My A4LD "cheap" rebuild.

[MrQ]

Hey all,

This is actually a continuation of my 4x4 conversion thread. I am ATM tearing down the A4LD 4x4 tranny I picked up.

A few observations: First off this tranny IS a 93 and whats awesome about it is that it apparently was rebuilt. The OD planetary is welded and the drum looks good and so does the band. I have already torn it down to the center support. (and yes I am using baggies Glacier) This has been a lot of fun so far. It also appears that the tranny has incorporate torrington bearings in place of thrust washers. So far so good. Pics forthcoming.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Wish I could help! But I'm in the splat center of finals right now:frustrate

 

[MrQ]

Well, I am stuck. I am at the snap ring at that holds the reverse planetary and the tailshaft together. My big hands can't get in there well enough to get a good grip on it and man is it on there tight! I don't have any snap ring pliers, because I thought needle nose pliers would be a good substitute. Guess wrong.

You can barely see it in the picture below, but there is the infamous snap ring holding the shaft and rear drum and planetary together.

Also there was a lot of case damage on the servo side of the engagement lever for the intermediate band. Could be a bad band adjustment or a bad servo. I have no idea. However it is a small cause for concern.

The bands look okay, but I won't be reusing them. I can't believe how beefy the reverse band is. It was quite heavy.

By the way, a good way to get the servos out is to leave the bands in and then take the servos out first. On the intermediate, I had a rocket servo. I just got the snap ring off and the whole thing started sucking air, then boom hit me right in the chest. I was laughing so hard. :bsnicker:

When I removed the governor the weight fell off right into my hand. That thing was garbage. I would have had a very hard time getting into 3rd or O/D with that thing busted.

The inside of that case is VERY sharp. I will definitely be leaving something of myself in this A4LD.

 

[nooberiffic]

good luck. Ill be watching and hoping to learn something.

 

[MrQ]

Ok, here is a "cheep" tool list. Most of you guys have this stuff laying around in your tool box.

So far I have needed:

Dis-assembly

10, 17, and 19mm sockets
17mm and 19mm wrenchs
#9 metric allen wrench
1/2in medium extension
3/8 and 1/2in socket wrenches
Soft rubber mallet
Flat head screw driver
Needle nose pliers
Lotsa shop towels
Pieces of wood to support the tranny
Automotive drip pan
Large can or bucket for fluid
Snap ring pliers
Quart and Gallon Plastic bags
Permanent Marker

Always, always, always mark, label, and bag every piece of that transmission. It will be a tremendous help on reassembly. I can already see it helping me now.

 

[MrQ]

good luck. Ill be watching and hoping to learn something.

We're both learning.

 

[BlackMounty]

Very good info. I appreciate you adding pictures for us to enjoy. Can you take a picture of the 'band'. I always hear about people adjusting them, but I'm unaware of what they actually are.

 

[Opera House]

Like the soup can mount. I found mounting it to an engine stand really nice. Putting it at angles keeps some of the assemblies from falling apart when you put it back together.

Mine was also previously rebuilt. Found five mistakes previous rebuilder made. One clutch pack was way too tight another too loose. He actually left out a clutch plate. Be aware of this as there are different thickness plates available.

 

[MrQ]

Like the soup can mount. I found mounting it to an engine stand really nice. Putting it at angles keeps some of the assemblies from falling apart when you put it back together.

Mine was also previously rebuilt. Found five mistakes previous rebuilder made. One clutch pack was way too tight another too loose. He actually left out a clutch plate. Be aware of this as there are different thickness plates available.

Lol. It's not very professional looking, but hey it gets the job done. Here is the main issue I have found in the case so far. What do you make of it?

Also for the guy who asked, here are the bands. From front to back: Over drive band, intermediate band, and reverse band.

The only adjustable ones are the O/D and the Intermediate bands.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

looks like that fluid was past its life!

 

[MrQ]

Yeah, it was dark red, almost brown and had really nice smell to it.

