I have a 92 explorer auto 4wd. When I put into gear I would hear a clunk noise. I was driving down a highway on ramp and let off on the gas and then gave it gas and I heard a thump like someting snapped and I lost drive. I get no response when I put it in any gear. U-joints ok. Ruled out transfer case because when put in park wheels locked. Droped tranny pan and fluid was clean with no metal. I am removing tranny to inspect.

Does any one have any idea what may have broke and how hard is it to rebuild tranny yourself/any tips!

Thanks
Lee

From what I hear, rebuilding the A4LD isn't hard unless you have to remove the front pump (which requires an expensive alignment tool) My best reconmedation would be to buy an ATSG manual for your A4LD.
For information on rebuilding the A4LD yourself, check out this post:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=60635&goto=newpost

Good Luck!
Al

Al,

Thanks for the info!

Lee

no problem......

I have decided to learn how to rebuild my transmissions after having TWO ford rebuild jobs go bad.

Al ....... Mesa, AZ

The alignment tool isnt really that expensive, and you must use one:

http://www.tcsproducts.com/products/default.asp?product_id=29&product_cat=5&validate=1&tab=

That's pretty cheap but the $100 one comes with multiple adaptors and I think some seal insertion stuff.

I'm rebuilding a 92 A4LD and it is in remarkable shape considering I've been grinding up the star washer for probably 70K. I think these could go forever if it wasn't for the parts that break. My clutches and bands still look like new. I'm not even touching my pump. Parts come out and stack back in easily if you have an engine stand to mount it with valve body off. It is unbelievable how a part can be totally chewed up and the part it mounts to doesn't even have a scratch. Can't believe the hardness of some of these parts. The main section is so easy to work on. Valve body is a different situation. Work on a soft blanket so when parts come out they don't bounce and roll. Most times you can skip the valve body and only replace damaged parts. You can always do the valve body later.

Here's what you're in for.

For those of you that have teken them apart what tools other than the pump alignment tool do you need. Im thinking of rebuilding one of the A4LD's. I have removed valve bodies before, but never further than that. I have the ATSG manuals _ the A4LD and the update manual. It doesnt look too hard- what does give me pause is the number of changes and combinations that the various parts have had over the years.
Im looking for a core to have a go with.

Parts sources for hard parts?

The alignment tool isnt really that expensive, and you must use one:

SteveVB: You only need the pump alignment tool if your goign to be installing a new front pump.

I haven't dealt with any of these companies before, just ran across them while net surfing

http://www.autotransinc.com/REMAND.htm

http://www.netgearhead.com/

http://www.txchange.com/parts.htm

http://www.bulkparts.com/MM007.ASP?pageno=260

http://www.matechbta.com/Anglais/recondi.htm

Thanks Ill take a look at those.

Al, If Im taking the trans apart I would be replacing the pump, doesnt seem cost effective to me to go through the trouble of doing all of the work and not touch the pump. Plus most of the rebuild problems I have heard about deal with the pump and the seals at the front of the trans. Im going to look into a new align bored housing and a new pump and crank bushing , anything at the front that can be replaced I think at this point- althouhg I havent cracked a case so really dont know what I will find. Thats the plan for now.

Thanks again for the sources. .

Steve VB,
Ok, didn't know you were replacing the front pump. On the A4LD, the front pump seal, is what tends to explode (ie; leak) Haven't heard anything bad about the pumps.

Good Luck!

Thanks for all the great info!!!

Finished pulling tranny today (took 2 days but no real problems). No metal in pan and fluid looks good (red not burnt). Torque converter looks OK but how can you tell? Tail shaft turns ok. center forward shaft turns ok. Forward out side shaft does not turn with hand pressure, splines look ok. Any ideas of what is wrong. While removing tranny found vacuum line off, could this cause no drive engagement in forward or reverse(original problem was lost all drive when traveling 35 mph down highway ramp, will not move in any gear, A4LD.

Lee

The vaccumm modulator controls line pressure in the A4LD I would assume. (that would lead to failure)

I would expect a loss of pressure to do it like bore 208 being stuck. The hard part failures are easy to find. I've had the OD planetary gear weld break once and the OD clutch drum shear off at the star washer. The valve body is a real grey area that the manual doesn't cover. Are you sure the one way clutches are all working? Just currious, does the low/reverse servo have a double lip O-ring on the piston? Not your problem but wonder if your last rebuild used the new style.

For those of you who have had the valve body off on an A4LD... is this supposed to be there? I don't see where it could have come from on the valve body in this area nor does the book make any mention of it or maybe I missed it. If anyone is interested I have close to 130 pics of a complete 94 A4LD tear down.

It is a filter.

It is shown on page 61 in Fig. 61 of the update manual I have; they call it the Converter Clutch Solenoid Case Filter.

text:

"A spring was installed in the transmission case worm track to trap large machining chips and reduce engine stall complaints created by a stuck converrter lock up valve in the valve body(see Figure 61)

Figure 61 is basically your pic. - well a line drawing of what you took a pic of.

Hope that helps

Thanks Steve, I guess I need to update my manuals.

Al,

Clean out your PM box, I wasn't able to reply to you. I have about 130 pics, or 7 something megs at 640x480. I'm not sure what would be the most useful as I pretty much documented the piece by piece teardown so I can reference where everything goes. If you want I can email you all 130 pics but I want to make sure that your email account/connection can handle it.

Tim

Tim,

If you dont have the update manual it has some additional useful information particularly useful if you have a 90-92 or 93 trans when they changed the drums and bands from double to single wrap and then back again in 92 -93. It also has some of the shift improvement mods that the transgo kit covers, not all of them though. Section on the OD planet - no sources of parts though.

Its the ATSG Ford A4LD update handbook - published 8/95

If my memory fails me when I put mine back together. I wondered about that spring. Rebuild kit came with one and I couldn't figure out why it would need a replacement, how could it wear out. Makes you feel good that big chips of metal are standard! My 92 was made late 91 and came with the single band on the OD clutch. So they went back to the double wrap? I have to replace the OD clutch drum because it ground off the castle teeth on drum and star washer. Are there any design changes applicable when I replace this? I never saw it mentioned anywhere but I think the band ends should be tied with a wire to maintain shape while it is apart. If the band was allowed to spring open for a period it would probably induce cracks in the clutch material and might cause some bonding problems.

Steve, I just ordered a copy last night. So far I've been referencing the Ford factory service manual (the big set of books that just about nobody bought back in the day) it's not very easy to read and they don't go into a huge amount of detail which is probably why Ford has such a difficult time doing decent rebuilds. :confused: This transmission is rumored to be out of 94 4x4 and so far from what I've seen it has all the right parts.

