A4LD "hiccups", need help!

[Gadget X]

Hi, all. Got a transmission issue that's kinda stumping me. Lately, I've had problems with the governor sticking on my 94 A4LD, so I crawled under it, took out the transfer case, removed the governor, and cleaned and polished it. It didn't look bad, but it was sticking pretty bad. After I cleaned and polished it, I put it all back together and it worked as it should......for about 30 minutes. Then it was back to sticking again! Also started having other issues at about the same time. When the transmission is warm, it will start out in 1st gear most of the time, but some of the time it acts like it jumps immediately into second gear, just as it starts to roll! If I take my foot off the gas, then hit the gas again, it usually drops back to first, but sometimes I still have to shift it back to 1st manually. It also started acting "funny" from 3rd gear. If I've got it in "D", it shudders real bad as the torque converter locks up, almost like it's hunting between gears or something. It also does this sometimes when in OD as it shifts from 3rd to 4th, but the torque converter seems to lock just fine in OD. The transmission only has about 25-30k on it since it was rebuilt, and I'm at a loss as to what could be causing my problems. I assume I need a new governor to fix the 1-2 shift stuff, but what could cause the 3rd gear tcc lockup and 3-4 shift problems? I don't have any fluid in the modulator vacuum line, so I wouldn't think that would be it, any ideas? This is my daily driver, and I'm a broke electrician, so I can't afford another rebuild! Thanks in advance.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did they replace the servos when they rebuilt the transmission? Did they reinstall the heat shield over the servos? A worn governor usually acts up when it's cold, and not when it's warm. Did you adjust the bands, and the kickdown cable?

 

[Gadget X]

Unsure about the servos, but I adjusted the bands and the kickdown cable about 2 months ago, just as preventative maintenance, and the heat shield is in place.

 

[Gadget X]

Are the servos an "easy" replacement?

 

[Gadget X]

Could the torque converter cause any of the problems I'm having?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The servos are held in place with a snap ring in front of the cover. There isn't too much room to work next to them but it's possible to remove them with the transmission in place. Each one has a different spring, servo, and cover so only remove one servo at a time.

 

[Gadget X]

Gotcha, looks like I'll have to free up some time soon to get that done. Might as well do the low-reverse servo, modulator valve, and a fluid and filter change at the same time. Also been wanting to do an aux filter, trans temp gauge, and trans pressure gauge. Looks like I'm going to need a whole weekend's worth of free time!

 

[Gadget X]

Also, is there a chance that the transmission fluid and filter might just need changed? It seems (somewhat) logical that if the filter is clogged, then the pressure would be low, causing erratic behavior. Or am I just hoping?

 

[BrooklynBay]

How many miles did you put on the filter & fluid since the rebuild?

 

[Gadget X]

It's got about 25 to 30k on it since the rebuild. I was thinking that it should be good to about 50k, but was going to change it anyway.

 

[Gadget X]

Ok, new "symptoms". This morning on the way to work I had to drive about 2 miles before I could get it to go past 2nd gear. Figuring that this is the governor. When I was driving, under light throttle, at about 50mph or so, it felt like it was hunting back and forth between 3rd and 4th. Could my whole problem, aside from the governor, be the modulator valve? Not sure exactly what it controls, but I don't have any fluid in the vacuum line.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Do you have an adjustable or non adjustable modulator? Did you check the vacuum hose going to the modulator for leaks? Did you check for missing vacuum caps on the main vacuum tree on the intake manifold?

 

[Gadget X]

It's the non-adjustable type. I did check for leaks, and it all looks good, and no missing caps or unhooked lines on the vacuum system.