A4LD transmission shift problem

[RichardOdie]

I have a 1991 explorer XLT With auto trans , recently when the tranny is shifting from 2nd to 3rd the rpm races a bit and then drops in to gear is this fixable or is this a sign of comming problems

 

[Glacier991]

More likely it is a sticking valve in the valve body. Is the only shift this happens on the 2-3? (it's called flare... in your case a 2-3 flare.)

 

[RichardOdie]

yes this problem only happens on the 2-3 shift, but seems to get worse when the tranny is good and hot.

 

[Glacier991]

While there is an involvement of the governor here, I really suspect the valve body (main control) is probably in need of being taken apart, cleaned and put back together. Sadly few transmission shops want to do that. (While there may be some good reasons for them to not want to do that, in general I think they don;t want to because they can sell a higher cost rebuild instead of a lower cost fix...

That said, on a high mileage trannie, they may only be delaying the rebuild....

 

[RichardOdie]

Is it possible to rebuild the tranny myself and is it reliable and what cost am i looking at??

 

[Glacier991]

yes it is, and cost will depend on what upgrades you want to incorporate. Go the Useful Threads and read "My A4LD Rebuild Diary"... that will give you a good flavor, lots of pics too. Trannie rebuilding isn;t for everyone, but if you are competent with tools and auto mechanics, and have a place to work, it is within your abilities, easily.

IF you rebuild the valve body, and that doesn't fix it, you are not out anything since you would rebuild it in a full rebuild anyway - and it MAY fix your problem. Do a search for threads by TN_Explorer. he did a VB rebuild and did a nice illustrated thread on it. Solved his problems as well.

 

[cottontoptexan]

I have the same problem

I have a 1 Mazda Navaho 4x4 with the Ford A4LD transmission and the 4.0 Liter Engine. The only problem is shifting between 2nd and 3rd. Ford diagnosed it as a flare where the rpm's rev up to around 2200 and then it shifts. If I let off of the accelorator when this happens it ***** okay. No other problems just this one. No slippage or anything, no failure to go into gear. It has 120,000 miles on the Navaho and other than this problem runs fine. The dealership noticed transmission oil coming from the modulator and replaced it. The transmission oil is clean. Any ideas , some say the valve body is the problem.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Did you check for a broken band?

 

[dmayrand69]

i have the same problem with my 96 ford explorer 4.0 transmission. The 2-3 flare and is it hard to fix?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the sticky threads on the top of the transmission section for information on the shift flare issue.

 

[mrwiles]

A fix?

Transmission flare when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear is due to shift solenoid malfunction. (1997-2001)
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1991-to-2005-ford-explorer-sport-trac-sport-2.htm