Buying a 92 with Trans Problems

[95Ford]

Well im looking at a 92 Explorer 4 Door Xlt

It is lifted 7 inches on 35s 4x4 manuel locking front hubs

Gonna be paying 500 for it

My question is the guy says that the transmission wont go into gear. It will go into reverse but not any other gear. The only explorer ive done work to is my girlfriends and she has a 5 speed so i have no idea on the autos

Am i looking at a full trans replacement? Or is there something bad that i can fix for a simple repair? Any help is appreciated gonna be picking it up this coming weekend

 

[RangerX]

1st Gen auto trannies are weak and die. If you're real lucky it's repairable, but even if you have to replace it fully, you're still getting a deal at $500, IMO.
Check what the axle gear ratio is. If the guy ran 35' and did not change the gearing, that's why the trans died.

 

[Roadrunner777]

And we all know weak pizza. If you run 35' pizza, you are in for trouble.

 

[wood1]

Do a 5 speed swap. BAM! Solved... (he drops the microphone and walks away...)

 

[95Ford]

So this is the Explorer. After alot of negotiating i ended up getting it $100 Cash as is

Came with 2 rear dog legs driver and Pass to fix rust, and a Brand new unopened water pump.

After revving it up and messing with trying to shift the truck ive found it does nothing

It will drop into reverse but you really have to play with the gas to get it to move. Once its moving it goes but soon as you stop you have to play with the gas again to get moving. Mind you this is all in reverse cant get it to do anything in any forward gears.

After looking through some reciepts i found the that the truck does have 4.56 Gears in both front and rear differentials so it is geared.

Let me know what you guys think. Gonna try pulling the trans pan an see what everything looks like but what do you guys think me next step is?

Anyone with any knowledge on where to get a rebuild in md? or best place to order one that isnt gonna break the bank?

Thanks ahead of time for everyones help

 

[Roadrunner777]

What do you want to do with it? Street, rocks?

 

[95Ford]

Mostly it will be street driven about a total of 5 miles a day if that. Then used to off road in the woods mudding trails. Nothing crazy though.

I have a 08 Z71 Silverado on 35s thats still financed and i hate playing in that right now basically just want the explorer in good moving condition so i can play in that and still have my truck.

Basically just see street, trails, creek crawling, and mud

 

[wood1]

The A4LD is not the strongest transmission and does not have a good rep. Sure you can rebuild it, there are threads in the transmission section here. I'd consider finding a 5 speed for a conversion if you really want a wheeling machine. If not, tear into it and throw a rebuild kit in. It will last you a couple seasons if you add big coolers and maybe an electric fan on them. If you rebuild the VB you can add shift kits to reduce overlap and cut down on heat. This thing hates heat, add a temperature gauge to keep track, when it heats up stop and let it cool. I think it gets a bit of a bad rep because it requires a bit of maintenance that usually doesn't get done. Just my 2 cents... Either way, what a deal!

If you plan on keeping the automatic, I would start by rebuilding the VB and adding the shift kits as per Glacier's thread. Then if that doesn't fix it up and you have to rebuild it, you already have a rebuilt VB for your trans. Read the rebuild threads well. There is a great deal of information in them. Good luck!

 

[OneofMany]

Find a used trans or have that one rebuilt.

 

[95Ford]

Well looks like im gonna be getting a used trans for 550 with a 6 monty warantee. Shoukd i invest in trans.cooler and stuff like that also?

 

[Maniak]

Definitely get a trans cooler. As big as you can fit up front.

If your feel adventuresome I'd even put in a trans temp gauge with the sending unit in the pan. The sending unit in the pan also works as a drain plug so you can change the fluid without making a bigger mess.

The other upgrade/addition I would do is an external trans filter. Basically you get a remote oil filter housing that uses the normal FL1A (ph8a) filter (same filter your engine uses). There is a thread or two about that mod on here (I can't search it right now).

Now when you do an engine oil change you also change that external trans filter and add 1 refill the trans with 1 quart of fluid. Your slowly changing the fluid but more importantly your filtering the fluid. The stock filter in the trans is just a screen and doesn't filter out the rest of the crap that goes through the system.

~Mark

 

[95Ford]

I found local a Rebuilt A4LD out of a 2.9 Ranger. He did a manuel swap and used a 4.0 Trans which raised my curiosity. After researching on here i found that the transmissions are interchangable. So heres my question

Its a A4Ld 2.9 Stock Rebuild with 8000 Miles on it

Is it worth 600?
Is it worth it to swap it in?
Will it hold up behind the 4.0 with 35s and 4.56s?

Found i already have a trans cooler but will be adding a temp gauge, External Filter, and most likely another cooler so i can keep the trans cool.

Any other advice or comment is grately appreciated

Also if i find a bronco 2 do i need one with a 4.0 or 2.9 or does it not matter?

Thanks

 

[95Ford]

So just to update sometimes you feel dumb but I loved the final answer.

Dropped pan, new filter, new fluid, an bam truck drives fine just takes a second to engage.

Thanks for everyone's help ill get a build thread started cause a lot will be changin

 

[OneofMany]

You lucky *******! hope your luck keeps up. $600 for a rebuilt is good imo.

 

[OneofMany]

How bad was the filter? a lot of junk?

 

[RangerX]

Dropped pan, new filter, new fluid, an bam truck drives fine just takes a second to engage.

Wait, are you saying this is on the trans that came in the truck!? If so, awesome! A running built Ex for $100.

 

[95Ford]

I really didnt look at the filter alot just changed it and threw the old one away because i was figuring on replacing the trans anyways.

and Yes all i have done to the explorer is change fluid this is still the trans that came in the truck so all i have tied up in it is 100 for truck and 30 for fluid and lucas treatment

 

[mr cribb]

I really didnt look at the filter alot just changed it and threw the old one away because i was figuring on replacing the trans anyways.

and Yes all i have done to the explorer is change fluid this is still the trans that came in the truck so all i have tied up in it is 100 for truck and 30 for fluid and lucas treatment

Lucky dog. Hell of a deal, I you for that!!