A4LD - No Reverse [DIAL-UP WARNING]

[cloaked_chaos]

I had the transmission replaced in my 93 eddie bauer 4wd AT, and it had problems shifting, so I replaced the valve body, and now it shifts fine but no reverse. I was told that the problem was most likely the reverse piston (?) was stuck and therefore it could not go into reverse. I pulled the pan a little while ago and it appears ****ed in it's hole. I was wondering what I should do to fix this. The valve body looks like it may be misaligned, so I am going to loosen all of the bolts and try to move it and see if I can unstick it that way.
I have included some (redundant) pictures to show my problem. Pictures have been automatically resized for use on this forum.

 

[BrooklynBay]

If you grab one of the pieces on the piston, it will spring out pretty quickly. If you lost reverse after replacing hte valve body, then it can't be a problem with the reverse band. It might be a problem with the valve body, gaskets, or even the torque of the bolts. Do you have a torque wrench?

 

[cloaked_chaos]

I removed the piston, and it wasn't totally stuck, but it didn't come out all that easy. I noticed that the gasket was slightly out of place by about 1mm. I do have a torque wrench, but could you tell me what the bolts are supposed to be tightened to? I don't think I used a torque wrench when I replaced the valve body. Could it be the combination of things is why I do not have reverse, or could it be some other problem? Also, why does the piston appear ****ed when it is in place?

^original post^

[MAJOR FIND] I checked the A4LD rebuild diary (what a lifesaver) and to my amazement, I realized that the big spring which is supposed to be behind the piston, was not there. When we changed the valve body, we never removed the piston, and it didn't pop out because it did not have the spring behind it. I now realize that the piston is ****ed on purpose, and the reason we had reverse before and not now is because we most likely put the cover on wrong and/or had the gasket misaligned, and it was barely working without the spring while the cover/gasket was in the right place, and when the cover/gasket was put on incorrectly, it alerted us to the fact that the spring was missing.
The original reason we replaced the valve body was due to low pressure. I was wondering if that could have been caused by this.

Reference pictures from the rebuild diary:

 

[cloaked_chaos]

If anybody has an extra one of these springs or knows where to get one, please let me know a.s.a.p.

 

[BrooklynBay]

WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com has them.

 

[cloaked_chaos]

If they have them, then they just aren't listed. Maybe I am doing it wrong but I looked in every category.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I also looked, but couldn't find it. They sell more stuff than is on their website. They are always adding products to their website. I would suggest that you call them up. They will give you the part #, and then you could order it from them.

 

[cloaked_chaos]

Do you have any clue how much it might cost so I can know before I call?

 

[BrooklynBay]

I don't know the price, but I'm sure it can't be too much. Post the part #, and price when you find out.

 

[94stepsideford]

mine doesnt have one and its the stock VB. I'm betting the low pressure burned up you clutches (like mine did)

 

[cloaked_chaos]

I took the spring out of one of my other transmissions, but it still didn't change anything. Since reverse worked for the previous valve body and not for this one, I was thinking it might be one of the solenoids. If somebody could point out which one controls reverse, then I can change them out and see what happens from there on.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your A4LD does not have any solenoids for reverse. Your valve body has a reverse spool which is a hydraulic cylinder valve within the valve body. The valve body has passage ways which look like a map. When fluid travels in a certain path, it will engage either a spool, piston, clutch pack, or whatever else is along that path. The valve body is also known as the "brain" of the transmission. Now with the PCM controlling solenoids on the newer transmissions such as the 4R55E, and the 5R55E, you could say that the brain is the PCM. The shifts, and pressure are controlled by the PCM. Your A4LD only has 2 solenoids. One is for 3-4 shift (overdrive), and the other one is for TCC (torque converter clutch) lock up.

 

[gbic1]

Piston will be ****ed, this is normal. Pull the piston down and look to see if you can see the band. Some times the band gets out of place and there is nothing for the pin to hit. You should be able to see a shiny spot on band where pin hits, If there is a spring above the piston leave it out. Newer ones dont use it. Was 3rd gear ok when driving? Make sure you did not tear gaskets or misalign them. Gary

 

[cloaked_chaos]

I got home from school a couple days ago and I was bored so I went out to the car and started messing with the shifter, moving it back and forth, and to my amazement while I was slowly putting it into park, reverse popped into gear so hard I thought the car was going to drive off of the rims I was using to elevate it for the work underneath (I wasn't holding the brake). I kept messing with it trying to figure out how to get it to go in reverse consistently, and found out that the entire column shifter is slightly to the right, but all of the other gears were just barely aligned right to go into gear correctly. I pulled off the panel underneath the steering column and found the gear to fix the indicator, but I am still wondering how to change the alignment of the shifter cable itself. The end of the cable at the transmission did not appear to be adjustable. Will I have to open up the column itself to adjust it?

 

[jcapps]

i have a A4ld transmission reverse slips but but it does not slip in drive and i was wondering if it has something to do with the clutches or the valve body

 

[Fordexplorerguy1]

I just replaced my valve body and lost all gears any help?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you have the same problem before replacing the valve body? Did you use new valve body gaskets, and a torque wrench on the bolts?