i need some advice about the A4LD transmission....

[iLoveMyExploder]

ok so my transmission burned up on my 4X4 yesterday. literally, i believe it blew a leak and overheated and burned up as you could follow the smoke trail that clouded behind me. started with a funny smell and then it didnt want to shift.

anyway the trans is shot, but its not the end of the world.... i have a compatible parts truck with the same transmission. the exploder i drive is a 1993 4WD, and the parts truck is a 1992 2WD. i already know i would have to change out the tails to swap transmissions..... but i have 2 major questions:

1) when the 4X4 trans burned up, did that also ruin the 4x4 tailshaft? 4WD was not engaged.

2) the parts truck has been off the road for at least 3 or 4 years, and hasnt run since it was parked. im not sure what the condition is of the transmission in the parts truck, but it worked before it was parked. the man i bought the parts truck from claimed the transmission had been rebuilt shortly before he sold it to me.

the question is..... since it has been sitting up so long, is it still good to use, or is the inside gunked up from sitting so long?

so what do yall savvy explorer guys recommend? should i swap transmissions and roll with the plan of utilizing the parts truck, or take the 4X4 to a shop and have the transmision rebuilt with performance parts and have a warranty to go with it?

all comments and advice are welcomed.... and thanks in advance!

 

[timtimtimajim]

For your first question, I wouldn't think it would have ruined the tailshaft. But it wouldn't hurt to look it over just to make sure.

With the transmission that has been sitting, you'll probably be fine to use. But same thing, I would look it over just to make sure. Maybe do a fluid change on it just to be safe.

You can go either route of swapping transmissions or rebuilding. I know if it was up to me I would do a rebuild so that way I know all the parts are good and have a warranty.

 

[Josh P]

Cheapest would be to use the parts truck. I had the exact same thing happen to me, trans pumping fluid out the vent tube. I didn't want a junk yard A4LD or spend the money for a rebuild so I converted to a manual transmission.

 

[natenkiki2004]

I'd be tempted to see if the "blown up" trans could be run again. If it just leaked out fluid, overheated and slipped out of gear, it may be fine if you fill it back up. Realistically, when the fluid runs out, the pump has nothing to pump and the clutches are disengaged. The one thing that gets damaged is the pump. If it wasn't run for long then it may not be damaged. I'd be more concerned with figuring out why it leaked/puked in the first place but it may still run.

 

[Jon94]

I'm not 100% positive, but pretty sure the 2wd tailshaft is different than the 4wd tailshaft. Swapping tailshafts requires pretty major disassembly of the transmission. You'd be basically rebuilding the 2wd transmission anyway if you wanted to use it in your 4wd truck.

 

[92exp4x4]

I'm not 100% positive, but pretty sure the 2wd tailshaft is different than the 4wd tailshaft. Swapping tailshafts requires pretty major disassembly of the transmission. You'd be basically rebuilding the 2wd transmission anyway if you wanted to use it in your 4wd truck.

It is different, and the tail shaft is the first thing to go in the case when assembling the trans. It would be wise to rebuild the trans at that point.

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

For your first question, I wouldn't think it would have ruined the tailshaft. But it wouldn't hurt to look it over just to make sure.

With the transmission that has been sitting, you'll probably be fine to use. But same thing, I would look it over just to make sure. Maybe do a fluid change on it just to be safe.

You can go either route of swapping transmissions or rebuilding. I know if it was up to me I would do a rebuild so that way I know all the parts are good and have a warranty.

im pretty sure its not good, from what I have read about the a4ld..... what happened was, I was about 10 or 15 miles from the house. all of a sudden, it didn't have any get up and go, as in it didn't want to shift properly. so I stopped at a gas station, since it needed gas. then I noticed a leak.... more than just a drip or two I thought it was leaking oil. so I checked the oil, and it was a little low. put some oil in it and checked the transmission fluid, which was also a little low. then I crawled under the truck with a paper towel, and dabbed it in the puddle.... the fluid looked kinda clear. it want oil, and it wasn't red like trans fluid.... but it still wasn't driving normally..... I drove it down the street to the local parts house and put some lucas transmission fix into it and decided to drive it as far as I could towards the house....

