A4LD Question(s)...lol

[elricmayer]

Hi all.

Mechanic pulled my automatic transmission from my 94' Eddie Baur, pulled a used one from junkyard off a 91'(don't know if it worked but fluid was clean) dropped it off at my garage and I never saw him again. So I bought Haynes manual and put in the used tranny myself. A rather bold move for me. I've got reverse and i can get it from 1st into 2nd if I manually shift it (so to speak) but have no 3rd or OD. Seems to run hot at this point on my test drives. Is the transmission shot or is there some trouble shooting anyone may suggest I try? Please advise.

Thank you,

Elric

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The 94 is more upgraded than the 91 since 94 was the last year they were built. Check the modulator, valve body, and the bands. You should have a warranty from the junkyard, so I would suggest that you return it to them, and request one out of a 94. You could rebuild your old one. It would be better than one from a junkyard.

 

[Glacier991]

Junkyards give a warranty?

I'll refrain from saying how I feel about junkyard trannies.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I know that junkyards aren't exactly ideal places. I once bought a washer tank for $10, and it was no good. I went back to them, and they wouldn't switch it for another one even though they had them. They wouldn't even give me a refund.

 

[elricmayer]

Junkyard etc...and more info & questions...

Thank you for the welcome and response to my post. Yea, junkyard gave 30day warranty...which expired while I was finally realizing that my the junkyard 'mechanic' was junk himself and wasn't going to return. Money is tight and my back up car is toast so I installed it hoping for the best, still am really. I don't think I could rebuild it myself at this point due to time constraints and learning curve.

FYI-

-Modulator is new & filter is new- installed by junkyard mechanic prior to his departure. Note: wonder if he forgot to install the inner pin regarding the modulator.. would that cause my shifting/gear problems?

-I bought a 92' XLT this weekend for parts. Trans is good.

Thanks for your consideration.

-Torque converter from junkyard. Is it a possible culprit?

- Do you recommend having a shop test the transmission?

-Is it possible for me to determine if it is a rebuild situation w/o the shop test expense and w/o removing the transmission from the car. I mean if it needs extensive repair I can put in the transmission from the 92' XLT in it. The 92' trans will work in the 94', I am assuming.

 

[BrooklynBay]

There are several ways to check this transmission: Rotunda test tool, 0 -300 PSI pressure gauge, air test plate (remove the valve body for this test), band torque, visual inspection of servo pistons, etc. You could swap a different transmission into it, then rebuild your old one (94). These transmissions usually need more than a soft parts rebuild. If you don't want to try an entire rebuild, or a complete swap, then I would suggest that you first rebuild the valve body. It is not a waste of time, since it would have to be rebuilt anyway if you are going to rebuild the entire transmission.

 

[Don Coyote®]

Hey there!


I also have a '94 Eddie Bauer with problems. Rather than start a new thread,..... might I add to this one?


My problem was that my original tranny was acting as if it would shift into two gears at the same time. I would be driving along at low speeds and I could FEEL it shift and then a second later, it felt as if the brakes were locking up. I'm CERTAIN that it was attempting to be in two gears at the same time. I also lost reverse after about a dozen of these phenomena.

I got a tranny from a junkyard and have been driving on it for a year,..... but it's just begun to leak like a river. The junkyard tranny (1993) seems very worn, the fluid that is coming out is burnt,... even though I put two gallons (or so) in it after I installed it. My original tranny always had nice bright red fluid in it, even through it's bad days. The junkyard tranny works alright, but it won't go into overdrive. Aside from that,..... seems normal. (except for the new leaking problem).


I'm an alright mechanic, but a rotten technician...... I'm looking at maybe rebuilding the valve body on my original tranny, (I still have it),... does anyone believe that this may fix my problem; or could my tranny be fubar'd, mechanically?

Need more info? (I'm not entirely how much more specific or articulate I can get). :shifty_ey

 

[BrooklynBay]

The lack of overdrive could be caused by a bad servo piston, band, solenoid, wiring harness, or a sensor not telling the computer to apply a ground to the solenoid to engage 4th. gear, etc.

 

[elricmayer]

To DonCoyote,

Please feel free to join this thread.

 

[elricmayer]

Coyote- yes, feel free to join this thread.

Brooklyn- ty for your input. I'll check the valve body rebuild threads. Does a trans. need to be in a vehicle for shop to run those tests mentioned?

 

[elricmayer]

Question:

Are the 94' EB & the 92' XLT transmissions interchangeable? What about 91' w/94'? A shop just said 91' wasn't due to electronic shift on 94', would this explain my problem of no 3rd or OD I wonder?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The 91, and 94 A4LD transmissions use the same amount of solenoids. They have the 3-4 shift, and TCC. There were more upgrades to the hard parts on the 94 than on the 91. The valve bodies before 88 only had one solenoid.

 

[clawrence1994]

Don't hate on junk yards, they are the poor man's treasure spot. Maybe you should just try a different one.

 

[Glacier991]

I don;t hate junkyards by any means. One man's junk IS often another man's treasure.... that said in the MAJORITY of cases... One man's junkyard tranny is another man's junk tranny.

In short... I do not support junkyard tranny swaps, period. It is also hard to diagnose a tranny that someone knows NOTHING ABOUT history wise... in effect asking - what's wrong with this potential POS I just got out of a wreck?