a4ld....RIP

[ForTiLLiaN]

Well, i was out at a family reunion and on the way home the tranny desided to spit out all the fluid. Looks like its coming from the main seal. Luckily my grandpa had a trailer to come take me back to his place. Im about 250 miles from home. I gotta be at work tuesday. I can borrow one of there cars, but now it looks like im going to be replacing my tranny sooner then id planned. I just moved down from washington to texas and i spent most my money on that. Time to start saving again. If anyone sees and deals on a tranny let me know. Im going to a tranny shop tomorrow to see what they say. Wont be good though, im debating whether to buy a new one and install it myself. Has anyone ever bought a tranny from ebay?

$725 w/ $350 core 24mo./24,000 mile warranty
ebay tranny 1

$525 w/ $99 core 12mo./12,000 mile warranty
Ebay Tranny 2

Used 28000 original miles in dallas tx, means i could pick it up, and only $175
Ebay Tranny 3

what do you guys think.

 

[ForTiLLiaN]

BTW, im not sure how well these things can rebuild. Its currently has 214,000 miles. Plans were for a new tranny and engine but not for another 4-6 months. But the tranny needs service now. Good deal on the 3rd ebay one, would it fit? Would it be worth it, i wouldnt have to wait, i could buy it now, the others i dont have the money for right now at this moment, but i can borrow a car for a few months if the others are a better choice. Thanks for any imput or help.

Justin

 

[ForTiLLiaN]

How hard is it to rebuild a tranny, what if i borrowed the car, bought a rebuild kit and did it myself. I have done some engine works, brakes, small things, but never a tranny, if i bought a rebuild manual.....?

 

[Brain]

You don't want the non-4.0L versions (as this one is). There is a whole bunch of posts on the A4LD and rebuilding it. I think Glacier991 has a great post on DIY rebuilding of the A4LD (long read but worth it to get an idea if you want to DIY). It starts here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98027&page=1

I had the same front seal problem you are describing, and I'm currently working on Frankentranny - a hybrid custom transmission using A4LD, 4R55E, and 5R55E components (whichever is needed to get my objectives met). My post starts here (but is more of a component comparison and project log rather than a how-to post):
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117793&page=1

There are lots of pictures on these posts, so the pages may take a little bit of time to load. The rebuild manual is helpful (and it's less than $20), but almost everything covered in the manual is covered somewhere in the posts. We're here to help of you have any questions. Have a good read!

 

[Glacier991]

If you buy an A4LD make sure it came out of a 4.0 liter application. You might, if you choose not to read the entire "A4LD Rebuild Diary, start with part 4..... I talk about my opinions on rebuilds and the such. Mind you they are opinions, and mine. Not gospel. Bright people can disagree. (I respect their right to be wrong <g> ... teasing)

 

[ForTiLLiaN]

Thanks for the help, it looks like since this is my daily driver im going to go ahead and let a tranny shop work on it. Ill be picking up a tranny front the junk yard and start my bullet proof rebuild. I suspect that the way the shop will do it will get it by for a while but it will soon again fail because i dont think they replace the metals parts but mostly the soft parts. Now incase i didnt say before this thing lasted my 214,x.. miles. Did good for me. Just within the last 4 months have i had shifting trouble, just when i first start the vehicle it woulnt want to go into gear. But after a few minutes of warming up had no troubles with it. Anyways, thanks for the comments, im going to be reading alot of posts on rebuilding now. Let the FUN begin.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

if you got 214k out of a a4ld... u got a good one.... a repair by a tranny shop doesnt mean they do a crappy job... it depends on what you want... a tranny with that many miles on it would get a full rebuild on anything thats worn.... including metal parts.... such a rebuild costs about 1500 and is more than capable of going another 214k if you take care of it... (thats the most ive heard of on orig tranny though ) when you get your new motor i would just change the oil again and maybe a shift kit.... other than that just be prepared that someday you might be doing it again... a4ld's arnt known for their longevity

 

[Trckmagik]

Did you contact the shop I mentioned to you on NukinFutz?