77cent a4ld pump tool

[robcarz]

If you need a pump alignment tool for an a4ld and are too cheap to just buy one this is for you.

I took my dial calipers down to Lowe's and started measuring stuff in the plumbing department. What do you know a 1" pvc pipe coupling is dangerously close to perfect inside and out.

My wife's 1989 Aerostar has a4ld sudden failure syndrome(SFS). This seems to happen quite often and no one seems to know the cure. I have followed at least a hundred threads to a dead end looking for clues.

I screwed on a pressure gauge from an air compressor using a 1/8" NPT nipple and a coupling. Then I crawled under there and moved the shift lever by hand while watching the gauge. Pressure is good.

I took it apart and it is like new inside. No metal or chunks in the pan just a thin grey film. No damage to hard parts. Clutch packs clearance is within specs measured with feeler gauges. Clutch pistons work when air is applied. Took apart valve body-nothing there. Governor ok. Servos ok.

All this seems to point to the torque converter but it seems ok. When I spin the stator shaft with my snap ring pliers I can feel it lock up and spin the stator in one direction and it freewheels in the other direction. I can spin the turbine with the output shaft.

Any suggestions?

P.S. Yes I checked the fluid level.

 

[robcarz]

Update. This story has a happy ending. Found a guy named Wilson who had the same problem with an Aerostar. He took the torque converter to an AAMCO shop and their certified expert checked it out and said it was good. Pulled his tranny apart 3 times before he figured out it was a bad torque converter. (RIPOFFREPORT.com report #253462)

I went down to the local transmission place and asked the guy if he sold torque converters. He wanted to see the old one and it took him about 30 seconds to show me it was bad. Push the input shaft all the way in it will spin the turbine back it out a little and it just spins. Broken splines. I gave him 170 bucks for a new TC. Case closed.