A4LD Trouble

[Salace]

I have a 94 explorer 4wd with 86k miles. ALL fluds have been recently changed. Yesterday i was in the hills hunting and started losing transmission fluid. I had been driving the logging roads for a few hours and almost all of it ~5mph in 4hi due to about 10-12 inches of snow, i had turned around and was tracking back when i found my "blood trail" of tranny fluid. it seems tobe leaking from the front of the tranny. at that time it seemed like it only leaked out when it was under load, going up inclines or when i was spinning on the snow. i tried to limp it home but didnt make it far when the rpms started acting up and i was losing power fast. Dipstick was dry and the tranny was obviously hot. Had it towed home and there it sits. Ive been reading through the forum and found it could be a few different things. I am new to the explorer world but have found a ton of great information here, so i was hoping some of you could chime in on what YOU would do in my shoes. rebuild, swap for different transmission, add cooler and temp gauge etc. I just want to be able to go hunting with confidence that i wont be stuck at in the middle of no mans land. I read a handful of problems these trannies seem to commonly have but im sure with the right upgrades, it should be able to hold its own. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bruces expo]

Welcome to the Forum And Sorry to hear about the ( Blood Trail ) , I have Experienced Some Issues and Problems over the past 8 years with a4ld transmissions , The First thing I have learned Never Let it run low On Fluid , Second When it Gets hot shut it down and let it cool down , Third An External Or Twin Stock Fluid coolers Help Allot .

In your Case I would Put Trans Fluid In And Check to see if your Leaking at the Motor/Trans Bell Housing Area . If you are more than Likely its The Front Seal Behind the Torque Converter , If it was leaking from the Overflow tube on Driver side in front of Linkage it would be because it was getting hot . And the Fluid thinned out and was pushed out of the seal . Hopefully it just got warm and puked some fluid out , Report back after you add fluid and check for leaks ! .

Edit : Here Are Pics of my Dual Stock Coolers up Front , Only Need One New Piece Of hose And a Drill bit To Make this Modification Possible , Adds Some extra Fluid And Helps With More Cooling Area ! .

Without Grille

Driver side

Pass View so you Can See the Lines

View from up Top

 

[Salace]

thank you for such a fast response, im going to top it off and check right now, the dual cooler is something i definately want to do. Is there already a how to thread for that mod?

 

[Bruces expo]

No Problem , I like to help when I Can . I did not Find a How To For The Dual Coolers , However its very Simple . I went to my Local Pull a Part And Pulled 2-3 Different Coolers to check the Fluid color and Smell , Then Found a Good Piece Of hose to go with it and Both Hose clamps , You need to Drill 1 Hole for the Cooler to mount to on the Pass side behind the grille , Double check where your drilling into for no Issues or More Problems , Use the New piece of hose to connect from one Cooler to the Next And you use the Stock 2 Rubber lines for Inlet and outlet , It Adds extra Fluid , But since your In a Colder climate you may Want to Block the Grille In Colder days Below 0 to keep your Coolers from Staying too cool and not warming up to Operating temp ! . Hope I helped And I Can Take More And Better Pics For you If needed ! .

 

[Salace]

unfortunately, it seems to be the front seal. its leaking out right where the transmission meets he engine. so, the plan is to change the seals, add a second cooler and a temperature guage. is there any modifications ke while the tranny is out? maybe better torque converter? im not knowledgable with auto transmissions so a rebuild is out of the question for now. thanks again for the help.

 

[Salace]

ather important thing to add. the explorer was sitting in my uncles garage for about 10 years. could the seal be bad from sitting, and maybe it wasnt overheating at all?

 

[Salace]

im trying to order the seals i need for the transmission and looking at the list, im kind of confused as to which ones i need to change. there are quite a bit and i would like to change the easier ones, assuming one of those is the one that failed. any advice about what seals i need would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bruces expo]

There Is a Bushing that the Torque converter rides in , It will need to be Replaced , It has to be Pressed into place . There is A PDF manual For the A4ld in The Transmission Section , Check there and then come up with the plan , There's allot to read in there ! .

 

[wood1]

The explorer is known to puke tranny fluid when the antifreeze gets low. Check your rad, make sure it is topped up.

 

[wood1]

I should mention that mine did that 2 years ago. I topped up my rad and tranny... and have been driving it since.

 

[chadblondiau]

Hi everyone good to be a part of the site now!!I purchased a 93 auto a4ld 2wd.reverse gone od gone,and front seal leak as stated above.Im looking at a rebuilt tranny for 599 shipped from a reputable shop online.Problem is I want to make sure the seal and bushing is aligned correctly so i doesnt crap out agin.Ive searched agin and agin about is and i dont under stand.could some one explaine in dummy terms for me? Thanks in advance Chad.Would message cell if need be

 

[chadblondiau]

Hi everyone good to be a part of the site now!!I purchased a 93 auto a4ld 2wd.reverse gone od gone,and front seal leak as stated above.Im looking at a rebuilt tranny for 599 shipped from a reputable shop online.Problem is I want to make sure the seal and bushing is aligned correctly so i doesnt crap out agin.Ive searched agin and agin about is and i dont under stand.could some one explaine in dummy terms for me? Thanks in advance Chad.Would message cell if need be. Already pulled old tranny out

 

[wood1]

Chad send me a PM with your email address. I will send you something that will help.

To further explain the tranny puking it's guts out, the cooler line runs through the rad so if the antifreeze is low your engine runs hotter, thereby transferring more heat to the transmission fluid. Voila, puking trans.

 

[Bruces expo]

Thanks for the Input Wood , I would've posted earlier but had some running around to do , I have noticed with my Dual coolers that they are both Barely warm to the Touch after a 35- 45 Min Drive , I am Pleased with the Dual Coolers Doing there Job ! .

 

[Salace]

well, it just got picked up by the transmission shop. they said they would tow it, diagnose it, and if need be, tow it back all for free! not bad if you ask me. Ill keep you guys posted on the diagnosis. As for the coolant level, it was good. i had just put a new radiator in it a few weeks ago as well as a new thermostat and all has been well, temperature was actually a little cooler on the gauge than i would expect. Maybe theyll call me back and say everything is fine, but i dont think im that lucky.

 

[wood1]

I agree on the dual coolers. I have 2 and a external filter I installed. Seems to be keep it on the road so far. 320K kms.

 

[chadblondiau]

thanks for you email wood.Just purchased a rebuilt a4ld on ebay yesterday .was wondering if every tranny like this has the seal issue because of the crank and bushing not being centered?I know they are places that u can send off to machine the bushing in place but it seems like they all went out of bussiness.BUT my question was where did u guys get the coolers from?and can i go to the bone yard and pick some up and install them if so what make and model should i look for,heard some astros has them factory installed

 

[wood1]

should be able to find them on ebay, or anyone that sells trailer hitches, a transmission shop, junk yard, NAPA etc etc. My second one is the same size as the first, they are both plumbed in series, inlets and outlets both pointing down to make sure they never get airlocked.