'91 XLT just bought and tranny blew... options???

[nnicoo]

I just bought a 91 XLT 4x4 4.0L V6 with 210,000KM on it, 5.5 inch suspension lift, 33 inch Pro Comp Xterrains... right so...

Im driving on a logging road, not paved but by no means hard off road, some dips and rocks at a 40ish degree incline... and the truck goes 200m up the trail no problem and when it gets to the easier part the tranny starts to give. I was giving it gas and the revs were goin up but i was goin nowhere... clutch is burning, smoke is comin out, and i look under the truck and there is tranny fluid just pouring out really fast and really hot, so thats where I stopped and camped.

So i get it towed out, fill it up with 3L of tranny fluid and it drove 1 Hr home no problem, even after that it drove no problem really for a bit. Took it to a transmission shop today, they took off the pan and had a look and all the fluid was burnt, you could just smell it... the revs were slipping after a gear change (clutch or pump?), and the tranny just seems done. they quoted me 2300$ (canadian) for a rebuild with beefier components.

My question mainly is - is it worth rebuilding it with better components (torque convertor, shift kit, etc.) or what are my options for replacing it? I want to be able to take it off road, not rock climbing or anything TOO serious, but i want to have fun with it and not be afraid the my tranny will mess up again. I bought the thing for 3500$ with a nice sound system, pro comp lights everywhere, bush bar, roof rack, spare tire, compustar alarm, all in all good condition except this...

Im sooooo choked over this please help... thanks

 

[jimbo74]

welcome to the site, the a4ld tranny was the weakest tranny ford ever put into the explorers, and the 91 was the weakest of that era. there are several trheads here about it, there are ways to beef it up, even also using factory beef up parts that they didnt know about when your truck was made.

as far as otehr trannies, its possible , but not without some work

i would just rebuild it and beef it up.... read threads by glacier991 he is the tranny guru here

 

[Burns]

OK this is the same thing i went through. I rebuilt two before i got a 5speed and swapped it in. That is going to be my advise. The 33 are hurting the tranny because most likely the axles have not been regeared. The autos in these explorers are not the best for offroading light use or hard use.

I would just get a 5speed and put it in. Find a used one and you should be fine.

Also ask them what they will quote you to do a 5speed swap for you. Worth a shot.

 

[IZwack]

Try looking diggin around the forum for a Ford C4 transmission swap .. the A4LD transmission (which is what your Explorer has) is typically the weakest link in the drivetrain.

 

[nnicoo]

wow, quick responses...

Yeah I wasn't sure what the transmission was (A4LD I now know) but I heard about it causing lots of problems...

Burns - do you think a stock 5 speed swap would be better than rebuilding the auto with better components?

thanks everyone

 

[Burns]

dtock??? not sure what that means but i put in the m50d which is the 5speed that ford makes for these 4.0 models.

It is way stronger and to me is better to have all that selection

 

[nnicoo]

sorry - ment to stay stock... was a typo fixed now

 

[Burns]

Oh yeah. I only had probs out of mine after i practically totaled my explorer. It has been rebuilt and back on the road. It was a minor prob but it was cause by at 45mph impact.

I would say it is 100% stronger.

 

[nnicoo]

Did you get a new or used one and did you do the job yourself or how much did it cost you?

 

[Burns]

Used. I spent a total of 250ish to do the entire swap....

I bought a beat up ranger and swapped it all in. This is the best way because with the ranger you have all the pedal assembly.

 

[nnicoo]

last question lol - do you know what year rangers come with that tranny?

 

[Burns]

Oh im not to sure. I would have to rely on someone else to answer that. I got mine out of a 93.


Oh and you dont have to change the computer. You can trick to stock computer to think that the auto is still in there.

 

[Glacier991]

Looks like this one is handled. I would only offer that you might look at Project Frankentranny. HD offroad is not what the A4LD excels at. Remember HD offroad creates a lot of tranny heat and with low speeds there is no cooling.

If you must, add a fan driven trans cooler.

 

[nnicoo]

Seems like its a pretty hard tranny to get a hold of lol

 

[Glacier991]

A frankentranny is honestly a DIY project. I can build you one but to be straight with you the price might not make it a worthwhile thing to do. Right now I do not even have all the parts I need to build one. A Frankentranny runs about $2K, done right. I do not know anyone else other than myself who even knows how to build them, except Brain and he is not doing it.

 

[nnicoo]

Well a parts yard near here has a few rangers in with the m50d tranny... so i think i might just go that way and swap in the 5 speed....

How straight foreward is the swap, i mean is it a direct fit or what?

 

[Burns]

It was easy. We did mine in a weekend.

You need to get everything you need early so you have it.

 

[nnicoo]

this is a gleam of hope....

so just take out the tranny and pedal assembly and get it swapped in?

 

[Burns]

Basiacally.

You need the master cylinder and holding tank you will mount the tank on the firewall and the master cylinder has a hole in the firewall already. Remove the two bolts and the hole is there. Add master cylinder where plate was removed. Pedal assembly goes in with clips and the master cylinder will connect with a push rod to the clutch pedal.

On to the tranny. You need a new clutch, throwout bearing, and slave cylinder. Get these new. dont try with used products here. Also you can get the pressure line that goes from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder at ford. Its 40 bucks. Get it new also. Not sure you can find used.

After that just put it all back together. Also there is a plate in the transmission hump in the floor for the shifter its self. Just remove bolts and cut a hole in exsisting plate for the shifter to go through.

I dont think im missing anything.

 

[nnicoo]

That is excellent, thank you so much. Im gettin straight on this tomorrow. Since I wont be doin the install myself... If i showed up with all the parts what would the install cost me roughly?