92 Exploder - Tranny finally went out

[MustangDos]

After fixing my issue w/ OD surging...and drive slipping (temp fix), I have lost EVERYTHING but reverse....

I changed the filter & fluid in the tranny & transfer case as suggested in earlier post, only to find out later, that you shouldn't change them on High Milage vehicles that were not regularly changed. It corrected the problem for about 5k miles.

I went to the parts store the other day to get another filter & fluid, as it started slipping from 1st to 2nd, backed out of the parking spot, put it into drive....NOTHING!!!! Only reverse...

I had to tow the ***** back to my house and have to look at it just sitting there every day...

I haven't done a 4x4 tranny yet, but looks like I am going to be breaking my cherry next week.

Question, I am not sure if it is the 5R55S or the A4LD tranny. Does it matter what I replace it w/ or does it have to be the same one?! What are the differaces?! Who do I tell which is which?!

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[MustangDos]

Anyone have anything to offer?!

 

[BrooklynBay]

You have an A4LD transmission. Start with rebuilding the valve body before you tear apart the transmission. Check the sticky called the A4LD rebuild diary in the transmission section for more information.

 

[MustangDos]

Was a bigger problem all together. Ended up loosing OD, then Drive...by the time I was able to pull the tranny, only thing left was reverse. Sorry to tell ya, looks like a new tranny is in store for you too.

Side note, if your tranny isn't maintained from from beginning, don't start changing the filter & fluid. Seems the old gunk is what is holding everything together....good luck!!!

 

[Flandry]

I'm new to these forums and others here can tell you much more. But I am having to put in a new transmission into a 93 Sport, and have had tranny issues three times. So I can at least pass on what I've learned:

The A4LD is a terrible tranny. It was originally designed for a 3 liter engine. The "LD" stands for "Light Duty". With successive X generations, Ford has put better trannys in. The 5R55E is the best of these. But tranny swapping is a big problem because the A4 is computer-controlled only on its OD and TCC, while the others are controlled on all gears. So this would mean you'd have to change the computer as well as the tranny, which would require numerous engine mods as well. If you have the skills to rebuild yourself, read the Project Frankentranny sticky at the top of the forum. This mod centers around rebuilding an A4 with as many 5R parts as possible. If you still want to swap, another forum member has told me he has a computer module that'll allow a 5R to be put in. His website is www.hensonperformance.com. But only the A4 has a speedo cable, so your speedo will no longer work and you'll need to add a digital guage.

If you're going to have someone else do the work or just want a direct replacement, another A4 is your only option. Ford has had numerous repair issues with the A4. So over the years, they've added updates to improve things. Ford sells a remanufactured A4 with all the updates called an A4LD-HD. The "HD" stands for heavy-duty. It's really not, but it is better. This is the choice I went with. It has a 3 yr./75K warranty. Jasper Engines also sells a reman with a 3 yr./100K warranty. But I've heard Jasper is harder to deal with than Ford if you need to use it. The Ford reman is also cheaper. You could also get the A4 rebuilt by someone else for less. But you may never know if all the updates get put in.

To help things, I'm also installing the external transmission oil filter assembly Ford uses on F-250/350 Superduty trucks. This part is $69 and will improve the filtration and an additional 1/2 qt. or so of capacity. If you don't have the towing package, you may also want to consider adding a tranny oil cooler as well.

Hope this helps.