so it didn't bother me much. One day I had the 1-2/2-3 accums serviced, Mercon V, and Jmod to 300hp spec and it was a world of difference. The tranny shifts smoother and faster and its much more enjoyable than before. I'm not able to chirp gears but I wasn't able to before either. It bangs right into gear with no lag at all. I haven't tracked tested it but I did put a few hundred miles on it and I would recommend this free mod to anyone, especially since they should service the accumulators anyway.

I have to disagree. Since day one when I bought my car I knew I had to do something about the laggy tranny I had. I was a member of Lincoln forums for a while so I knew all about the problems our trannies have, so it didn't bother me much. One day I had the 1-2/2-3 accums serviced, Mercon V, and Jmod to 300hp spec and it was a world of difference. The tranny shifts smoother and faster and its much more enjoyable than before. I'm not able to chirp gears but I wasn't able to before either. It bangs right into gear with no lag at all. I haven't tracked tested it but I did put a few hundred miles on it and I would recommend this free mod to anyone, especially since they should service the accumulators anyway.

FREE !!!!!!!!!! Did I miss something, why , pray tell, did this "free" so called upgrade cost me $265 +.....please explain !!!!!!!

What parts did you buy? The JMOD consists of drilling out a couple holes to a larger diameter, thus allowing the transfer of more fluid, which equals faster reaction. Maybe they got you for the special size drill bites.http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com//images/icons/icon10.gif


Post up the invoice and we'll tell you if you got hosed.

I have to disagree. Since day one when I bought my car I knew I had to do something about the laggy tranny I had. I was a member of Lincoln forums for a while so I knew all about the problems our trannies have, so it didn't bother me much. One day I had the 1-2/2-3 accums serviced, Mercon V, and Jmod to 300hp spec and it was a world of difference. The tranny shifts smoother and faster and its much more enjoyable than before. I'm not able to chirp gears but I wasn't able to before either. It bangs right into gear with no lag at all. I haven't tracked tested it but I did put a few hundred miles on it and I would recommend this free mod to anyone, especially since they should service the accumulators anyway.
I agree with sean 100%! The j-mod is by fat the most noteable mod I have ever done on any car. My car went from a sloppy, slippy tranny, to a fast, hard shifting power tranny by doing that mod. Did you do the entire mod or just part of it? Did you drill the holes in the plates and everything? If not, that's why u can't tell a difference. The j-mod includes all of that stuff.

Baumann ROCKS! :F

After all the talk in here about the JMod, I decided to have it done, well after spending $116.00 on the parts and another $150.00 to have it done, its not worth it, to be honest, I haven't noticed much of a difference. Geno you were right !!!!


When will we start listening to Geno...

Cubby, I've got the PowerMaxx chip and it controls what your looking for.
Shifting cleanly at the higer rev points is controlled by the chip.
There is NO hesitation in exceleration either. I hit the gas at 40
at the onramp on 287 and in no time was @ 110mph. I had OD off and
pushed it through the shifts, went into 4th and the computer kicked on the
Overdrive... :N :Beer

What parts did you buy? The JMOD consists of drilling out a couple holes to a larger diameter, thus allowing the transfer of more fluid, which equals faster reaction. Maybe they got you for the special size drill bites.http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com//images/icons/icon10.gif


Post up the invoice and we'll tell you if you got hosed.

Bryan, I called Max, I told him I was doing the JMod, I asked him to send me the parts I needed, they (the parts) came to 116, there wasn't any drill bits included, much to my dismay.

Bryan, I called Max, I told him I was doing the JMod, I asked him to send me the parts I needed, they (the parts) came to 116, there wasn't any drill bits included, much to my dismay.