Opera House, Thanks for the info on the bands since I'm not planning on reusing the ones in the picture I just left them sitting there open I'll keep that mind when I get the new ones. Which brings up my next question, I've found a lot of sources for parts with everyone cliaming that their stuff is the strongest stuff to buy anyone have any personal experience with a company? Is there any difference between the rebuilds kits that are within in the same price range or are they just the same parts form the same company in a different box?

Here is a pic that made me a little nervous, there seems to be a lot of slop between these two enough that it worries me that one of them might strip over a period of time and enough shock loads.

Like Tim I havent used theese guys, but the web site has a good exploded view and a really complete list of parts . I dont know if they sell retail but it may be worth the call.

http://www.aceomatic.com/catalog/automatics/mfg.asp?n=ford

click on either the " text" box for a line by line parts list, or on "illustration" for a good exploded view with call outs to the text list. Also once in the text list you can click on the parts number and it will take you to the exploded view. One of the best online set ups for a catalog I have seen.

Since I have researched how to rebuild these A4LD transmissions, I have begun to start understanding how they work. Can anybody verify my theory on a A4LD driveability problem??!!?

My friend has a 94 2WD xplorer with a self destrucing transmission....aka; A4LD. A couple days ago, he got stuck in the mud, and had to call a tow truck for help. Instead of pulling him out, the tow truck driver decided to try and rock the explorer out of the mud by shifting from Reverse to Drive without pausing in Neutral. :-( He did this repeatedly. One day later, the explorer lost engagement in 1st gear. (1.5 yrs since complete rebuild) When you put it in Drive or OD, it no longer moves......nothing happens when you give it gas. The only way to get it to move, is to put in MANUAL 1st or 2nd, start driving and then switch to OD when the vehicle is moving..... Once in OD, the tranny operates fine.....until he comes to a stop, and the whole process is repeated over again. My theory is that the Forward Clutch pack is toast, and by putting the tranny in manual 1st, it causes some extra BANDS (or clutches to grip allowing for movement.

Anybody with an ATSG rebuild manual for the A4LD can look at the clutch and band application chart in the back of the book to see that more bands and clutches are applied when you are in Manual first and second rather than OD.

What do you guys with ATSG manuals think?
Note: Please do not reply back stating that it's time for another rebuild...... we understand that.....looking for a techinal comment..... ;)
Thanks, Al :redexp: :)

I've been looking for a chart in the ATSG manual that tells what clutches are engaged in which gear.

That star washer is only $2.80 at bulkparts. On the back side of mine, the spline has ground 1/3 of the way through the washer. Is your part bowed up on the printing side? Picture looks that way and so is mine. The manual doesn't talk about orientation which leads me to believe it should be flat. My splines on the washer were also worn rotationally. I assumed this was because of years bouncing over the castle teeth.

I asked the question about the reverse servo ring to see if it was common to be supplied the improved double lip reverse servo. Bulkparts supplies the Toledo rebuild kit from SPX. Other than getting this double lip O-ring there isn't much difference. I think Transtec also gives you the little pop in filter for the valve body. I'm going to my local Transtar to check on their prices. Fortunantly, their distribution center is local to me. Web site is useless for prices. See what they say about new/rebuilt overdrive clutch drums. Bulkparts seems to have a neophite friendly web site with pictures and decent prices. Quite surprised at how many posters have asked them questions and got back technically competant answers.

B94Sport over in Gen Explr - Weekend Project - just did the replacement of the low/reverse servo O-rings with the transmission still in the car with dramatic results. No more clunking going into reverse. This was a 94 with only about 140K.

Al,

not the forward clutch but the rev/high, or the OD clutch.

ATSG trouble shoot guide:

Condition: No engagement in D or OD (1 and 2 OK)

possible cause: 1) linkage adjustment (doubtful from story)
2) Rear One Way clutch damaged :)
3)Dirty fluid (once again doubtful from story)
4) Overdrive one way clutch damage :)

Went to my local Transtar yesterday. I had gone to their web site previously and it just sorta screamed, "beat it kid, we only deal with professionals", but a transmission guy told me they will sell retail. Probably because there is a whole underground transmission economy. My last rebuild was from one of these guys, no receipt, no sales tax, and probably no income tax. He told me he bought parts out of state, most likely so his state couldn't trace him. A buddy of his told me he makes over $50K just doing a couple transmissions a week. Anyway, went to Transtar and the office girls told me to drive around back where I found the oversize closet will call counter. After a couple of minutes a warehouse person showed up, told him I wanted prices, he dialed the phone and handed it to me. This is pure distribution.

I asked him if the new overdrive drum was better than the rebuilt. He said, "New is new." I keep hearing these stories of heavy duty parts on the message boards but have never found any. Rebuilt is $65 (+$6 core charge), new $130, bulkparts used was $88. Star washer was $7.45, and the torque converter was $105, this is $100 less than I could get it any where else. The moral is don't be afraid to ask. This is the wild west and prices are all over the place. Maybe it isn't heavy duty but this car is only going to be driven 4K a year for the next 3 years. They proudly mention on the web site that they only have 1% return on the torque converters. At first that struck me as high, then I thought that is a lot better than for starters and alternators.

Only other part that shows wear is the input shell. Rear bearing surface has grooves, spline is loose, and castle teeth have indentations, but it will work. The forward clutch friction plates show some wear and there is an extra steel plate next to the rubber cushion. This appears to be the good ole boy method of adjusting clearance. Six months after the first rebuild, I dropped the pan and found all this black powder. It cleared up later at later drains. Think this was friction material from the clearance on this clutch being a little too tight.

UPDATE: Got my parts and the star washer or overdrive adaptor replacement is flat.

Can we put together a list of tools required for rebuilding the A4LD. When I look at my 4R70W ATSG manual, it shows all the tools needed each with their own "Ford" part number. According to the ATSG manual I would need 15 diiferent specialty transmission tools to do the job. NO THANKS!!! Is this really the case? or can you make your own A4LD rebuild tools? (how many are really needed?)

OK, so, what is the list of tools needed ....BESIDES the Front pump alignment tool. (already know bout that)

Thanks,
Al

#1: Front pump align tool (if replacing pump)
#2: Piston Compressor. (any homemade ideas?)
#3: Snap ring remover/installers

Sorry I haven't been prompt at returning emails and IMs, things have been busy for me.

For the pictures of the teardown try this URL.

http://www.hex240.com/~hextim/a4ld.htm


Tim

So far the only special tool I have needed is the one to compress the springs in the clutch drum. I was in a rush the first night to see if I could get the damaged OD drum apart and used an almost empty mylar shipping tape spool and a long bolt to compress the ring retainer. Form follows function. I later made a better one with two halved of thinwall tubing with a bar to pull it in. Had to buy a $3 C ring removal tool cause I gave up trying to find the one I have. I didn't replace pump seal but could have used a pipe for that and the alignment tool I would have just turned down on a lathe. As mentioned before that is only $60-100 and the only special tool you need.

