HELP!!! URGENT!!! PLEASE READ!!!

[ChuckyD]

Hey... may be a dumb question... but do you guys think its better to drive in D instead of OD ifyour riding around town???

 

[Luv2explorer]

I would think so, as long as your not doing much over 40 mph or so.

 

[Jason_25]

Originally posted by ChuckyD
Hey... may be a dumb question... but do you guys think its better to drive in D instead of OD ifyour riding around town???

Absolutely. Less wear and tear on the tranny. But keep in mind with stock gears and tires the tranny doesn't shift into O/D until about 40 or so.

 

[ChuckyD]

well.... not going over 40 is rare... lol
i guess i will just take it off and only throw it in if i know im going on the pkwy...
hate when im drving and it shifts into OD when i dont want it to.

.. force of habit to put it in OD

 

[410Fortune]

Okay well I asked that same question to mytranny guy. He has been building Ford automatics for 30 years, and he built me one hell of a performance minded A4LD.

His point was this. The A4LD has a light duty overdrive unit and that is almost always the first thing to fail in the A4LD, requiring a full rebuild. So if you dont turn the OD on all the time it is not being used and can last longer. However by not using the OD you are always gonna be in the other gears, and they will wear just that much faster. Basically his answer was yes, by keeping it in D on the side streets and only using OD on the highway you can get extra miles from your A4LD.
But the best way to get miles from any automatic tranny is to keep it COOL. ATF breaks down with too much heat and loses ALL of it;s lubricating properties, so if your ATF gets fried you mine as well have Wesson cookling oil in there. The second step is to change the fluid and filter often, for the same reason as you change your oil, the ATF breaks down and also you dont want those little metal particles re-cyling through the tranny causeing further wear.

I plan to get 200K miles from this performance rebuilt A4LD, no problem. I change the filter and fluid every year if not more, I have a class "A" motorhome tranny cooler, and very soon I will also have an external tranny filter and a tranny coolant temp guage.

The most important thing with the A4LD is to make sure the "rebuild" is done right. Usually once the factory unit gives out and some run of the mill tranny shop rebuilds it, well thats where the nightmare begins. There are a ton of TSB's on teh A4LD, especially teh pre 93 ones, and if all these upgraded parts/proceedures are not used during the rebuild, you may as well be throwing money in a fire...so research is the key. You want to find somebody who knows how to build an A4LD, and dont just use the cheapest place in town. Also the other key is to make sure you start your rebuild with the RIGHT core. remember the A4LD had been used since the mid 80's, and it has been upgraded several times, especailly when they decided to put it behind the 4.0L. so if you go to the el cheapo "exchange a tranny" place you never know if you are getting a 85 A4LD that was behind a 2.9L and has the OLD weak parts in it, or if you are actually getting a 4.0L A4LD, because to them they are all A4LD's....

If you live in Colorado I can suggest a guy, if not just do some reseearch, every town has a few guys who know how to really build a 3 speed overdrive Ford automatic, you just gotta find them.

Oh and if you find the "right" people they may be willing to do several slight modifications to the throttle body, to really make the A4LD a monster...when mine slams into 2nd geaar I keep waiting for my rear axle to blow up it shifts so hard....better then any "shift improver" kit....

 

[ChuckyD]

So your saying a TB may help the tranny as well? or you will be able to use the benefits of an aftermarket TB better if the tranny is rebuilt well??

 

[410Fortune]

Sorry thats TSB or Technical Support Bulletin. Meaning when an A4LD is rebuilt there are several upgraded parts that should be used, the mechanic goes to the TSB's to find out what they are.....

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by 410Fortune
But the best way to get miles from any automatic tranny is to keep it COOL. ATF breaks down with too much heat and loses ALL of it;s lubricating properties, so if your ATF gets fried you mine as well have Wesson cookling oil in there.

The second step is to change the fluid and filter often, for the same reason as you change your oil, the ATF breaks down and also you dont want those little metal particles re-cyling through the tranny causeing further wear.

What do you consider cool ( temperature? )?

How often are you suggesting a fluid change?

 

[410Fortune]

I'm **** when it comes to my baby. She's got 230K miles on the body and frame, and everything else I have rebuilt or modified, so I tend to OVERKILL my fluid changes. For example I change my oil every 3000 mile religiously, sometimes I get to 4000 before the change, but not a big deal. I always use Mobil One Synthetic 10W-30 and a Motocraft FL1-a filter or better (no fram).

So yes people will say that is ridiculous! Well tell that to my old 2.9L which pushed an estimated 180HP with 180K miles on it....

So I change my transmission fluid once every 10K miles, or once a year. I changed it twice this year however since I had to "break in" my rebuilt A4LD. Ford will tell you 30K miles. I will tell you change that filter and fluid every summer, cheapest insurance you can buy. I also use my truck for towing a boat all over the midwest, for 4x4ing, and as a daily driver, so if I can get an extra 40K miles from my A4LD it will pay for itself. the Average rebuild is $1200, plus 6 hours of my time to drop it and re-install it.

I also change my rear diff fluid once a year, and the T case fluid at the same time. The front diff can go two years since it gets limited use.