Cubby you're getting the 2 things mixed up. The "Jmod" is only drilling holes, and if you have a drill and drill bits this is free. Most people like to service their tranny while they're digging around the valvebody.. THIS is what costs money. The 1-2/2-3 upgrade is a service bulletin problem that should be fixed either way. If the guy charged you for drilling a few holes, well, I'm not sure what to tell you :) I think the parts cost me $60 and the guy charged me $100 or $150 with a case of Mercon V, filter, and to install all of it and drill the holes. $200ish for my car to shift 10x better and my tranny to last much longer. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Sounds to me like NO Jmod was done. Probably just done the 1-2 and 2-3(maybe) accumulators. That is an upgrade with no necessary improvement in performance IF no springs were broken to begin with.

From my VIII Files...

Item # Description Ext. Cost
F7AZ-7F251-AA Updated 1-2 accumulator piston $9.00
F75Z-7F284-AA Upper/Top Light Blue Spring $2.44
F7AZ-7F284-BA Lower/Bottom Purple Spring $22.91
F4AZ-7F247-A 1-2 Cover & seal $2.57
Transmission Filter $19.58
Gasket $9.86
TOTAL $66.36

Add the 2-3 accumulator...

F2AZ 7B264-A 2-3 accumulator retainer/seal $3.13
EOAZ 7F285-A 2-3 accumulator spring $3.94
F7AZ 7H292-AB 2-3 Accumulator Piston $5.45
Subtotal $12.52

TOTAL PARTS $78.88

That's without Mercon V and Labor and NO Jmod. Your prices may vary...

Yep, Max sent you the parts to upgrade the accumulators. It was your job to get the drill bits and follow the JMOD program to drill the valvebody.

What you needed in addition to the pistons and springs were the valvebody (main control unit) separator plate gaskets and the correct size drill bits depending on what hp level you were going to.

People seem to like to 300 hp level. The 300-450 level is a neck snapper on a stock engine, and the over 450 is a forgetaboutit unless you want to replace everything from the flywheel on back.

no one will win this arguement. It is all a matter of opinion. However, keep in mind one CRUCIAL element. The JMOD is NOT a shift kit. The JMOD is a modification(MOD) to the separator plate. That is ALL. Basically, the holes that are in the separator plate have been RESTRICTED to soften the shift. The transmission was built to shift quicker than it does. The JMOD is simply opening up the holes to allow the 4R70W to shift the way it was intended. That is ALL. It is not designed as a performance enhancement, it is designed to prolong the life of your tranny. if you had a JMOD done to give you firmer shifts, then that is different. The JMOD is designed to put your tranny BACK to the way it was designed to perform, so it lives a longer life. if you expected more, you didnt do enough research. Shift kits are designed to change the shift characteristics of your tranny. They do nothing to prolong the tranny's life. Apples and oranges folks.

The only "cost" of a JMOD is two separator plate gasgets and some Mercon V. If you also replace your shift accumulators, that is NEEDED anyway, so it isnt considered part of the JMOD expense.

I fear baumann kits based on the damage I have seen them do.

I stand behind Jerry's Mod 110%, and have performed 5 of them to date, all with perfect results, and happy owners. if the JMOD didnt improve the speed of your shift, or the firmness, then something is wrong. Either that, or your tranny had accumulator problems prior.

There...to each his own. But if you saw the scraps that came out of a 80k mile tranny that had a baumann kit installed, and failed...you would fear them.

no one will win this arguement. It is all a matter of opinion. However, keep in mind one CRUCIAL element. The JMOD is NOT a shift kit. The JMOD is a modification(MOD) to the separator plate. That is ALL. Basically, the holes that are in the separator plate have been RESTRICTED to soften the shift. The transmission was built to shift quicker than it does. The JMOD is simply opening up the holes to allow the 4R70W to shift the way it was intended. That is ALL.

The only "cost" is two separator plate gasgets. If you also replace your shift accumulators, that is NEEDED anyway, so it isnt considered part of the JMOD expense.

I fear baumann kits based on the damage I have seen them do.

I stand behind Jerry's Mod 110%, and have performed 5 of them to date, all with perfect results, and happy owners. if the JMOD didnt improve the speed of your shift, or the firmness, then something is wrong. Either that, or your tranny had accumulator problems prior.

