Expensive Tranny Trouble PLEASE HELP, READY TO CUT IT UP AND JUNK IT

[newfieexplorer]

i have a 1991 eddie bauer, had the original tranny pulled when the front seal blew, cooked tranny, had another tranny out of a 93 put in, worked fine for a bit, then started acting up, burned up too, had it pulled and brought a "good tranny place" got it rebuilt...so they said, just wasn't working right when i got it back, reverse will only work when cool, won't shift until warmed up, about 10 mins of driving in first and second, and will only shift into 2 manually, when warm goes into 3, but then reverse doesn't have any "pull" unless u hold the pedal to the floor. so i brought it back, pulled the tranny, stripped it, said it was all good, maybe sticky valvebody, put it back in with an additive and sent me on my way, now i'm about $3500 into it and no further ahead, this is all since september when i bought it, i have about 6000km put on it since i first bought it, and been in the garage for about 4 months total, any ideas

 

[corkey]

did they check the torque converter too ?? , maybe it is no good,,
all the valve bodies in the world aren't doing any good if the torque converter can't work right,

 

[newfieexplorer]

they said it was good, they are saying the valve body is bad, but it was supposed to have been replaced, but they want me to buy another one for $400

 

[Masterd]

You need to find a shop thats gonna do the job the right way and not rush it...

 

[Robrt32]

Sounds like you got unlucky and got a bad shop...... the good shops around here give you a year warranty and they stand behind it..... They will take it back out, redo the job with no complaints free of charge

 

[newfieexplorer]

tranny shops are scarce around here, the one that done mine has really good reputation from most people, but since i've had this trouble the unlucky ones have been talking.....warranty not covering labour, thats a big ouch

 

[newfieexplorer]

i do most of my own work, but the auto tranny kinda scares me, is there any way to check a valve body??, or should i put the 5 speed manual in it, i had a mazda pick-up with a 4.0 and a 5 speed come my way, 2 wheel drive, will the 5 speed fit my transfer case if i unbolt the tail?? be the right length??, i can justify a new clutch, and time to put it in if it will work

 

[Masterd]

A good shop can have a great reputation...and suck at rebuilding A4LDs......nature of the beast.

The 5 speed is a bit more durable....but still weak if you beat on it...as for compatibility, I'm nearly sure all the parts like the tailshaft and driveshaft are different, but I'm not sure, you'll have to wait for a tranny guru to come along and say for sure.

 

[newfieexplorer]

A good shop can have a great reputation...and suck at rebuilding A4LDs......nature of the beast.

The 5 speed is a bit more durable....but still weak if you beat on it...as for compatibility, I'm nearly sure all the parts like the tailshaft and driveshaft are different, but I'm not sure, you'll have to wait for a tranny guru to come along and say for sure.

thats the trouble i could understand if i beat on it but most of the the time i drive to and from work, thats about it, no beating or off roading at all, just a few highway trips

 

[newfieexplorer]

believe me they aren't rushing, i just got her back, dropped it off last week in feb, just got her back 2 days ago

 

[Masterd]

Like I said, its the nature of the beast. There are tons of performance upgrades for the A4LD, you should make sure that the shop performed all the updates and recommended upgrades.

Understand that the A4LD was originally the C-3, which was used in the Pinto..all they did for the A4LD was throw an overdrive into it, and beef up some of the parts. Its still not a very strong tranny when you throw it into a 4000+ pound SUV.

 

[mikeinri]

The PINTO???

Wow, that's the first time I've heard that rather scary bit of folklore!

Either the tranny was the strongest part of the Pinto, or Yikes, what were they thinking!!!???

Mike

 

[Masterd]

The tranny did ok behind the 4 cylinder in the featherweight Pinto, and then they decided it would be fine behind a 4.0 and underneath 4 thousand pounds....

But....it can be build to handle some decent HP #'s

 

[fordnut71]

id say the valve body needs a rebuild. the how to rebuild the a4ld valve body in the tranny section is very helpful, with very detailed pics. with the pics from it an the instructions in the kits make it a simple fix. it wakes up a tired tranny,provided the clutches aint wore out.aslo swaping out the a4ld servos for the zc/ab 5r55e servos help an are a direct replacement.
btw good to see another newf on the boards

 

[newfieexplorer]

i think i'm gonna attempt a rebuild myself, i looked at the A4LD rebuild diary thread, seems like i can handle it, i cant screw it up any worse than it already is, and if i do, i'll put in the 5 speed, what do i have to lose besides a bit of time?? will repost results gonna pull valve body sometime this week if i get a chance

 

[Masterd]

Good luck...

Do you plan to document the process with pictures?

Also, make sure to rebuild it with all the modern A4LD updates and stuff...Im sure the rebuild diaries cover most of them.

 

[fordnut71]

ya make sure you get the 2 kits for the valve body.my transgo kit came with the boost valve, just make sure when you order it.
an get a ZC servo an servo cover.