On the internal clutches, the snap ring is retained by a metal lip or posts on the spring retainer. It is necessary to push the outer edge of the spring retainer down about 1/4 inch to remove the snap ring. The ATSG manual shows a nifty tool to do this but a variety of home made devices could do this. It could be as simple as using a nearly empty mylar shipping tape spool, as I did one night. Or a small board with 4 or 6 long screws paced in a circle. I fabricated one out of a 4 inch diameter thin wall steel tube that was 2 ½ inches tall. A section of the sidewall was cut out so the tube could be bent to 3 ½ inch diameter. Basically, ovals were cut out of each side for viewing and tool access. That left nearly a complete ring on the top, so the device stayed in one piece, and two half moons on the bottom. A vertical column on each side supported these wide feet, much like the one pictured in the manual. This design is easily bendable to fit different diameters. The compressive force is supplied with two bars pulled together with a long bolt. The top bar is 5 inch and threaded for the long bolt. The bottom bar is 3 1/4 inch with a clearance hole for the bolt.. It takes very little effort then to remove the snap ring. Once you have removed the ring, the need for the retainer becomes obvious. Care should be taken when the rubber sealing rings are removed to note the direction of the sealing lip. Put them in backwards and you won't have much of a seal. Great care must be taken when reinstalling the snap ring. Visually inspect that it is properly seated. Push down on the edges of the retainer and the snap ring to see that it is all the way in. This was considered such a problem that they redesigned the retainer into a continuous lip instead of the posts in later versions.

The clutch plates, friction and steel are easily removed prior to the piston removal. The snap ring has a small lip on one end which can be caught with a small screwdriver. This is followed by a thick pressure plate and the alternating friction and steel plates. There is usually the same number of each but if the transmission has been rebuilt before, there may be an extra plate (.070 inch) to take up some slack. A clear sign to install new friction plates. This is the poor boys adjustment instead of installing a thicker snap ring. When the clutches are installed, you are looking for a clearance of about 70 thousandths (.055-.079 inch) between the snap ring and the pressure plate for all three clutch packs. You not only have to push down on the clutch pack to make this measurement but lift up on the snap ring New friction plates should be soaked in transmission fluid at least an hour before assembly to insure proper thickness.


Overdrive clutch had a retaining ring thickness of 0.0681 and I had about 40 thousandths clearance with all used plates. Installed three new steel clutch plates (which were slightly thinner, Allomatic) with the old friction plates and got the required minimum clearance. This was the rebuilt drum from Transtar Industries and doesn't use a full complement of springs (install three springs and skip a spring) . One down, two to go.

.Reverse-high clutch had a retaining thickness of 0.0681 and I had less than 40 thousandths clearance with all used plates. Again, installed six new steel clutch plates (which were slightly thinner, Allomatic) with the old friction plates and got the required minimum. This was from the transmission rebuild in 96 and wasn't checked too closely. Two down, one to go.


Forward clutch, the one with the rubber cushion, had a retaining ring thickness of 0.0819 and had more than 110 thousandths clearance on all used plates. But then, just how do you measure that when you are gauging against rubber. The interesting part was that this clutch had 5 friction plates and 6 steel plates. Although the friction plates showed no more wear than the others, this drum had the most friction material sediment. All friction and steel plates were all replaced. This time I was able to install six of each and still have the minimum clearance. This piston has the largest surface area of all the clutches and uses the flat sealing rings that don't have any install direction. For this piston, only the two bars and the screw were needed of my home made tool for removal.

The tightness of two of these clutches were probably the cause of the fluid blackening the first six months of operation after the rebuild in 96. Glad I found a use for the steel clutch plates, though it was never the purpose I imagined.

Good Write-up Opera House!!
Thanks!

Al

Any pictures?

Be afraid, be very afraid.. No it's not that bad. But, there are do's and don'ts. Have an ATSG manual handy. Some valves won't match up exactly so make notes in the manual. Note spring colors. You won't be able to tell the players without a scorecard and THINGS WILL JUST POP OUT! Make lots of notes because there are some things that are no noted or vaguely mentioned in the manual. Never turn the valve body upside down, many of the keepers will fall out. Have a lot of plastic bags handy with slips of paper to write in them. Stuff that you write on the bags tends to just disappear. Working on a towel is a good idea. Parts that fall out don't roll very far when you do this.

The valve body is removed from the transmission as a complete assembly. There are several different length bolts. Just another reason to have the manual, page 83 indicates which goes where. A steel routing plate is sandwiched between the valve body and the transmission. This is the hydraulic equivalent of an electronic circuit board. This plate and two large gaskets are held together with three screws. These gaskets are thin, just a little thicker than two sheets of paper. Thicker gaskets may be ordered separately that are twice as thick if you suspect warpage. Why they just don't supply these as standard, I don't know! When you remove the three plate screws, the plate will pop up because of the springs of two pressure relief valves. These are very anxious to go flying. Next are a couple (4) of ball bearing check valves that you need to bag and there are two tiny hockey pucks that are the overdrive and intermediate check valve. There is also a push in filter on the steel plate that must be removed next to the converter solenoid. This is now a good time to wash the valve body. My transmission had been grinding metal for a while and there was quit a deposit of sediment on top of the steel plate but very little below it. After it is clean and oil free, it is much nicer to work on. Scrape off what gasket remains. The aluminum is very soft and easy to gouge.

It is probably easiest to remove one bore at a time, clean it, and then replace it. The very disappointing aspect of the manual is that it doesn't indicate the channels that the keepers go in even though it usually dedicates a page to each bore. You can figure it out, but it is a lot quicker to highlight the channel in the manual and use a marker on the valve body. Bore 215 and 216 are a little different, there is a keeper between the springs. Tweezers, a magnet for the keepers, and a dental pick are handy for this operation. The sad fact in my case was that almost none of the bores were able to be removed. This may be partly due to wear. But many of the aluminum plugs, the part that the keeper locks into, were scored by the last rebuilder. The decision mas made to pass on these. The valves seemed to move freely there was no upside to removing them. Any efforts to force them could only do damage. Since there are no O-rings, my suggestion is to just wash the valve body, remove/clean the two electric solenoid bores, and replace the gaskets. The valve body can always be removed later if there is a problem.

UPDATE: I went back later for a second attempt at removing the stuck bores. This time I used an elecrtric vacuum pump capable of producing 20 inches of vacuum. Through a vaiety of very soft rubber hoses, I was able to pull out most of the bores with this vacuum. Remember to lubricate them with petroleum jully before you reinstall the spools. Still, I never found anything that would give me a reason to take one apart again.

