A4LD Problems ??

[Leith]

I have a 1993 explorer limited 4.0 Got it a year & a half ago in Calif. drove it back to Az. ( the longest trip I've put on it. ) I use it almost every day back & forth to work ( 30 miles each way ) & around town. No problems what so ever. The odometer showed 53k when I got it. Now I have 80K ( not sure if the odometer has been rolled over or not ) Now here's the problem, about 2 weeks ago I took a trip to the mountains ( 1 & a half hrs. ) stopped got gas & when I pulled out The trans. didn't want to shift ( felt like it was stuck in 1st. ) At the next red light it did shift normally. I made another stop at Walmart & when I went to leave I had no reverse or drive. I checked the trans. fluid it was down almost a quart. I added a quart & it seemed work but stuck in 1st. again. At the next red light it did shift & it seemed ok. I headed for home. ( Got it home ok ) One block from home at a stop sign when I pulled out it felt like the trans. was slipping had to feed alot of gas to get it to move & it made alittle noise. The next day I called alot of tranny shops, big bucks for a rebuild. anywhere from 1000 to 2500. ( to much money, money I don't have ). I've been thinking about doing it myself & after reading Glacers posts ( they are great ) It took away some of the fear. I droped the pan & filter today, fluid was alittle dark, in the pan was debrus ( afew very small slivers & some very fine ( like sand ) pices. On the magnet in the pan it was like mud ( the color was gray or Alum. )
My question is what do you think is wrong ? Do I need A complete rebuild ?
Is this something I can do myself without costing to much ? And how much life can I expect to get out of a rebuild if needed ?
Oh yeah by the way one of the tranny shops told my to bring it in for a free scan they said sometimes its just a switch or something easy to fix.
( I did take it in ) not my case according to them. They said I need a complete rebuild. ( $1600 ) can save $400 if I remove & install myself.
What do you think I should do ? Any help is greatly appriciated.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[Tbars4]

i just had mine rebuilt last month for over 500 dollars cheaper....they towed it to there shop and had it done the next afternoon...your description of your pan sounds like you are ready...but i'm sure glacier will give you a more detailed resolution....good luck...

 

[meademike]

try to replace the the altenator. seems transmission plroblems can be related to low voltage issues. read so of the other 'posts' about simular problems

 

[Glacier991]

Little metal slivers are not a good sign..... the rest of your description is rather normal.

If it were me, I'd flush the trans fluid, change the filter and adjust the bands... see how that works.... you might eke out some more miles.

It sounds to me like you may have overheated the trans and lost some fluid...

I thought mine was toast at 190K and changed the fluid... had a bad modulator and was adding fluid regularly so it wa always fresh.... adjusted the bands (changed the modulator)and now 30K later it's still going good.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I would suggest that you check the vacuum hose from the modulator for signs of ATF leaking into it. It might be leaking ATF into the engine to be low a quart, unless you see signs of leakage on the floor when you park.

 

[Glacier991]

good point BB

 

[Leith]

Thanks for the info. I'll plan on doing all of that this weekend. I hope it works. I'll let you know. The old filter has Ford stamped on it. Does that mean it could be the original from the factory ? About the slivers I only found about 3 of them but very small the rest was shiny little flakes. To fush the trans. should I just do it with new fluid ? Is that the best way ? Thanks again

 

[Leith]

Thanks, I'll check the hose for fluid leaking into it. And yes it does leak a little, very little but I'm not sure if its oil from the engine or its tranny fluid. The bottom of the oil pan where the engine & trans. meet is always wet. The color is not red its brown. But that is kinda what the tranny fluid looked like after I drained it. I just always figured it was from the engine. I was always adding oil, about a quart every 2 weeks, engine doesn't smoke either ?? Thanks again, I'll let you know about the hose.

 

[Glacier991]

Flush using new fluid. Use a fram Microfelt filter.

 

[Grrlwronged]

A4LD's have always had issues. Mine did the same too before it blew. I blew the front seal & didn't know it. Thought it just overheated, dropped tranny fluid in it & drove it till it could only go into Park Reverse & Neutral. With this type of tranny it is better to have a complete rebuild done, or the cheaper route is to find a low mileage one from a junk yard. It's all in how much you love your vehicle is the route you should take.

