A4LD Issues and Symptoms

[natenkiki2004]

Hey all, not long ago I picked up a 1st gen Explorer with known issues and now that I've experienced the problems first-hand I thought I would see what you guys think of it and maybe get pointed in the right direction.

My Ex has the classic cold-shift issues but to add to that, if I put it in "2" when cold, it will upshift into 2nd. If I put it back in D or OD, it will downshift into 1st until it warms up or if I really rev on it, sometimes it will upshift but that usually happens at 35MPH and 3500RPM abouts. At times, even when warm, it feels clunky while shifting. Downshifts are always smooth and it seems like the 2-3 shift is the clunkiest.

It also leaks ATF. I'm not sure where (as everything is coated) but I have seen drips forming on the shift lever but the whole pan is wet. I have yet to get fully under it, clean areas and run it to see. Reading on here, this might be the modulator leaking? I did have a pretty bad vacuum leak on the brake booster but after getting that fixed, there was no change on the transmission.

I do know the transmission was serviced by the previous owner (not himself but he had a shop do it). I don't know what was done but at least it's been serviced.

So, what does this sound like? What should I start looking at or checking? I've seen the posts on the governor inside the extension housing and it seems like a job I can do but I'd hate to get that all apart just to find out it's something else. Thanks!

 

[natenkiki2004]

I wiggled my way underneath to check things out again (I really need to drive it up onto something...) and it seems that the bulk of the transmission "wetness" is on the drivers side near the shift linkage. It's not coming from the front. The back is a bit wet but I think that's just due to airflow under the car and the fact that it's parked at a slight upward angle.

I'm thinking of dropping the pan to change the filter and put a new gasket on as I hear the cork ones don't last long and during it's rebuild it could very well have gotten one of those. It might be the cause of the leak as well. Anything I should check out while I have the pan dropped?

 

[natenkiki2004]

I just noticed something curious. I was testing some sensors in the engine and turned it on/off a couple times. Each time I turned the engine off, the vehicle would backup. I never took it out of park but it's almost as if, while in park, the transmission is sending power to the rear diff and upon turning off the engine, that power is released and the vehicle rolls back slightly. Right now, it's parked at a slight incline where it would roll back if in neutral. Is this normal?

 

[natenkiki2004]

As far as I can gather looking at the ATSG manual/document...

Link here in case anyone needs it:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/464376/vehicles/1991 Explorer/a4ld_manual_atsg.pdf

Seems like my leak could be simple and resulting from the seal around the manual shift lever/linkage. As for my issues, I've seen a descent amount of rubber deteriorating so I'll check for a vacuum leak first then do a flush with filter change (might be leaking from my pan gasket as well) and then go after the governor and perhaps band adjustment. All of these seem simple enough and reading on here, should be done periodically.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?