There...to each his own. But if you saw the scraps that came out of a 80k mile tranny that had a baumann kit installed, and failed...you would fear them.

Damage you seen them do? LOL! Walts car has 66k on his at the HARDEST shifting setting runs like the day we installed it.

Thats BS, whoever showed you that must have installed it wrong.

I have NEVER seen a lick of damage fron the hundreds we have installed.

well, we all know...parts can fail. This can happen on any component. thats why I prefer the JMOD,...there are no "parts' to fail. No "shims", no "different" springs, etc.

No one "showed me"...it fell out in my hands...the valvebody was damaged, the "custom springs" in the accumulaotr bores gaulled the bore beyond repair, and the shims were floating in the pan.

The owner of the car told me he had a baumann kit installed about 25k miles ago....if he was mistaken, I apologize. But whatever kit was installed...destroyed a perfectly good low mileage tranny beyond repair.

anyway, the point i was making is, the JMOD isnt an "aftermarket" kit, per se. It is simply drilling some holes. period. No additional parts, nothing to fail. all Ford goodies, at no additional cost(except if you need to buy alpha-numeric drill-bits).

but, again...apples to apples.

Cubby...let us all "in"... what did Geno tell you that he was "right"? because from what I gather, you didnt get a JMOD... you got a needed repair to your existing tranny. if that's the case... you didnt waste a dime. You saved your tranny.

if you want a little firmer shifts with out drilling the seperator plate or having to buy a shift kit,try removing the epc solinoid while you are replacing the 1-2 and 2-3 accum. on the side there is a t-15 torques screw that you can turn 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn clockwise,dont go counterclockwise or past 1/4 turn.this will bring line p[ress. up causing firmer shifts,the only thing you will notice is harsher rev/forw. engagements.this is the alternative i use instead of buying a shift kit.

The JMOD IS like a shift kit. At least the same as the Baumann shift kit. The ONLY difference is that you get the Baumann seperator plate that is usually already drilled for you (at least it was on mine for the highest performance setting) and the JMOD you either drill the existing seperator plate, or you drill a new one depending on if you can save the orginal seperator plate or not. When I did the Baumann shift kit all I got was some factory springs and a few other parts that I specified. There was nothing else that came with the shift kit. So, basically the JMOD and the Baumann shift kit are about the same thing, given any other parts you need for your tranny. :Beer

if you want a little firmer shifts with out drilling the seperator plate or having to buy a shift kit,try removing the epc solinoid while you are replacing the 1-2 and 2-3 accum. on the side there is a t-15 torques screw that you can turn 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn clockwise,dont go counterclockwise or past 1/4 turn.this will bring line p[ress. up causing firmer shifts,the only thing you will notice is harsher rev/forw. engagements.this is the alternative i use instead of buying a shift kit.True, but Jerry, the guy that helped develop the 4R70W has said in his thesis over on TCCOA not to ever touch the EPC. He never really gets into why. Kind of telling a kid not to put a paper clip in a light socket, but not the reason why.:eek:

where do i find this info that he has written,sure would like to read it. funny how for instructs us on how the epc falls out of spec this brings it back in.im sure he states not to because some people think that if 1/8 to 1/4 turn is good 3/8 to 1/2 should be awesome. sorry for posting this ,if you think it shouldnt be on here pull it off.

No Problem...

http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html

It's called Ford OD Transmissions 101 - Jerry Mod.

Everybody should read it that owns a 4R70W tranny.

And do please get back to us with your thoughts after digesting the information. You have had some very useful posts and I for one appreciate them.

just dont want to step on any toes or give out info that the board dosnt want out. i enjoy this site very much. lot of good info and people here. no wounder FF wrote the article about this site. proud to be a member and any help.thanks

Yea...I wouldnt touch the EPC screw...it's like lighting a fuse.