Manual first over drive cluctch applied overd. one way holding forward clutch appl. low reverse applied. rear one way clutch holding
Overdrive first= overdrive One way holding Forward clutch appl. Rear one way holding.
Sounds like overun sprag assy. has uncoupled itself at retainer ring.

Use patiance and compressed air to remove spool valves. Not cleaning the valve body = rebuild again soon. Dont bother reusing torq converter or overdrive sprag assy. Trust me on this one. They are parts that will save you money not cost. No short cuts on cleaning.

A little paint and some curtains, and it will be just fine. It ran fine with a ton of dirt in it. Starting to get cold and want to put it together. Certainly the valve body is the part I'm least happy with. If there is a problem I'll just do it again. I stored this for a year before I started working on it. Got a new torque converter and the sprag was replaced a couple of years ago. When finished this will only log 4K a year city driving. I'm amazed that I drove it for almost 5 years chewing up the overdrive clutch and star washer. What can you say about a guy who doesn't even use new friction plates when he allready has them.

the overdrive sprag was one of the weaker parts of the a4ld, But he cool part is once its chewed it will still lock,sort of.

I used to do a cheat on the forward clutch that is now a kit. Machining a small amount off the presure plate and adding an extra friction and steel. The a4ld in my 91 has 7 steel and frictions 7 reverse/high and 5 overdrive. I pull a dive van with my x and its 5200 empty.

I have been unable to check through their online catalog. I bought a F57L toeque converter for the Explorer. On another site I saw a F57 for unfer 4.0L applications ans a F57S for the 4.0L. I was quoted this converter on two seperate days so I don't think he misunderstood me. All the slip says is Ford long pilot low stall. Price was cheap enough. Did I get the right one? I know it will fit. Having a lot of fun. The only reason I kept this was to rebuild it. Like whats a 92 Explorer worth - $800.

I used an after market but the diff. is stall speed yours should be between2720 and 3165

More pictures of todays work (http://www.hex240.com/projects/a4ld/teardown2.htm) Enjoy the laughs on my homemade "tools"

TDG your tool looks grt. you should have seen my modified c-jaw vice grips it was mickey mouse but it worked.

Wasn't able to find out much about the torque converter. No stall speeds in the catalog. Transtar Industries doesn't carry the "right" TC for the Explorer but has one they substitute. At $105, I am still thrilled to have the option for a light duty unit. This vehicle is just going to drive to work and back. I notice I never tach over 3K on my Explorer so I don't see the harm.

I replaced all my steel plates to get ones that were thinner. Old ones were highly polished. Manual talks about glazed drums causing slipping but never mentions plate condition. Is this an issue. My overdrive adaptor or star washer was bent back and I noticed one of the previous pictures looked like that was happening. New one is perfectly flat. This looks like a "must replace" item at rebuild time. Anyone else found one bent but was still working?

I need to replace the low/rev servo ring and gasket- anyone have the part numbers by chance?

I called my local Ford parts and he said they had two sizes? Is this correct? , I cant find anything that says anything about the low/rev servo size change. I just want the better sealing ring since I have no compression braking in 1.

Also I found some upgrade boost pressure valves and sleeves FYI.
from Sonnax aluminum valve:
http://www.powerglide.com/parts/parts/56947-02K.htm

from superior Steel valve - also available in their shift kit

http://superiortransmission.com/products/problem_solvers/k027.htm

Many A4LD, 4R44E, and 4R55E transmissions have a problem with no or delayed reverse engagement, reverse shudder/chatter, and/or no engine braking in manual low (1). Some symptoms are not very obvious but can lead to the early failure of the reverse band. Some have reported that this gets rid of the "clunk" when you go into reverse. This is the result of the O-ring on the Low-Reverse Servo developing a heat set and failing to make a complete seal. The low/reverse servo has the largest surface area in the transmission, except for the Torque converter clutch, is a double wrap design and located at he output end of the transmission . These all imply that it sees a lot of torque and could be one of the first components to fail from age. Every A4LD should probably have these O-rings replaced. My 92 transmission was rebuilt in 96 and it did not get this improved seal at that time. There is an updated "double lip" style seal made out of a polyacyrlic rubber instead of the nitrile rubber compound O-ring.. This solution was first borrowed from the C6 transmission and is now included as part of the O-ring kit from the better suppliers.

WARNING: This is a blind procedure and there is no practical way of knowing if the reverse band is seated properly. Unlike single bands, the reverse/low band is a double wrap band and this limits major movement. Frictional and. viscous forces will tend to keep the band where it is. The servo rod is rounded at the end and fits into a well on the band as well as the two housing pins. This serves to self align the band. Obviously for manufacturing purposes, when the transmission is stood vertically on the output end, movement of the band to the rear is restricted and is in position to accept the servo rod. Forward movement of the band, however, is not restricted. Rotation of the output shaft, large vibrations and the transmission pointing down toward the front could cause the band to move forward. The ATSG A4LD manual lists the Low/Reverse Servo as a separate repair procedure on page 47 that can be performed without removal of the transmission. This is not just something I made up. Like any transmission procedure, flushing, pump out, or new fluid has the potential to cause new problems. If you are not currently experiencing delayed reverse or loss of low braking, the risk/benefit of this procedure may not be appropriate. Every effort was made to insure this information is accurate with a transmission in a vehicle and by viewing operation of a disassembled transmission on a stand. This should not be considered professional advice and unknown manufacturing changes could cause an unforseen problem.

I used the overhaul kit from bulkparts.com for the 85-95 A4LD #23031 which is approximately $27. This is the Toledo Trans-Kit from SPX/FILTRAN. The two O-rings that you will need are packaged separately in the kit and will be easy to find. Replacement is no more difficult than changing the filter.

This technical bulletin can be viewed on www.atcdg.com by clicking on tech and looking for A4LD.

Another improvement is the American made glass fiber MicroFelt filter from SPX/FILTRAN.. This is also the same filter that is used in the 5R55E (#23921 for 4WD). If you have shopped for filters previously, you will remember that the 2WD versions got the filter element and the 4WD versions got just a metal screen. Evidently 4WD vehicles needed a higher flow for better cooling/shifting. The new filter is physically much larger than the old filter. There is even more filter area because the filter is folded over and welded inside to create twice the surface area. Flow restriction is no longer a problem with this filter. Be sure you order the correct long or short tube version depending on your pan design. This filter is only about $10 from www.bulkpart.com and comes with a new bolt and spacer. THE FILTER MUST BE SEATED PROPERLY OR THE TRANSMISSION WILL SUCK IN AIR. The bolt sits in a well and it is not obvious if the bolt bottoms out. If the filter is ordered separately, it does not come with replacement O-rings or a pan gasket. These seals are included in the overhaul kit. SPX/FILTRAN .technical details can be viewed on www.bryco.com. SPX , an OEM supplier, has the patent on this filter design #D422600 and many others.