Normal operating tempature for the tranny fluid? I dont know yet. I plan to installa gauge, then I will know. I can tellyou mine runs COOL, how do I know?

Well I installed rubber tranny cooler lines from the A4LD to the radiator, then out of the 4 core Modine radiator to the class "A"motorhome tranny cooler (about 12" x 20" it's huge!) and then back to the tranny. I have a manual coolant gauge and a 180 thermostat. My coolant tempature went up 10 degrees when I converted to a automatic, from an average of 190 to an average of 200. Now 200 degrees is still very cool, the hottest my truck has gotten when towing a fully loaded boat up the hills was 215. A stock Explorer from the factory runs at 210-230, with 210 being the normal for most off the shelf vehicles.

I plan to add an additional quart of fluid to my tranny cooling system in the form of an external filter setup (Napa $20). I also plan to "divorce" my tranny cooler from the radiator, right now it is zipped tied right to the front of the radiator, so when I move it away from the radiator It willdrop a few degrees back towards 190.
I may also install a 10" electric pusher fan right on the tranny cooler for those long up hill climbs and hot dessert 4x4 runs, but thats just me I like to OVerkill the cooling system...

My cooling system is big time overkill all the way through. First off I have a BII, so it's like 1200# lighter then a 4 door Ex, then I have the Modine 4 core super cooling radiator, the original BII full fan shroud (covers the whole fan, much larger then most Explorer shrouds), I have teh 11 blade super cooling fan and clutch from a 97 OHV 4.0L towing package Explorer, I use a robert shaw 180 degree thermostat, I have a 8# radiator cap, and I also run Red Line's "watter wetter" in the coolant. If you ask me cooler = more HP and a piece of mind when towing.

 

[EliteConcept]

Ok fellas heres the scoop! help me out now that i know 2x more..

There is tranny fluid in on the dip stick....and no puddles when i left work.

truck drives fine in 1
truck drives fine in 2
truck drives fine in Drive at highway speeds as well as slower speeds.

truck shifts ok in Overdrive up until about 55mph, then it starts shaking, and i know my truck it usually shifts into overdrive about 55mph...

also the exhuast sounds completely different, its also been sputtery for a while now.

i also noticed today that there is a sputtery noise emmitting from the hood, you can hear it when u stand in front of the truck. sounds somewhat like the exhaust.

as for the burnt plastic smell i might have been catching a wiff of the exhaust fumes, this morning i was in a hurry, due to these problems and just checked real quick...


the ironic thing is today i planned to go have the spark plugs changed, and someone suggested that might be the problem.....
but would that cause it to not shift into overdrive at 55mph?

man, i guess i gotta go to some shops and see what they say huh?


thanks fellas
keep the suggestions coming i don't know what to do.

 

[Jason_25]

Before you go to a shop, check the vacuum modulator valve on the outside of your tranny.

This valve controls your overdrive. What happens when this valve wears out is that your overdrive begins to act funny, and sometimes tranny fluid can be sucked into the engine causing it to run rough.

Looking into this may be worth a shot compared to a full tranny rebuild.

 

[EliteConcept]

where is this located??
i have one on my 92, i ask cause i notice you have a 95 and 97 explorer
yea i would love it to be that and not the tranny.

can you give me a bit more info on checking this?

is there anything about it in the hanynes manual i have that at my house, *at my girlfriends house now*

thanks buddy

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by 410Fortune
. A stock Explorer from the factory runs at 210-230, with 210 being the normal for most off the shelf vehicles.

Funny, mine averages 190 F with 194 the hottest. This is determined by using an OBD II scanner.

 

[Luv2explorer]

It sounds like it is shifting in over drive, but that your engine is actually doing "shaking". Check the plugs. you'll know if they are bad or not.

 

[Jason_25]

No problem. You may want to do a search on it. I am not sure if it's listed in the Haynes manual.

I tell you to do a search on it because I am only going by what I have learned from this site. Since mine is a 95, it doesn't have a vacuum modulator valve.

Oh and BTW, the engine burning the tranny fluid will smell like burnt plastic as well.

 

[EliteConcept]

the plugs could actually be causing all this?
like i said i was going to have them changed today anyways, i am sick of the irratic idle, but then this came up and i'm pulling out my hair

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by 410Fortune
and I also run Red Line's "watter wetter" in the coolant. If you ask me cooler = more HP and a piece of mind when towing.

Please tell us your opinion on the "water wetter".

Thanks......

Also, do you use synthetic ATF?

 

[Luv2explorer]

Yes- the plugs could cause this. I know it sounds strange, but it happened on my 92, and I thought my poor x was going to shoot the motor to Mars.

 

[Robb]

BTW: The Haynes Manual (p.7b-6) discusses the removal and installation of the "vacuum diaphram". I can't find any diagnosis for it tho.

Robb

 

[EliteConcept]

luv2explore
in what other ways did your truck act like or drive like that made you think it was the plugs.


the plugs are being changed as we speak,
i didnt' wanna tackle the passeger side ones so i am letting a trusted local shop have at it.

they are also going to look to see if they can find what the shaking driving and shifting problem might be.

i'm going to look into the vaccum diaphram also.

gotta start somewhere,
start cheapest, right.....
see if it fixes the problem

keep the ideas coming guys
thanks
ryan