Geno, my apologies. That's why I said the guy who's JMOD I did "told me" he paid for a baumann kit...if you saw the spring(s) that fell out of the lower 1-2 assembly, and the shims, you'd laugh yourself(double-coiled lower spring, like a racing valvespring...it was odd)...and gag. He told me it was a baumann. I have had NO personal experience other than that mess, and what he said. it might have been a trans-go....I dunno.

So, thanks to Ray, telling us(me) that the Baumann is basically a pre-drilled sep. plate, I fully understand now.

My apologies...you are right(did I just say that?) it WAS total BS.

anyway...JMOD< >Baumann< > apples to apples....

Yea...I wouldnt touch the EPC screw...it's like lighting a fuse.

Geno, my apologies. That's why I said the guy who's JMOD I did "told me" he paid for a baumann kit...if you saw the spring(s) that fell out of the lower 1-2 assembly, and the shims, you'd laugh yourself(double-coiled lower spring, like a racing valvespring...it was odd)...and gag. He told me it was a baumann. I have had NO personal experience other than that mess, and what he said. it might have been a trans-go....I dunno.

So, thanks to Ray, telling us(me) that the Baumann is basically a pre-drilled sep. plate, I fully understand now.

My apologies...you are right(did I just say that?) it WAS total BS.

anyway...JMOD< >Baumann< > apples to apples....
i beleive it is a trans go kit,sounds like someone put the shims in the wrong place causing premature brakeage.i thought the shims were supposed to go in the case first then the spring then the piston then the spring then the cover. im supprised that you didnt find more damage than that.

anyway, the point i was making is, the JMOD isnt an "aftermarket" kit, per se. It is simply drilling some holes. period. No additional parts, nothing to fail. all Ford goodies, at no additional cost(except if you need to buy alpha-numeric drill-bits).

but, again...apples to apples.


I would like to intersperse here...

I researched this to death Craig. It will suprise you how common the "aftermarket" Baumann kit is to the Jmod. I have the Baumann instructions in the garage I believe. I need to scan them and put them up for all to see. A lot of the Baumann "aftermarket" kit is drill bits and very detailed instructions in addition to common accumulator upgrades! Yes there are some other 'parts', but they are 'sonnax' from what I remember, a manufacturer of gazillions of tranny parts.

Mmmmmm... didn't your old tranny have the Jmod? I don't remember you saying anything about the Jmod taking down your tranny. ;) :Beer

Inquiring minds want to know. Which came first, the JMOD or the BAUMANN kit?

As far as the EPC setting and advice not to tamper...

You can increase pressure or increase flow to achieve the same result. You CAN crank up the EPC and jack up the pressure and yes it will shift firmer. But you just increased the pressure on everything to effect one shift point. The more sensible way is to increase the flow by drilling out the particular flow paths of the shift you seek to enhance. The danger to cranking up the pressure too much is evident when you realize if you blow any seal or start to bypass fluid in a critical circuit, the pressure will fall dramatically and THEN parts will start to fail in a domino fashion. :steering

ok guys. i shouldnt of said to tweak the epc.ill remember it next time.

Mmmmmm... didn't your old tranny have the Jmod? I don't remember you saying anything about the Jmod taking down your tranny. ;) :Beer

Carefull, JP. one must read the entire story before drawing conclusions. :F :soapbox: :bash: :N :joke
http://images.spmiller.org/officefight.gif
My car's tranny STILL has the JMOD. if the baumann and the JMOD are so similar, than wouldnt it be true to think if a JMOD can cause damage, couldnt a baumann?

However...the JMOD had nothing to do with the pre-mature failure of my 94's transmission. The failure was actually nothing more than worn forward clutch seal rings. They have since been replaced, along with a new stator support and I have a spare tranny for my buddy Joe's Mark. Totally irrelevant to a JMOD. In fact, this is a common problem on any 93-94 4R70W that has ever been subjected to extreme temps, or manual 2-1 downshifts. Since I havent owned my car since new, I have no idea what sort of life it had before me. But JMOD, Baumann, or even trans-no-go will have nothing to do with a forward clutch seal problem. (TSB#-96-24-9). This may be good news, or bad news for you, JP, with your early model 4R70W.

