~~~Transmission Wont Shift~~~

[Randog]

I'm having problems with my tranny not shifting out of first gear until it warms up a bit, and then it seems to work ok. I took it into the transmission shop and explained the problem and the service tech said that it's a common problem with the Explorer trannys, and that I shoild have the transmission rebuilt before anything serious happens, so I left the truck with him and I'm hopping he can fix it. BTW, he said the rebuild would cost about $2,000.00 + Tax (Canadian Funds) is this too much? Also he said that they will install a rebuilt tranny instead if rebuilding mine, any opinions on this? He won't be able to start work on it until tommorow so it's not too late to go and get the truck if I have to.

 

[Blee1099]

You have the great A4LD.. Doing a rebuilt is very risky, make sure they replace everything.

 

[Randog]

Ok, I'm new to this tranny rebuilding thing. Guess I'll let the guy pop in the rebuild and cross my fingers? Thanks

 

[Brain]

Are they offering a pretty good warranty w/ the rebuilt tranny?

 

[RobbyD]

Man i have read so many stories about people using rebuilts, most arent good cause most people arent aware of what is getting replaced, alot of shops just do soft rebuilds and it will get you maybe a year if that, then you will be buying another rebuilt. I myself am down the same road however im rebuiilding it myself so i know exactly what is getting replaced. Good Luck!

 

[yosh18981898]

I've got a better Idea for you: Forget about the "rebuild it every 8 months" piece of crap A4LD and swap in a mazda M50 manual five speed. This was the base tranny while the A4LD automatic was the option. Over the years the M50 has proved it self to be the much more reliable, longer lasting of the two. While you can expect about 80,000-120,000 miles out of the A4LD, there are plenty of members of this board with well over 200,000 on the M50. I myself have 103,000 on mine and it still shifts smooth as silk. It probably wont cost you any more to do the swap because the tranny itself is cheaper. Many members have done this swap, just do a search. Thats my 2 cents.

Good luck

 

[Brain]

yosh...have you had to replace the clutch on your manual??? 200K miles on one clutch??? Are you kidding? My wifey drives as conservative as can be and the most she got out of a clutch was ~135K miles. I want to talk to the person who got 200K out of a single clutch (so as to find out what he's doing different than everybody else on the planet).

The fact of the matter is friction material is used up, and replacing one big disk of it in a manual tranny is easier (and therefore cheaper) than replacing fifteen smaller plates of it (as in the A4LD), but then you have to deal with the clutch pedal and master/slave problems....everything has its tradeoffs.

I am rebuiling my own A4LD because I can and it is something I enjoy. $2000 is a little below what the Ford stealership here quoted me ($2500), but I don't know anything about the warranty or if the torque converter is being replaced or etc., etc.....I do know that it is about $600 in labor just to pull out the transmission and put it back in. I also know that a "rebuilt" unit can cost anywhere from $400-$1300. I was just saying that for somebody who wants to take the "broken" machine into somebody and have it "fixed" without having to break a sweat, get busted knuckles, or take a tranny fluid bath, $2K isn't a "great deal", but it isn't a "ripoff" either -as long as the workmanship is high quality and has some reassurances (warranty).

 

[Glacier991]

Your problem is probably nothing more than a sticky governor. A DIY repair.

 

[Opera House]

Yea, this is likely just a sticking governor and it is a repair you can do without removing the transmission or spending any money. It is located in the extension housing behind the transmission. Just takes a couple of turns with some fine sandpaper. There is also likely almost no wear on your clutches. Unless something snaps, this can go a long time with the exception of the low/reverse servo O ring. Another thing you can easily do yourself. Believing a transmission guy! Boy, do I have some stuff to sell you.

 

[Randog]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I had the rebuilt tranny done and all seems well except, the oil leak. Looks like my rear seal is still leaking oil, don't they usually replace that seal when re&re a tranny?

 

[RobbyD]

That would definetly be the best time to replace the seal, if the tranny is out, guess it will have to be pulled again eh? lol good luck

 

[Randog]

Ayep, now the guy wants $700.00 clams to replace the rear seal. I talked to my mechanic buddy and he said that once the tranny is out, it's quite obvious if the rear seal was leaking and the tranny tech should have called me to advise me and perform the repair then. He said it's about a 1/2 hour job at that point. I feel like I'm getting scamed here :fire:

 

[Brain]

If it's a rebuilt unit, then wouldn't it have a new rear seal???? Or did they just fix yours and sell you on the idea that they put in a different unit? Or did I misunderstand the post...

 

[RobbyD]

I figured he was talking about the rear main oil seal in his MOTOR, since he had his tranny out he should have replaced it, it would have been easy. Maybe "I" misunderstood his post and he is talking about his tranny, i dunno...

 

[Brain]

Randog did say oil....I'm thinking that RobbyD is right and it is engine oil, not tranny fluid (another type of oil). Sorry about that.