 

[MrQ]

Apparently when my transmission was removed, somebody removed the modulator. So what is a better replacement: the non-adjustable or the adjustable? Also what is the best rebuild kit. Some of the descriptions are rather...confusing. :scratch:

Also, I still haven't got the reverse drum and sprag out yet. This is a crucial part in my opinion. Looking at glaciers thread that thing was demolished. I hope mine has fared better.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The style of the modulator is your preference. Do you just want it to work or do want something that you could fine tune to get a nearly perfect shift? It's a tight spot to reach when you want to make an adjustment.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

By the way, I met a guy in one of my engineering classes, short story: he is a mechanic by trade and has many years rebuilding tractor engines and now he works for the city's school bus fleet as their head mechanic. He invited me to his shop and showed me a international big block diesel engine and allison transmission he was rebuilding. I got to really take a good look at every single component of a fully disassembled allison automatic.

My point is, its really all pretty straight forward and simple stuff. I think the hardest part in rebuilding a transmission is... getting over the presumed fear everyone has of "I could never rebuild anything like this".

Just wanted to encourage you, its all quite simple to rebuild one of these really.

 

[MrQ]

Well, I am going to pick up a basic rebuild kit, just the filter, rubbers, and gaskets. Then a new governor, modulator and new O/D and Intermediate bands. Then to button it up and get a TC. The whole thing looks fairly well maintained, besides it only had 130k on it.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

right, you meant to include friction plates too right?

 

[MrQ]

I have finally started the rebuild. I got my Super Master rebuild kit Sunday and am just like a kid in a candy store.

 

[MrQ]

As of today, I have nearly finished the transmission. I installed all new clutches, steels, seals, bands and its all back in the case. I also gauged the clutch packs:

O/D clutches .070"
Rear clutches .070"
Forward Clutches .068"

The clearance was very tight in the forward clutches originally, I think it was about .004" between large steel and snap ring. :thumbdwn: Tolerance is supposed to be between .050 and .078. I then figured out that the new rubber seal on the top of the spring holder was taller than the original. So, I tore it down again and replaced it with the old seal. DON"T WORRY. It was in very good shape. That brought me back into spec...with 6 clutches. For some reason Glacier and the Ford manual said five.

There are two things I am not doing with this transmission:

-The rear seal and bushing. (I KNOW, I KNOW. I am gonna catch fire for this. Lemme explain my reasons. First, I can't get the damn snap ring off and second, the whole transmission looks like it was just rebuilt, so, I am not incredibly worried about it.)

-The pump (The alignment tool is way to expensive for this one rebuild. It is just going to sit in a drawer collecting dust the rest of the time. Also, see second reason above)

The whole transmission was actually in very good condition. I could have reused everything, but for peace of mind and the experience I replaced everything I could replace.

Unfortunately, I have hit a snag. The pin for the modulator went missing before I even got the transmission, so I am stuck on that till I get another. Also, I priced a new governor at $13 from wittrans.com, but they want $15 to ship it!! No freakin' way. So, I decided to rebuild the governor and am going to be adding an additional spring thanks to the new Superior Valve Body Kit I picked up. What's nice about this kit is that it comes with the modulator pin. So, if you lose yours and want to rebuild your valve body, you can get the whole deal in one package. It does cost about $45 though, but I believe it to be well worth it.

Now, all I have left is to

-Rebuild the valve body and re-install it
-Install the modulator
-Rebuild and re-install the governor
-Re-attach the bell housing/pump
-Re-attach the extension housing
-Buy and install the torque converter

I can't get the TC till next week. I am also going to pick up an external tranny filter, temp gauge, and extra tranny cooler. If this thing burns up it will only be my fault. I want it to have every chance to work for me...long AND hard.

 

[MrQ]

I also made, or re-purposed, two home brewed tools to replace the spring compressor and the nifty tool Glacier used to reinstall the servos.

 

[MrQ]

Done and done!! 17+ hours later and everything is reassembled awaiting install.

I also added a oil drain plug to the bottom of the pan and cleaned up the housing a bit. I think the engine this thing was mated to had a bit of an oil leak.