Working on a transmission only seems a like a formidable task. Replacement of these items is easy for anyone to do without removal of the transmission. I have removed and installed the reverse servo several times and there is nothing tricky about it. The center shaft eases the alignment of the piston. The spring only requires moderate effort to compress. The only item to pay attention to is the cover which has a tilted mounting surface and mounts only in one direction. Mark the rear section of the cover before removal. Before installation, the walls on the valve body should be lightly cleaned with a crocus cloth. Remove any sediment from the housing, piston and cover with brake cleaner prior to installation of the new O-rings. Lubricate parts with transmission fluid before installation.

While the pan and filter are off, the torque on the valve body bolts should be checked. When I changed the filter on my 97 5R55E, I found all the valve body bolts were all loose. This could be the problem with many transmissions as they age. Be sure to use the correct torque. Too much is as bad as too little and will cause the plate to warp. Seven foot-pounds is not much of a twist. Transtec has a optional double thick valve body gasket kit to correct more difficult sealing problems.

The steps are as follows:
1. Place vehicle in PARK and leave it in that position for the entire procedure.
2. Make sure that after the vehicle has been jacked up that the front of the vehicle is higher than the rear.
3. Remove pan
4. Remove transmission filter
5. Mark the back edge of the reverse servo cover. Remove four retaining screws on the servo cover. Hold the cover as the screws are removed. The spring between the piston and the valve body will push the piston and cover down. Note the cover surface is slanted and note the position.
6. Inspect for excessive wear. Lightly clean surfaces with a crocus cloth and install the two new O-rings. Lubricate piston with transmission fluid.
7. Replace ( new gasket if available), cover, piston and spring. Torque bolts to specification.
8. Replace filter, old O-rings may need to be transferred from old filter
9. Replace pan gasket and install pan.
10. Fill with 3 quarts of fluid. Start engine and cycle from forward to reverse. Recheck fluid levels when warm.

You might be able to get these O-rings individually at a large distributor like transtarindustries.com if you go to their online catalog. Bulkparts is now a combined website bulkpart.com though the other still works.


TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS:
Oil Pan to Case 8-10 Ft-Lbs
Reverse Servo to Case 80-115 Inch-Lbs, 6.7-9.6 Ft-Lbs
Main Control (valve body) to Case 71-97 Inch-Lbs, 5.9 -8.0 Ft-Lbs

REFERENCES:
SPX/FILTRAN, Technical Bulletin No. 124,
C3, A4LD, 4R44E, 4R55E Delayed Reverse Engagement

ATSG, Ford A4LD Techtran Manual Pages 22, 23, 24, 31, 36, 47, 62, 111

www.atcdg.com (View tech bulletins, A4LD
www.bulkpart.com

They probably have a tool for this. On page 71 (step 25) of the ATSG manual they tell you to install the forward clutch as an assembly. The picture indicates that you slide it in with the transmission on its side and the procedure is a one liner. This is a fairly long heavy assembly and it easily falls apart. The assembly has a number of bearings that quickly slide out of position. Even tried using the input shaft to help slide it in. Tip the transmission too far and the planetary gears fall out. This assembly is easy to put together outside of the transmission. The clutch plates have splines and you rotate the mating piece like a safe cracker and the plates drop in place one by one. You can even install as pieces in the transmission and everything goes great till you try to put in the forward clutch.

The solution was to drop the completed assembly in the transmission when it was in the vertical position with the output shaft down. I had some one inch wide duct tape that I folded back on itself for 8 inches. The next 1 ½ inches was stuck to the input shell (part #56). Then another section was taped against itself to form a handle that looped around and stuck to the other side of the shell in the same fashion. If you clean the input shell before doing this with brake cleaner, the adhesion is quite strong for such a little area. This allowed me to drop the entire assembly in and the weight of the pieces held everything together. You can either rotate the assembly or the output shaft till the planetary gears mate. The assembly drops down part way then and rides on the spline shaft. Lift slightly on the assembly and rotate the output shaft back and forth till the assembly drops down further. The drag from the clutches tends to keep the splines from aligning, but it usually doesn't take more than 30 seconds of turning before it drops in. Once in place, I just pressed down on the assembly while pulling the tape end tabs up. The tape then easily pulled off. I think I saw in a catalogue a frame that grabbed the bottom lip of the drum and allowed you to drop it in this way. Still, you can't beat the handyman's secret helper, duct tape. Frankly, I don't see any way that it is possible to install it the way the manual says without some kind of "tool."

The only way to know if everything went back together right is to measure the clearance between the forward drum and the center support. The clearance should be between 0.012 and 0.022 inches. The manual says to take a spare center support and drill a 1/8 inch hole in it where the thrust washer sits. I don't know about you, but I looked all around my transmission and it didn't seem to have come with a spare. Just like the last used car I bought, no spare! I saw no reason not to drill a hole in the one I was using. Just drill it 180 degrees from the other three feed holes. The nice thing about having a spare center support is you don't have to put the rubber rings in it when you do this measurement. If the pin for the intermediate servo is removed, you are able rotate the center support around and get several readings. It probably isn't necessary to rotate to get multiple readings if you are anywhere close and there are no obvious signs of wear on the brass thrust washers. This check is mostly to see if anything had slipped when installing the intermediate assembly. Mine measured 0.032, a 0.010 out of spec but acceptable to me. This wear could be attributed to the wear on the forward shell/bearing and had existed for 70K miles.

Installing the center support can seem tricky if you try to install it for practice prior to installing the intermediate assembly. While clearance isn't really tight, the outside mounting ring has a grooved surface that hangs up easily unless it is dropped in perfectly vertical. Any burrs can easily hang it up. When the intermediate assembly is installed, it acts as a guide for the center support and the installation of the center support is much easier. The center support's rubber rings must be installed before the final installation the drum assembly. Install the rings, lubricate with petroleum jelly, and place in the overdrive brake drum, since this won't be used till later, (see page 66) before the support is installed in the transmission. Allowing it to sit in the drum for an hour will allow the rubber to relax. This will make it easier to install when the forward drum is in the transmission. Be sure to read the applicable sections of the manual for other important details.

