A4LD Low/Reverse Servo Extender

[Glacier991]

One issue that plagues owners of Explorers with the A4LD is the "put in gear and wait" problem. This happens in reverse - and sometimes 1st, when it happens..... because the LOW band is used for both gears and the delay is in filling the servo to engage the band.

It was commonly thought the problem was due to a leak.... and it often is... but sometimes, even when you replace the seals on the servo there is still a delay. This has been puzzling. I have wondered if the wear on the band could mean that this non-adjustable set up might need a longer rod...

I rebuilt a VB for someone last summer and sent new seals for this servo and they reported they still had a delay.

Someone has developed a product to handle this problem. It extends the servo pin on the A4LD by .200, sufficient they say to solve this problem.

Here is the solution. costs about $3.

You can grind it if it is too long. A nice tool in the arsenal.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Hi Glacier. I had a few questions about this part. If there is no delay, could this part be used as one of the upgrades to make it a "bulletproof" transmission? If so, maybe it should be added to the A4LD diary in the section that shows this part being replaced. Is this part dependent upon the type of engine (3.0, 4.0, etc.) going to be connected to this transmission? If this part is too long, will it cause the band to be engaged all of the time? How would the transmission behave if this is too long? By the way, I sent a few PM's a couple of weeks ago about other transmission questions, and I would appreciate if you could take the time to answer them. I also posted the same questions in a new thread a couple of weeks ago, but nobody answered them. I guess I stumped everyone here. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

[Glacier991]

I would not be inclined to add this to a rebuild, but would use it in cases such as the one I described - an older Explorer with the delay that does not respond to improvements in the sealing rings. And were it in fact too long, yes it could cause the band to drag, though I have yet to play with one and see. When I rebuild my next A4ld next month I'll do some examination and report back.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Thanks for responding to my last post. It would seem that this problem in the transmission is because of a slightly worn out band. This extender would make up for the difference in the slack of the old band. Since the reverse band has no adjustments like the other two, it would need the extender.

 

[billz260]

Not to dig up the dead but this little piece may be the little fix my X needs to get it sold.

Has anyone had any experience with it?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The extendo pin needs to be custom fit with a grinder, so don't use it unless you know for sure how much space you are lacking. A depth gauge would be necessary for this procedure. Most of the time you have to replace the chipped servo with the proper length instead of messing around with a part like this. Just in case you want to try it, you could get it from WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com. Just use caution since if it's too long it will cause the low/reverse band to drag on the drum, and make it behave like it's always engaged.

 

[billz260]

Thanks for the reply.

I ordered one and a filter and some gaskets.

I just talked to the trans shop, they said it's leaking pressure somewhere inside and he recomends a rebuild. He also noted the extended servo is an upgrade they usually do to the A4LD's when they do the rebuild.

Still kind of stuck on the fence on what to do, but he dropped his price by lowering his warrenty by 6 months and said it would be transferable.

 

[kraylake]

this looks like a great fix. i went to order one, $2.95 but $15.00 ups ground shipping...yikes!

 

[Saint Ferret]

Thanks for responding to my last post. It would seem that this problem in the transmission is because of a slightly worn out band. This extender would make up for the difference in the slack of the old band. Since the reverse band has no adjustments like the other two, it would need the extender.

If the reverse band gets too worn out can it cause reverse to fail to engage entirely?

If that is the case would this extension perhaps help to tighten that band back up to engagment? At least adding a few more miles before that reverse band gets replaced?

 

[BrooklynBay]

You could try it, and see if it works until you rebuild the transmission.