 

[pooll]

hey i have a problem my wifes 94 ex wont go in any drive gear will go in reverse no problem just not in any drive gears could this be vacum of is my tranny wasted lol if so how can i fix it or does any1 have a good tranny cheap ty in advance.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Try to rebuild the valve body as I suggested in that other thread.

 

[Leith]

Welcome to this forum! I would suggest that you check the vacuum hose from the modulator for signs of ATF leaking into it. It might be leaking ATF into the engine to be low a quart, unless you see signs of leakage on the floor when you park.

Ok today I adjusted trans. bands both to 120 in. lbs. then back off 2 full turns then tightened lock nuts.( 1993 Explorer Limited ) Does that sound correct ? Then I pulled off the vacuum hose to the modulator & yes just like you thought ATF poured out !! So what does this mean ? What do I need to do now ?
Thanks,
Lee

 

[Glacier991]

Replace the modulator.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Be careful not to lose the pin when you replace the modulator. Petroleum jelly (vaseline) could be used to hold the pin in place while replacing the leaking modulator. The pin gets inserted into the new modulator. There are 3 different modulators, so make sure that you get the correct one. Check the internal spool in front of the pin for any binding due to clumps of fragments.

 

[Leith]

Be careful not to lose the pin when you replace the modulator. Petroleum jelly (vaseline) could be used to hold the pin in place while replacing the leaking modulator. The pin gets inserted into the new modulator. There are 3 different modulators, so make sure that you get the correct one. Check the internal spool in front of the pin for any binding due to clumps of fragments.

I got a new modulator tonight plan on putting it in tomorrow. 3 different kinds ??? I went to Autozone got the Fram #FM2336 it was only $9.00 plus tax
I hope this is the right one. Looks like you can adjust it. ( a little screw in the front ) The guy at Autozone didn't mention anything about different ones. The new one is a little shorter than the old one though. After Autozone I went to checker just to check if I got the right one. ( I was concerned because it was shorter ) Checker brought out one, same part for $18.00 plus tax. Checkers was in a no name box ( white box with red & blue stripes ) The parts looked exactly the same. I asked him why the big differance in the price, he claims his was better than the Fram " Its what all the service stations use " is what he said. But told me he would match Autozones price.
I just kept the Fram, so I hope its the right one. How can you tell if it is ?
Thanks again for all the info.
Lee

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here is a picture from Glacier991's photo gallery:

 

[Leith]

Here is a picture from Glacier991's photo gallery:

My old modulator looks like the one on the bottom of picture, but the new one ( FRAM ) looks like the top one in the picture minus the adjusting knob.( mine just has a screw no knob ) I have a question....Should there be a spring in there ? The bottom of the picture shows no spring. That is exactly what mine looks like, no spring. I was very very careful when removing so not to loose anything. Modulator, rod, & the part that goes into the bore....No spring. Does it need one ? is so what happened to mine ?
Thanks,
Lee

 

[BrooklynBay]

Some shift kits come with different hardware. The length of the rod, spool and spring are different from one to another. Keep the parts consistent. Not every kit has a spring. Glacier991 would have more information on the specific hardware in each brand of shift kit.

 

[Leith]

Replace the modulator.

I replaced the modulator, adjusted the bands, new Fram filter, & fluid. Took it for a ride around the block about 4 times then put about 20 miles on it ( I was afraid to go to far ) Its running great !! better than it did. the shifts are so smooth. I did not try it on the freeway yet. I'm pretty sure the problem is fixed. What do you think ? Think I can trust it ? What should I watch for ?
I did not flush the system yet, I plan on doing it very soon. ( I just wanted to see if it was going to work ) Is there anything else I should do to prolong the life of this tranny ? I'm thinking of adding the 2nd. ext. filter & temp. gauge.
( looks like its worth doing )
Whats the best fluid to run after I flush the system ?
This is a GREAT site, Thank you all.
Lee