To remove the A4LD transmission from my 92 Explorer, I used 10 ton jack stands in the front and drive up ramps in the back. You want to use really big jack stands because you want to get the car as high as possible and you want it to be stable. These jack stands or bigger will have a wide enough base. I still recommend you build something to put under the tires to keep it from rolling and coming down on you. Basically, I jacked up one wheel at a time with a floor jack. Scariest part was removing the four exhaust bolts from the "Y" to the manifold headers. It took six extensions in series to reach the bolts. Use lots of penetrant and wait a day. The bolts will take a lot of force and a pipe extension for the handle to develop it. One of the extensions sheared in the process, though it was only a cheap 3/8 extension. Broke a socket removing the transmission cross member and sheared another extension off. Again, these were cheap tools and it was my only 18mm deep socket, many kits don't even contain this size. I recommend that you go out and buy a set of deep impact sockets if you don't have them. 12 point sockets will only strip the bolt heads. Also see "Speed Governor and Transfer Case Removal."

The most time consuming thing was the removal of the torque converter bolts. You do this by removing the starter and removing the nuts from the engine side. This is an operation that you do mostly by feel. At first I couldn't understand why the nuts seemed to strip instantly. The nuts are placed as close as you can get to the outside ring and my socket walls were just too fat. This kept the socket from fully seating. Took forever for me to find a thin wall socket to take the 4 bolts out of the torque converter. Thought I was going to have to grind down a socket. And then there was that rotate the engine, get back under the car, oops too far, back again and again. I was also replacing the water pump and front seal at this time. With the radiator and fan removed, it was easier to rotate the engine with a wrench on the front pulley bolt. If you mark the splines on the crank sensor, it is easier to count the splines to the next bolt position. When you have removed the TC nuts, it should clang when you rotate the engine a little. Then you know the TC is free enough to come out with the transmission when it is dropped.

My transmission removal method was probably a little different than standard. I removed the pan, valve body, and all other linkage so I would have a flat surface to mount the jack to. I had a plate that fit into a floor jack and mounted to four pan bolt holes. A floor jack is very awkward to use if this is a one man job. Later I bought a real scissors transmission jack from Harbor Freight ($49 on sale) to put it back in with. I modified this with a 5 ½ inch hole in the plate to clear the sump, some rubber strips and a brace bar because I had removed so much metal. Just be aware that a transmission will drain for weeks so be sure you have something to catch the fluid if this is a leisurely project. Instead of a transmission stand, I used an engine stand. A three point mounting into the pan bolt holes is more than sufficient. It is an absolute must to be able to rotate the transmission for removal and assembly if you go further than the OD section.

Now to take the transmission apart. Carefully pull out the torque converter. Set it aside so it doesn't leak, then pull out the input shaft. The bellhousing attaches with 8 bolts. These are the only ones you will see. After those are removed the, the bellhousing/pump assembly comes out with a couple taps of a rubber mallet from the back side. If you keep the pump intact, there is no need to do the realignment needing special tools. This transmission was "rebuilt" in 96 (weld broke on planetary gear in overdrive) and I was interested if the bands were adjusted correctly. This year transmission could have had the single or double wrap overdrive band (2 or 3 ½ turns). For reference, I was going to count how many turns. Problem is there is an O-ring under the backoff nut and it welds itself to the adjusting screw over time. Just another reason why not to adjust the bands when it is in the car.

The first thing to pull out of the transmission is a brass thrust washer. Bag and identify it ans there is another identical one that may have a different thickness. Next is the the overdrive clutch which is a complete assembly that attaches to the overdrive adaptor or "star washer". This washer should be perfectly flat with no wear. The spline shaft will likely have worn a little into it or it may be bowed slightly. You would be wise to replace this part since it is less than $8. The clutch is followed by the OD planetary gear and another thrust washer. These are probably the two assemblies that fail most often in an A4LD. Nice that they are the first ones that come out. The overdrive clutch has band that goes around it and also an internal clutch. My problem was the clutch assembly teeth on the drum had folded over because of a bent star washer or OD clutch adaptor. The outside has 8 square teeth that mount to the clutch and it had been riding over these teeth for 70K. Star washer had blued and bent backward. The clutch teeth knurled over and I had to use a dremel tool to grind them back so I could remove the internal clutch piston parts. Bet you always heard that you need special tools to work on a transmission. I made a clutch spring compressor out of an almost used up mylar tape spool, piece of a an aluminum picture frame, long bolt and some washers.

The center support holds in the rest of the components. The valve body must be removed to get at the single bolt that holds the center support. Another section will cover this. When the OD band is removed, it should be marked as to the piston side and restrained in a circle to prevent friction material from being damaged. I bought new clutches and steel plates when I ordered the manual and gasket/seal kit. Every clutch and band I have looked at so far is almost like new. You could just stop here and replace the OD clutch, low/reverse O-rings and probably go for years. It is likely that many low cost shops that rebuild transmissions only replace the really damaged mechanical parts. I think my star washer was marginal and they didn't want to spend the $8 for a new one. That's why it lasted only 14 months. If you shop for price, that's what you'll get. I'll never pay to have a transmission rebuilt again. They are just so easy to work on and you just don't know what kind of job someone else will do. I think I'd pay someone to take it out though. Now if I can just find all those pieces that sprung out of the valve body when I took off the separator plate!

My hats off to Opera House. I have been doing my own repairs on a4lds, With great results. But I have never had the patiants to put it in writing for everyone else. Its Not rocket science, It is time consuming. If you order the ATSG manual for the a4ld be sure to get both manuals. Actually There are three but the first should be out of print by know. #1 ford a4ld techtran manual,revised edition. This one takes you thru the diagnostics and rebuild. #2 Is the ford a4ld update hand book. It takes you thru all the first thru 3rd updates and tells you wich ones you can use. Alot of the 2nd and 3rd changes can be used on your first and second mod transmisions. A high five for Opera House.:chug: :chug:

Here is a photo of my home made clutch pack compressor.

Nice write up Opera House. If you want me to include it on the tech page send me the text as a Word or a text document.

