1993 sport automatic transmission problems.

[93splodersport]

I just baught my explorer about a week ago and so far the tranni has out of nowhere started leaking twice,and it wont stop leaking until its empty. You can come back the next day,fill it up,and it performs better than the day before. The first time it did this was after light offroading in two wheel drive,the last time was after some harder offroading in fourwheel and two wheel drive. Its leaking right along the seal between the tranni and engine. Is it a common thing for these seals go bad? And if so,how much should i expect to pay to have a new one put on? It also has a tendencey to revv too high and not want to upshift with you floor it, could these problems be related?

 

[Brain]

"and it wont stop leaking until its empty."- I'm a little confused...do you mean that even if you shut off the engine that it keeps leaking, or it doesn't stop when the engine is running until it is empty?

There are only two things that I can think of that would have the red tranny fluid leaking between the bellhousing and the motor. The first is a weld on one of the torque converter studs could have let go, but this is less likely than the other possibility, which is that the front pump seal is leaking. Does it only leak after it is warmed up, or all the time?

I had a front seal failure with only 85K miles on the original seal in the '92 EB 4X. I hear a lot of people besides myself have had this seal fail. Ford redesigned how this seal was lubricated in '95. The seal itself is only about $8, but you have to remove the tranny to get to it, which is why the labor cost runs about $700-$800 if you have a shop do it.

There is a thread by Glacier991 about rebuilding the A4LD that provides a bunch of good info and a look at this seal. You can search by his name or by the A4LD subject (which is the transmission in the '91-'94 automatic Explorers). Just out of curiosity, how many miles are on it, is it the original transmission, and has it been rebuilt?

Over-speed could be caused by several things: low fluid, slipping, bad vacuum modulator, stuck govenor, etc... These two problems could be related.

Welcome to the board....noticed it was your first post.

 

[93splodersport]

It only starts leaking after its been heated up alot,but then again we had it out the other day four bying all day and it didnt leak until the next day after about ten minutes of four bying. Once it starts leaking it leaks in any gear until there is nothign left to leak out. Well damn i wasnt expecting such costly repairs so soon,would going with a used tranni be any cheaper or is there any other options? I was told it has around 100,000 miles on it and im almost sure its the original tranni. So as for the gears lagging,how much extra do you think it would cost me to have that fixed while the transmission is off to fix the seal? This is my first post,i wish i could have started out on a brighter note,but oh well. Hopefully she'll be on the road again soon.

 

[Brain]

Plenty of options, but none of them cheap and easy.
1) Rebuilt tranny put in by shop ($2000-$2500)
2) Rebuilt tranny put in by you ($800)
3) Rebuild your own tranny ($500, including torque converter, rebuild kit, and some tools)

The good thing about #3 is that you can do a couple of somewhat cheap upgrades while you are in there that can make a big difference in the longevity of the rebuild.

Before you make a decision about doing it yourself though, I would read through Glacier991's posts on rebuilding the A4LD. Start here (it's pretty long with lots of pictures, but well worth it if you are planning on doing it yourself, or buying someone else's rebuilt unit):
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98027

 

[93splodersport]

Well i've never done any transmission work so im not too sure about doing the work on my own. I have talked to a couple of people who have encouraged me to go that route though so its a deffinate concideration. What exactly is envolved in changing a transmission and what "special tools" willl i need to do it? As of now i think im gonna end up taking it to a shop and just having the seal fixed,because im not all that comfortable doing the work myself just yet.

 

[Brain]

Just remember that since it has 100K miles on it already, the $800 to fix the seal might be just the first "fix" that the transmission needs. I had mine fixed at 85K, and it lasted until 125K (when something else, namely the overdrive, failed in a big way). Since you have had periods when the tansmission was operating but didn't have enough fluid, coupled with having 100K miles on it, I'd be concerned with suggesting that the seal fix by itself is a good investment. But it is your choice, and your $.

 

[93splodersport]

I would like to get a new transmission or get mine rebuilt,but there is no way i would be able to afford it right now,as long as my tranni will hold out until next fall i can replace it then. I'm a senior in highschool and i only work during the summer,salmon seining and long lining halibut.

 

[Glacier991]

Your description leaves me somewhat confused. You say it leaks til it's "empty" When you refill it how many quarts does it take? You also say when it's "heated up" is when it leaks. Let me state a possible scenario that fits.

Your transmission is slipping, thus it overheats. An overheated A4LD vents fluid like mad. Often to the point that it will not operate. Let it cool down, add a couple quarts of fluid and VOILA, it works.

Dos this sound like a possible scenario? Mine has 207K on it and I cannot drive it up long uphill grades.... ok I can, NOT in OD, but even then it depends on the outdoor temps that day.... so I am rebuilding mine. Myself. It can be done. I'm trying to arrange to have the "unusual" tools that are needed on some kind of loaner program... so "ordinary guys" like us can rebuild our own. Otherwise a lot of good 1st GEN Explorers are headed to the junkyard unnecessarily.

I am doing a post on the "bulletproof" rebuild. I am going to follow it up with a "I wanna do it myself but don't wanna spend a lot of money build one to get by" kinda rebuild.