I think posting the baumann info would be good so others can see what exactly it is. But can I ask you...why does it come with drill bits, if it has a separator plate that's already drilled?

I'll stick with my JMOD's...they're free, they are proven, and I know enough about it to not worry.

In response to "what came first"...I would have to say the JMOD simply because this is how the transmission was ORIGINALLY designed. But they 'toned it down" to keep grandpa happy. Baumann/JMOD is simply putting it back to where it was intended.

a 'soft shifting tranny' simply means a tranny with a shortened life span. This translates into more profit for Ford. Plain and simple. My analogy is this: Imagine a 12 speed bicycle that took longer to shift between gears. You know, that clanking sound of the chain moving from one sprocket to the next? well, if it took a bicylce longer to change gears, that would cause pre-mature wear of the chain and sprockets. the smoother, and quicker the chain could re-locate, the longer it would last, due to limited wear, and slippage.

:I
OK, when I get around to cleaning the garage(don't hold your breath, LOL), I'll dig up the instructions and scan them somewhere. Everyone can then decide on their own.

I say Baumann, you say JMod(almost sounds like a musical, huh?)... but the true sense of the matter is when you said "Since I havent owned my car since new, I have no idea what sort of life it had before me. " Now when I first pulled the pan on my '93 I was delighted to see how spanking clean it was. No sludge, no particles, no scum... clean as a whistle. This is an EARLY 4R70W, as evidenced by the "Do not Service" sticker still affixed. Good or bad, I have not been friendly towards AODs of any sort. My tranny could give up the ghost tomorrow, but notwithstanding the hard driving I occasionally do and 96 launches at the track last season, I try not to abuse the tranny. It is serviced faithfully and the fluid is kept cooled with a transmission cooler.

BTW, when I received my Baumann kit, it came without the pre-drilled separator plate, and included both early and late model valvebody gaskets. You drilled the separator plate with supplied drill bits to your own specifications as well as other details followed to your own specification. IIRC there also was one valve body spool valve replacement recommended for early models that was NOT included in the kit.

I did not mean to imply the JMod was the demise of your tranny, only to point out the absurdity of saying the Baumann kit killed a transmission. Bottom line, the JMod OR Baumann shift kit is only as good as the installation as well as both previous and subsequent service history. :steering

i'm going to put a transgo in mine.

i'm going to put a transgo in mine.


I'm going to leave that one alone. I have now heard from 2 reputable(and people I trust) sources that the Baumann is a legit kit. But the trans-go...I dont have any experience with it, but "if" the pieces I found came from a trans-go...I will NEVER recommend them to my friend or foe.

JP...yea, my tranny gave me no warning, but what happened was, I was hot-lapping it at the drag strip...I was rolling in drive from the staging lane, to the burnout box...I was doing about 30(the fat guy was cussing cuz we were going slow due to tire smoke blocking our vision). I didnt even realize what I had done. For some (stupid) reason, I yanked it down into low at a 30 mph roll. THIS is a major NO-NO in an early 4R, especially when its hot. I know for a fact, that simple manual 3-1 downshift at 30 mph smoked my forward clutch seal rings.

Funny though, the car hooked up fine on that pass. It was the drive home when the warning signs occured. Of course, the tranny was fine for weeks after, but you know me...I wont drive a broken car...I swapped it for a 98+ unit...I could have fixed mine for less, but why? a 93-94 4R70W is the weakest of them all. Poor main control design, roller OWC, etc.

anyway...I'm going to do some research on the Baumann. I might have to slap one into one of these 8 Mark VIII's we have, just so I can familliarize myself with more of the products Geno sells.

thanks guys.

i have a good friend who has had positive experiences with trans go in his aod's, so I am going to rely on his experience. I am not saying it's any better or worse than the baumann tho.