There are eight major mechanical "clutch" components in the 91-94 A4LD. There are three bands (overdrive, intermediate & low/reverse), three clutches (overdrive, reverse/high,& forward), and two one way clutches (overdrive & rear). The following simple tests can begin to isolate the problem. Prior to performing these tests, check for correct transmission fluid levels when the engine is warm. Look for discolored fluid with a burnt odor.
1. Does the vehicle move with the shift lever in reverse? This tests the overdrive clutch, overdrive one way clutch, reverse/high clutch, and the low/reverse band. This is a primary a test for Low/Reverse band.
2. Does the vehicle move with the shift lever in manual low (1) position. This tests the overdrive clutch, overdrive one way clutch, forward clutch, low reverse band, and the rear one way clutch. This is a primary a test for Forward clutch.
3. Does the vehicle move with the shift lever in manual second (2). This tests the overdrive clutch, overdrive one way clutch, intermediate band, and the forward clutch. This is a primary a test for Intermediate band.
4. Find a fairly steep hill and point the vehicle in a downward direction. Place the vehicle in manual low(1). Remove your foot from the brake and do not touch the gas pedal. Allow the vehicle to accelerate on it's own. There should be significant engine braking as indicated by the tach going to 2-3K. This is the primary a test for Low/Reverse band servo leakage.
5. Find a level section of highway and travel at a steady speed of 55-60. Observe the reading on the tach. Now, gently apply the brake with your left foot. You only want to apply enough pressure to operate the brake light. The rpm on the tach should increase 300-400 rpm. This will disengage the torque converter clutch. If the rpm does not increase, the torque converter was not engaged prior to applying the brake. This likely indicates a valve body or TCC solenoid problem. If you see a rpm the TCC is working.
6. At highway speeds, the tach is where it always used to be. If a lot higher, then this indicates a problem in the overdrive section of the transmission. This tests the overdrive band, reverse/high clutch, and the forward clutch. If tach rpm is normal then the overdrive is still working.
7. The transmission has a later shift point than it used to have in drive out of both first and second. This indicates a problem with the vacuum modulator. Check the vacuum hose going to the modulator at the vacuum tree for signs of transmission fluid.
8. The transmission has a later shift point than it used to have in drive only out of first. This indicates a problem with the speed governor.
9. When the vehicle is cold, the transmission is slow to go into forward or reverse when you first try to remove it. This is likely a clogged filter and very old fluid. This is a precursor to other problems. The pan should be dropped and inspected for debris. This is only a partial list of diagnostics but it will identify many problem areas. The ATSG manual has 15 pages of diagnostics.

This is a separate procedure because some A4LD transmissions exhibit problems with a late shift from first to second. This problem is associated with a sticking speed governor valve located in the extension housing. This extension housing can be removed to work on the governor while the transmission it is still in the car. If the transmission is being dropped, this will lower the weight, length, and removing the governor will protect it from damage. The transfer case must be removed if the vehicle is 4WD.

WARNING: The vehicle should be safely supported on jack stands with the wheels blocked on a level surface. Chock the wheels to prevent movement of the vehicle. The automatic transmission PARK will be disabled and the rear wheels may need to be rotated.

Unbolting both drive shafts should be mundane but sometimes these bolts can be hard to remove. A good twelve point socket and penetrant should remove these bolts but sometimes it is best to buy some good Torx sockets. Support the transmission with a jack and remove all the 18mm cross member nuts holding the transmission.

After removing the bolts to the transfer case, pull the transfer case out about a half inch. There is a pin that locks the case into the horizontal position. When this pin is cleared, the transfer case will still be supported by the shaft and will swing down by gravity. Then pull it out more and slowly let it drop down to some folded carpets. Now remove the bolts on the extension housing. The transmission rubber mount must also be removed to get at a couple of the transmission extension bolts. Put the transmission in los (1). Carefully pull off the extension housing. The parking pawl is located between the main transmission case and the extension The pawl should stay with the extension and note the position of the small spring on it. The governor valve is then just mounted with two bolts.

Remove the governor carefully, all the pieces will easily fall out. There is the outer weight, close to the shaft. followed by a spring, then the primary valve that goes into the governor body. The valve should move freely from its own weight Although mine worked, it was very sticky. You could see wear marks on the steel piston. I polished it by hand with some very fine wet or dry paper with oil on it. Roll the paper into a tube with the abrasive side out. Insert this into the aluminum valve body and slowly rotate to clean the surface. It doesn't take much and be sure plenty of oil is on it. The piston should now operate freely. If yours is sticking, it is because of wear and not contamination. I have seen these valves new for about $30, but they are easy enough to clean up.

Not a hard job at all. I think a lot of these are on the brink of failing. The only tricky part is getting the parking rod back into the extension housing. Put in park to extend rod, then shift into low to bolt on the housing. The gasket on the transmission end comes in a standard rebuild kit, the transfer gasket must be ordered separately. If you are doing a repair, you can probably get away with using the old gaskets if they aren't damaged.

Thank you Opers House. It would eb cool to see all this info compiled in to a manual or seperate webapge.

Thanks,
Al

This is a great Thread! I'll be doing a complete rebuild on the a4ld in the BII. The drivetrain is out of a 93 Ex. I rebuilt the motor when I put it in the BII, but left the tranny alone (it only had 84K on it). The tranny now has about 125K on it and just gave up the ghost. In fact, it is the same problem that Lee Carroll originally posted. No forward gears, reverse is fine. If the motor is reved up to about 4K in drive, something catches and it will barely move (enough to get in on and off the trailer and into the garage). I've got the feeling that its the forward clutch pack????

Sound like I should be purchasing the ATSG manuals and possibly the Ford A4LD manual.

Thanks for the help.

Brett

Originally posted by Brett

Sound like I should be purchasing the ATSG manuals and possibly the Ford A4LD manual.

Thanks for the help.

Brett

Brett,

The Ford manuals I have seen seem to be reprints of the ATSG info.

What you want are the A4LD book and the A4LD update book from ATSG. I think Bulkparts.com has them both.

I would guess the forward clutches and or band, I dont have any manuals handy to check, but thats my guess. If the TC was out I dont think rev would work either without RPMs.

That was a very informative thread sir.Im currently removing my a4ld for the second time this month as the rebuild i did lasted only 150 or so miles. It worked well and just as i was about to trust its function for extended driveing,it failed. I have been scouring the net for info on this trans to have some clue as where to start on a diagnosis when i go back into it. I found several other forums (if you arent allready familiar with them) that may be informative or entertaining to our common struggle.They are: Offroad rangers--ford enthusiasts--ranger power sports.Thier basic site setup is identical to this one so you shouldnt have any trouble navigating around. Also if you dont have access to a welder/grinder/cutting torch to fabricate your own clutch compressing tool, a simple C clamp works very efficiently and can be found at second hand stores or welding supply shops.I found mine for $10 shekels. The alignment of the front pump was mentioned considerably in this thread and before i disasembled my trans i had no knowledge of its need upon reassembly. After some research, in the midst of repairing mine,I discovered its neccessity. I studied the need for this tool and assertained that its most important function is to ensure an oil clearance between the torque converter neck/snout and the bell housing bushing.This bushing apparently is installed unfinished into the housing. Then align bored with the positioning of the front pump(even off centered in this proccess)This is why removal of either the front pump or the bushing itself requires re aligning.I found a method to this re alignment that i incorporated in my reassembly since i did remove mine.I will discover the results of it as soon as i dissassemble.I hearby absolve myself of any responsability if anyone chooses to use this method. This is what i did:I reasoned that the torque converer snout needs oil clearance as i said before.So i applied a peice of scotch tape( only 1 revolutions worth so as not to overlap itself)on the torque converter snout where the bushing will ride. Then i laid two peices of 2x4 on the table ,just a bit shorter than the diameter of the converter.I laid the converter on top of the 2x4,s "snout up".I then put the bell housing over the converter, and at this height, the converter + the hieght of the 2x4,s allowed the snout to protrude through the housing where the tape was applied on it.( you may need to shim the height a bit to achieve proper results) Then i lowered the front pump into the converter and tightend it up.This would seemingly be an acceptable remedy to alignment of the front pump, since no matter what analogy is considered, the oil clearance "IS" the issue. (just as in crankshaft bearings).Since the torque converter IS the device that is present in actual operation...what better device could be used to position the pump?(besides the tools).Im aware there may be some shortfall i havent recognized in this and welcome discussion to point out the cons of it.

