A4LD automatic tranny finally a-goner.

[Sir Robin]

Who sells a good rebuilt A4LD tranny?

The A4LD finally "expired". 189,000 miles, so I'm not too upset.

Who sells a good rebuilt A4LD tranny?

Anyone ever hear of or use these guys ?
I would have it shipped to my local shop who can do the swap for $300-$400.
Also, what is the tag-id? The supplier says they need it to identify the application. I know that it is an A4LD with the towing pkg./tranny cooler. ALso the rear is a "41", which is a 3.27. See here . A typical tag number is 93GT-MAA, but have no idea what mine would be. The car is at the shop right now, so I can't go look underneath.

 

[JohnFornaro]

Another tranny suggestion

Sir Robin:
I had a Jasper engine installed on my 93X about a year and a half ago, and it appears to be working good so far. Apparently Jasper also supplies rebuilt transmissions with a 3 yr. 36K mile warranty. I don't know aobut the quality, but the warranty sounds appealing. However, I checked the 5 yr warranty on the rebuilt tranny site you suggest, and it sounds impressive, especially when the picture of their 93X is the same color as mine!

However, read their warranty. First thing that caught my eye was that they only reimburse for a shop charge of $35 / hr. This seems low. My regular mechanic is $56/ hr, and my possibly new mechanic will be $52/ hr. Plus, their premium 5 yr. warranty is only valid at certain locations. I believe Jasper is nationwide. Typically, their warranty is only one year.

That's all I can observe at this time.

 

[Redrig]

i feel your pain mine just went to. im getting it pulled out rebuilt and out in for 1100 to 1350 was the estimate. so i think you would be getting a good deal. heres another place you can look at. i posted about these guys and got good responses about them also.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2419380619&category=33727

 

[Sir Robin]

Well I had to make a decision before I read your replies.
I ordered the rebuilt from the guys at the link above - http://www.rebuilt-auto-transmissions.com/ , or http://www.rebuilttransmissions.com/ , corporate parent web site is http://www.certifiedtransmissions.com .
By the way, the tag id number i asked about has no meaning for the A4LD according to the internet sales guy. He said they all point to the same transmission.
I'll let you guys know how it works out.

 

[Glacier991]

I cannot speak to the "tag number" but I can tell you that in 1993 the A4LD underwent MAJOR upgrades. anyone with a 91 or 92 would do well to get those upgrades in a rebuilt, and anyone with a 93 and up should make sure they are not getting a rebuild 91 or 92 without em !

Happy Exploring

Chris

 

[JohnFornaro]

MAJOR Tranny upgrades?

Glacier 991:
What were the transmission upgrades to the 93 A4LD that you mention in your latest post?
Thanks

 

[SteveVB]

That tag number has a bunch of info in it for the servo springs, and govenor springs etc. As long as you get a 4.0 l trans you should be fine.

From memory the upgrades dealt with some thrust washers changed to bearings, the design of the clutch drums were changed, the center section was changed (for the new drums and to prepare for the next generation 4r55) some others I cant recall.

Good Luck

 

[Glacier991]

Steve's right (as usual). I cannot help but think that the center support improvements and the torrington bearings will contribute to a longer life. The clutch drum (I wasn't sure when that got upgraded) is another important one.

Happy Exploring

Chris

 

[Sir Robin]

they claim that all rebuilds include latest engineering changes. The site made me feel good because they have a list of awards and stuff from Better Business Bureau, etc...
If all is well afterwards, short and longterm, i will definitely give them a nod here. Lets hope for the best.

 

[Sir Robin]

Just got off the phone with Doug, the internet sales contact. Nice guy. He said that yes, the tranny might have a tag number associated with it from the factory, but after a rebuild which includes the latest engineering upgrades doesn't mean as much if at all. In any case, the one I picked from their stock had the highest alphanumeric tag number - 93GT-NAB.

 

[Sir Robin]

Well the rebuilt from http://www.rebuilt-auto-transmissions.com/ has been in for almost a week. So far, so good.
The unit including torque conv. was $1212, ground shipping $175 (includes pick up and return of core), core deposit $400. My shop charged $350+tax+fluid to swap it in.
It drives nice - shifts nicely up and down, not clunkily.
I'm driving it to Maine and back from West Point area in NY state end of next week, so I hope it holds at least until after then.
I may not have saved a whole lot on the deal, but I feel good that the unit came from a large, experienced rebuilder that has a load testing rig.
The unit came with three pages of warnings and tips about proper installation, which my installer said he followed.
Time will tell.

 

[whtnite718]

Transmission going

What were your indications of the trans going? Mine is the when you shift to D or R it doesn't "go into" gear right away, you have to give some gas then between 1500 and 2000 rpms it will roughly engage. Reverse will shudder as you start to backup. Fluid is nice and clear red with no burnt smell. I'm thinking it might be the converter. Any thoughts?

Thanks Mark

 

[Glacier991]

Sounds more like a bad reverse/first servo seal to me. That's not a difficult one to replace.

 

[Sir Robin]

Indications that the trans was going? Not much. It never had a problem going into gear.

On the Sunday night before it went, it drove 3 hours back from the shore just fine - no problems, no symptoms. HOWEVER - it made a some weird semi-loud semi-grinding noise as soon as I put it in park in my driveway when I got home. I didn't get a good listen because my radio was still on, and when I turned the radio off, the noise stopped. It was 2am and I was tired, so I didn't look into it.
Next morning I actually forgot about the noise until I got about 2 miles from my house when the noise came back while in drive, then POP 2 seconds later. I coasted to a side street and promptly called AAA. No drive-o nor reverse-o.

Back in Nov. '99 at 94k miles, (the thread no longer comes up in the search), I had the transmission's valve body replaced due to some shifting problem. Not a real transmission failure, just a problem.

About a year ago, I noticed that it wasn't downshifting as nicely as it used to. It would sort of fish around ever so slightly, or would require an extra nudge down on the gas pedal. Nothing major, so I took it in for a full ATF flush job. That didn't do much if anything.
After that, I knew I was on borrowed time (probably ~170Kmiles at that point), so I just kept a couple of grand in savings for when the day finally came.

By the way, the transmission place I ordered from can diagnose the failure of your old one for $65 if you make arrangements ahead of time. I didn't bother.

 

[Sir Robin]

I promised a longer term update on my tranny replacement - here it is:
22,000 miles so far on the re-built A4LD.
No problems. Still shifts fine.
I feel comfortable that I got a quality rebuilt unit from the guys I linked to in my earlier posts. Very nice, helpful salesman on the phone as well.