Define a tranny rebuild...

[Peter Westling]

Ok...
What exactly is a tranny rebuild? Let's say that I have the classic governor issue and the tranny freewheels between 1st and 2nd gear on a A4LD.
If I let authorized Ford guys repair it they will probably do the same thing as I would, clean the governor. Probably they also would say that they have rebuild the tranny. Also they probably want to get paid as it would be a total recover.
If I would do the same thing I would call it "clean the governor"...

Is a total teardown and replace all gaskets, seals and gizmos inside only consider as a rebuild, where is the line drawn here?

The reason for asking is that many people says that the have left their trannys to the mechanics for a rebuild ones and also two times and still getting problems in the near future after the job done.

Has anybody done the rebuild more than once on the same tranny..?

Is there a checklist for a rebuild or so? Hope youre getting the Q picture here..


Regards.

 

[410Fortune]

A complete rebuild is replacing all hard parts, everything that can wear out.
Performing all updates, all new solenoids, complete valve body rebuild, etc.
$1000+

Opening it up and replacing one thing or cleaning something is not a rebuild, its a temp fix for the current issue
$1000+ likely due to labor and diagnosis time.

So my point is if you are going to drop the trans and open it up, if it has more then 50K miles on it, go ahead and do a rebuild.
If it was a recent rebuild that is experiencing problems, then they can open it up and fix the problem, but I would hope it would be free of charge since you already paid for a rebuild.

Let me guess you feel you got screwed by the stealership?

 

[Peter Westling]

I havent opened mine up yet. I will probably have to do it in a near future though...
I have the governor issue as you might understand. But when I do the search about various tranny problems the lines "second rebuild", "doing it my self" and things like that pops up now and then...

When doing smaller things on the tranny or redoing recent updates if they not turn out to be good does one always have to replace the oil? Do the fordguys re-use the tranny oil or do they replace it always?

Is there a complete kit with all parts gathered for a complete tranny rebuild or do I have to buy each part alone? Should I include all the other kits sold such as master and junior shiftkit?

 

[Glacier991]

Last question first. Yes you can buy rebuild kits that include all the seals and gaskets, and then to that you can add frictions, bands, steels etc. PM me and I can direct you to some very good pricing on these.

Now, what IS a transmission rebuild? You have asked the $64,000 question. Within every transmission there are certain wearing parts, and in addition there are quite a number of seals made of rubber-like material that, over time, harden and lose their effectiveness.

It may seem surprising but many times the frictions and bands - seemingly the "main potentially wearing parts" are worn little. Sometimes a bearing surface may fail and spread shards of metal throughout the entire system. So the best answer is, "it depends".

There is a rebuild commonly referred to as a "soft parts" rebuild. In this the transmission is disassembled, and all seals, gaskets and O-rings etc. are replaced. Many times the old frictions may get re-used in such a rebuild. One would hope that a careful inspection would reveal any "hard parts" that are significantly worn, or appear to be on their way to failure.... hope being the key word here.

Some transmissions seem to do fine on a "soft parts" rebuild. Others not so much so. The A4LD does not seem to have a good record of longevity after a soft parts rebuild.

A competent rebuild SHOULD address upgrades made to the tranmisssion since the year of manufacture. The A4LD has many.

I draw fire when I say this, but in my estimation, there are some things in the A4LD that should be replaced on a rebuild, prophylactically even - even if the old one seems fine.

If you have not done so, I recommend you go to the useful threads and read the A4LD Rebuild Diary it answers a lot of these questions. I have a couple new upgrades to document to insert into that thread, but it covers pretty much everything else.

Hope this helps.

 

[spindlecone]

Great post,same hold true for the 5R55E?

 

[Glacier991]

You know the old thing about scientific theory, change ONE thing at a time? Well when FORD switched into the 4R/5R they changed a zillion things.... some main changes were to use torrington bearings and add bearings where previously there were bushings and thrust washers. But they also went to complete electronic control, and the use of a pressure control solenoid.

Mechanically, I am of the impression that a good many of the A4LD's shortcomings were fixed in the 5R55E. OD has some vestigal issues, but overall it needs less than the A4LD on rebuild. BUT.... on a rebuild the VB NEEDS a total rebuild and some upgrades - MORE important than in the A4LD. So, trade off. Lots of rebuilds never touch the VB other than to unbolt it and bolt it back in place. Also needs teh EPC solenoid replaced at rebuild time - prophylactically.

 

[Peter Westling]

I am really thankful for the info here, great answers!

Since I never done this before but I am sure that time, help , reading and some fundings will clear out my issues... The strategy would be to buy a second used A4LD and start rebuild that one. Before the one in the rig drops for real. This could be a good project during the cold dark winter evenings.

So the path would then be a total rebuild including the upgrades. Okay, I can live with that. Actually a very interesting task. What is you opinion? Is this nuclear science or is it just a matter of will?
What can be the estimated time here if I have the rebuild and upgrade kits? Weeks, months?

Glacier991: I will pm you If I'll go further with this, If you have the list of components needed and a good pricing I would be more than happy to go that way.

Regards