I hate to say it but the tape method just wont do and it is a good suspect for your failure. The proper alighnment toool is tapered and does not pass thru the 'SNOUT". The purpose of the alighnment tool is to center your input shaft and your fluid pump drivengear. Misalignment of input shaft or pump gear will cause failure in short order.

After some further consideration i beleive also that it is ineffective for alignment purposes as the front pump support is not a machine fit with the inside of the converter snout.This being the case there would be too much "play"and accurate centering of the pump almost impossible.What may i ask,is a close $figure$ for the alignment tool if, you know?.........jon

78 dollars thru atsg. I had a local trans mision shop do the alignment and they charged me 15. 160 thru the dealer!!! Good luck.

$78???.....yeah ill be checking out the local mechanic shop at that price. I think tho id better find some way of checking the pump gears for trashed ness .I just got the a4ld manual today,it must have a an allowance on wear, so will be doing some homework tonight.

Guess i should examine more closely before i talk.The tape method worked fine.The front support is a machine fit and it was the overdrive adapter that caused the failure.It had a .007 bend to it plus i installed it backwards wich would work fine except for the increase in thrust it added because of the .007 bend and the added loss of about .003 of the recessed provision for the deeper splines of the sun gear on the correct side.

That the #2 washer got jarred off center durring your last assembly and that is what destroyed it. I brought up the overdrive adaptor star washer for a reason. Things are pretty much fixed for spacing in the driveline. Unless there is obvious wear on the bearing surfaces there should be no need for adjustment. The overdrive adaptor appears to bend over time and the spline shaft wears into it. With a specified clearance of 0.007 to 0.025 even a tiny bend or wear will bring it out of spec. Mine bent enough to allow the washer to ride over the castle teeth. Still the #2 thrust bearing stayed in place. Just think the OD adaptor should be replaced in all rebuilds for the $7.50 it costs.

On an interesting note. Jeep has a problem with a needle bearing shattering in the OD section of previously repaired transmissions. The replacement gear assembly has welded shafts instead of swaged. The bearings rode on the welds like a roller coaster and they fatigued. Thousands of these were installed and hundreds of trained people never noticed. I have to fix this on a friends's transmission that was rebuilt by another expert 2 years ago. So it can happen to anyone!

Your talk of the jeep trans has me curious as to what its fix is.A race between the bearing and welds or grinding down the welds?Wow .:eek: I kinda feel better now.Too bad for the jeep owners tho:(

My overdrive gear mysteriously stopped working after some work was done on my X when it was at a ford dealership.

They said it was coincedence, removed it again (they ahd replaced a aprt that required tranny removal) and inspected it out of their own pocket, and told me the overdrive "band" is gone which was common for this type of tranny, but I'm no worse for wear.

They said the tranny still had alot of life left, jsut that I'll be basically driving in regular D instead OD. 2-3 mechanics had looked it.

Where they pulling the wool over my eyes? My tranny still shifts fine and engages properly.

The O/D band is only a $6 part for the ford dealer.You,d think they would have replaced it considering how much effort it takes to remove a trans.Any prudent mechanic would relace it considering the minute cost to them.Since the band only appleis in O/D, you would observe slippage in that gear if not.;)

But, I wouldn't believe it. They might have adjusted the OD band wrong. There are two bands that can be used in the overdrive, single and double overwrap. If they tightened the double to the single spec, that could burn it out. The 3-4 solenoid could have got some dirt in it. Maybe the band broke. If they replaced anything more than the front seal I would suspect sloppy work. Keep watching the fluid for color changes.

On the subject of trannie tools, I think the best advice is that some tools are "nice" to have, but can be easily worked around (most all bearing seal installers fall in this category for example) some are such overkill you wonder why they invented em, and some are must haves or incredible time savers (like an installer for an overrunning clutch on a recent Chrysler rebuild I did. Took me hours to work around a 5 minute job with the right tool). I haven't done my A4LD yet, so cannot comment, but I'd suggest that if you want a cheap set of tools look for them on E-bay. I've purchased entire factory toolsets (like the 74 C-3 set that includes the center pump alignment tool) for less that what the tool would cost new elsewhere. You are looking for rotunda toolset 74P-7000A I think (it's the C-3 set). Also, for what it's worth, ATSG does not write the Ford manuals, they copy them and sell the reprints.

info bump. I just took my tranny out and will be taking it apart today. Wish me luck

I have a 93 limited. Driving down the freeway started going up a hill tranny down shifted, made it up the hill when it shifted to od there was a little pop and it shifted back to 3rd. Coasting down a hill it acts like it is in neutral. I can shift through all the gears and the engine does not hold it back. Any ideas would be helpfull. thanx in advance. Forgot to add I repaced the modulator it had fluid in it

overdrive planetary broke at the base of the oneway race. Its one of the first things you see when you open the case after the pump is removed. Good luck and have fun with it. If you fix it yourself, even if you dont get it right the first time you will feel like you really accomplished something.

thanx for the info i'll probably pull it next week

I have the OTC clutch compressor and TCE alignment tool if you want... PM me.

question, i saw about takign the tranny out of the truck, these bolts are just so stuck, from the tranny itself all the way to the rear of the driveshaft...but your sayin gi dont need an airgun to take the bolts out??

bump

sorry to get off topic here but i didnt want to start a new thread for this simple question. I have a 94 xlt which is on its 6th a4ld and running well, but last time i brought it in do be replaced on the recepit from the trans shop it said 5r55e on it is it possible they knowing my history(becaus i told them) changed it out from the a4ld to a 5r55e? is this even possible?

Short answer, anything is possible, but to do that would have required MAJOR electronics changes in your explorer and a few added sensors and completely different computer. Didn't happen.

ok thanks for the info

Hi TDG, New to this site and was wondering if you wouldn't mind emailing me the tear down pics, Please, thanx ...Phil

Or you might visit the "Useful Threads" and read the A4LD Rebuild Diary....

hello, i need copy for the service manuals ATSG TECH MANUAL 4R44E 4R55E FORD