A4LD pukes fluid

[tjgator]

My 91 EB Explorer with 4.0 and A4LD tranny, runs fine normally, but twice I used it to tow trailers-not in OD. The first time it went fine till about twenty miles then seemed to puke out nearly all fluid. Engine temp was at lower mid range, till the tranny let go. I drained the remainig fluid and refilled the next day, adding a bottle of Lucas trans helper, and all was fine till this weekend when I towed my boat about the same distance and the problem repeated and the same solution was used and all is bact to normal. I tested the TC lockup by going 55 and tapping the brake pedal, seeing the RPM go up about 200. Tranny has a factory cooler and it is getting flow through it. The tranny does not leak normally, just when towing. Any suggestions?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! You have low coolant in your radiator. I have a link to an article in Atra's website in my signature that explains this problem.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here is the link just in case you have a problem finding it: Dead Link Removed

 

[Glacier991]

Low coolant is a POSSIBLE problem. Transmission overheating is the root problem. You may have some slippage that is exacerbated by towing creating excessive heat.

 

[Brandons]

Ive heard lucas transmission fix isnt good to use on older transmissions. Everytime ive used it my transmission usually goes a few months or weeks after. Though more likely coincedence.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I've used the Lucas many times without a problem. I wouldn't have made it home from Pennsylvania without putting some of it in when my front seal started to spray out 3 quarts of fluid. It swells the seals, and might cause them to harden, and crack at a later time. So far, I've not noticed excessive leakage since I've put it in. This happened during the summer.

 

[Brandons]

yeah i really doubt its related to my problems, a used to be ford mechanic mentioned it wasnt good to use, but i really like the stuff, though putting it in in winter always sucked.... run in and leave it in hot water for a bit first.

 

[BrooklynBay]

That stuff is very thick. If you squeeze a little bit in the filler tube, and drive it around, you could always add more when you park. If you do this enough times, you will eventually finish the bottle. The other option is to stand there for about a half an hour, and squeeze a little bit at a time. One trick is to put some Lucas in the filler tube, then pour some ATF in, then a little more Lucas, etc.

 

[Brandons]

hehe i find heating it up does the trick, all you need is a kitchen sink. takes 5 min to pour it in then and it doesnt get all caught up in the dip stick tube either that way.

I hear also that using a bit of ATF during engine oil changes on older engines helps clean them out a bit, after seeing the inside of a transmission i can beleive it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

How would it clean out an engine? Transmission coolers, and valve bodies get clogged even though they have ATF constantly circulating.

 

[Brandons]

hence I hear lol, no idea how true.. would be interested to find out (though the inside of a transmission sure looks cleaner then the engine from what ive seen). I think im gonna try soaking something in it vs engine oil.. like a rusty nail or something with grease on it. bad test but im bored and have no life right now... lol

 

[BrooklynBay]

The reason the inside of the transmission looks so clean is because there is no combustion taking place. Combustion creates carbon build up from igniting gasoline. Engines that run on CNG, or propane last a lot longer. From what I've read in my research on them last year, they seem to last twice as long as engines that run on gasoline, and don't require as many oil changes. The oil runs much cleaner.

 

[Brandons]

I see, im not too informed about engines, that shed some light on it .

how is the CNG/propane idea going these days? I havent found any more of my old parts yet sorry to say.

 

[BrooklynBay]

These might have been good reasons for you to have kept that CNG setup in your Explorer. By the way, did you find any more of those parts in your garage?

 

[BrooklynBay]

I haven't done too much since the summer time as far as research, or experimentation. I would like to get it working with the way the gas prices are going up.

 

[Brandons]

garage being shelf in the other room loaded with cans of spray paint, welding rods and computer parts, looked through that with no result. Ive been through parts of the barn with no luck.. im starting to think mom threw them out. And definately one of the bonuses, but its annoying getting the tank recertified (or whatever it is), and with natural gas prices going up at the time it wasnt worth it. As for the engine life im not concerned too much about it, i have a possible engine from an 86 stang im considering.

Also another reason we got rid of it was the cost to rent the pump here for CNG, and the fact there was only one refill station within 30 minutes of here.

 

[BrooklynBay]

On another website, they say that CNG/Propane set ups are better for off roading, since you don't have a problem with gasoline spraying at massive angles against gravity. On the old carburetor set ups, it was even more of a problem, since there was a chance of a fire if gas leaked out onto the engine, and the exhaust. Since the CNG/Propane is already in a gaseous state, and is sealed, there was no danger. The old carburetors had another problem with stalling while off roading when there wasn't a steady gasoline flow. That was never a problem for CNG/Propane. I think we got a little off of the topic of leaking ATF!

 

[Brandons]

just a tad , though it passes the time waiting for a response as to any luck hes having.

 

[Glacier991]

ATF has a higher amount of additives to keep things in suspension (detergent like additives) and they will actually help clean up an engine if added to the oil (How MUCH is the real question, not much is probably the most honest answer). They do not have the lubricating qualities of oil, but more than one old mechanic would add a quart of ATF an hundred miles or so before an oil change. Others added a quart or kerosene and claimed similar benefits. Me ? I have no trouble accepting the ATF approach.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I know that they use kerosene to free up seized commercial sewing machines. Marvel Mystery Oil does appear to resemble ATF. I wonder if it is basically a blend of detergents that are usually added to ATF. Does synthetic fluid also have the same detergents added (synthetic ATF, and synthetic engine oil)?