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A4LD transmission repair...

eclipse5302

Active Member
Joined
April 8, 2003
Messages
64
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City, State
Waukesha, WI
Year, Model & Trim Level
91 XL - 92 XLT
I bought my other X, a 92 with 128k miles for $500. It had a problem going into gear, staying in gear, no OD, leaks, and shifting weird. I don't have the cash to rebuild now, so I decided to pull it to fix the leaks.

I pulled it, replaced the front seal, crankshaft spacer (it was broken--this should be checked everytime engine/trans is out), replaced the rev/low servo seal/orings, replaced the modulator (leaking) and pulled the OD and int servo covers to repair leaks.

To my surprise, the INT/OD servo seals were like rocks! The INT servo seals were super stiff, and the OD servo seals were stiff/broken!! Apparently this is a common problem because the cat convertor is right next to these servos and with that heat it turns the servo seals to rock.

Well, I fixed everything and put it back in. And it works nicely! Goes into gear within 1 second of selecting it (even rev!), and no more leaks. Hehe, the guy sold it because the trans shop said it needed a rebuild.
The only complaint I have is going into drive seems harsh (maybe it's just me) and the 1-2 upshift is pretty soft. Every other gear seems fine, engine braking occurs when it's supposed to, and the trans generally seems to work fine. But it could use a rebuild anyhow, so late this summer I plan on pulling it and rebuilding it...but for now this will work just fine for me.


If you have any of these problems, like engaugement delays, no OD, strange shifting, it might be a good idea to replace the OD/INT servo pistons. Unfortunately the servo seals are part of the pistons, but the pistons aren't too expensive. I think I spent roughly $75 to fix everything and that was including the 12 qts of fluid I needed (I drained to torque convertor and the entire trans while it was out.

Jason
 



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Mine wont shift into OD and, I cant feel it shift into 3rd either, but the other day on the highway I was in D and I felt it shift for the first time into 3rd. Are the servos dirty, I had to replace the shift valve next to the cat already, so do you think the servos went bad too?
 






It's possible that the seals on the servos have hardened. Might not be a bad idea to replace them. It might be easier if you take the exhaust out to replace them if the trans is still in the truck.

Jason
 






How do I check to see if the servos have hardened?
 






By replacing them. Once the old ones are out you can determine if they are bad. That's about the only way to check for sure.

Jason
 






How do I get them out. And they are located next to the vacum modulator right
 






They are the two round covers located next to the vac modulator. Getting them out is kinda difficult. You have to push the cover in, and use a small flat screwdriver (maybe two of them) and carefully pry out the lock ring that holds the cover on. Then you have to remove the cover. I find it's easiest to do using the two screwdrivers...just move out one side of the cover at a time. Be careful not to scratch anything!! The, the servo piston can be removed...you can use your hands for this. You definately don't want to scratch the inside of the servo cylinder. Let us know if it fixes your problem.

Jason
 






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