so after the additive, no change in how it acted. at a red light, I noticed if I let off the brake- it would just sit there as if I were still pressing the brake. and I had to really mash the gas to get it to go (but not like flooring it). about 7-9 miles into the trip, my truck was smoking really bad.... it didn't smell like oil burning either.... I was creating a cloud like none I had ever seen before. the transmission seemed like it wouldn't go into overdrive... maybe 3rd gear was as high as it would go? im not sure- I wasn't watching to count shifting. but it was shifting late. and I had to keep the RPMs higher than normal just to maintain 55mph. the further I went, the more smoke it made.

anyway, the old gal got me to the house, and I parked it and I haven't started it up since. but I think maybe if I did I might could move it? when I turned off on my street, it did work in 1st and 2nd to get me in the driveway and up the hill. but its parked now.....

im petty sure none of this is related to the engine......

so do you think there is saving the old transmission? im going to be going with swapping the trans from the parts truck, since I don't have enough money to take it somewhere to have it rebuilt

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

It is different, and the tail shaft is the first thing to go in the case when assembling the trans. It would be wise to rebuild the trans at that point.

what do you mean? are you saying the 4X4 tailshaft is ruined if the trans went bad?

I posted a similar question before, asking about the interchangeability of the 2wd tranny to the 4wd tranny, everyone said the transmissions are exactly the same, except they have different tailshafts, which are also interchangeable (which is what I was told). I was told if I were to swap the transmissions in these two trucks, I would have to also swap out the tailshafts.... is what I was told not true afterall?

 

[92exp4x4]

I mean that the disassembly required to convert a 4wd to a 2wd, (or the other way) is so great that in doing so you might as well rebuild. Rebuilding requires the same amount disassembly, and for the most part the same tools.

When taking a trans apart, you remove everything to get to the tailshaft. It's the last part to come out and the first to go in and they are different between 4wd and 2wd.

 

[92exp4x4]

Your tailshaft is fine I'm sure. It's not really a wear item except where the seal rides and the splines, which almost never fail unless they are subject to large shock forces.

There are some threads here about rebuilding the A4LD. do a search and you will find lots of info on this trans

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

I'm not 100% positive, but pretty sure the 2wd tailshaft is different than the 4wd tailshaft. Swapping tailshafts requires pretty major disassembly of the transmission. You'd be basically rebuilding the 2wd transmission anyway if you wanted to use it in your 4wd truck.

I posted a similar question before, asking about the interchangeability of the 2wd tranny to the 4wd tranny, everyone said the transmissions are exactly the same, except they have different tailshafts, which are also interchangeable (which is what I was told). I was told if I were to swap the transmissions in these two trucks, I would have to also swap out the tailshafts.... is what I was told not true afterall?

 

[92exp4x4]

Yes everything is the same but the tailshaft and tailshaft housing. But to change it you must completely tear the trans down to swap it out.

 

[92exp4x4]

You could install the 2wd trans and driveshaft from your parts truck and get a running vehicle but you would loose your 4wd capability until the time you could rebuild your 4wd unit

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

Your tailshaft is fine I'm sure. It's not really a wear item except where the seal rides and the splines, which almost never fail unless they are subject to large shock forces.

There are some threads here about rebuilding the A4LD. do a search and you will find lots of info on this trans

ok so heres a question.... would it be a serviceable option to just put the 2wd transmission into the 4x4 truck? will that hurt anything? I don't really care about having 4 wheel drive.... I just want the truck to get me where I need to go.

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

You could install the 2wd trans and driveshaft from your parts truck and get a running vehicle but you would loose your 4wd capability until the time you could rebuild your 4wd unit

ok that's good. that's was my next question! thanks!.... so would there be any other mods required to make this option work? like.... would there be bare internal parts for the 4x4 exposed to the elements?

 

[92exp4x4]

Actually I suggested that in your other thread. It wouldn't hurt a thing. You could save the money and fix your other one for the future in the meantime.

 

[92exp4x4]

ok that's good. that's was my next question! thanks!.... so would there be any other mods required to make this option work? like.... would there be bare internal parts for the 4x4 exposed to the elements?

Nope just the drive pinion for the front diff. It's in the elements anyway. Tie your transfer case wiring harness up and out of the way and you will be good.

 

[92exp4x4]

Everything else is the same, mounts, cross members exhaust mounts on trans etc.

 

[92exp4x4]

Just make sure you remove the front driveshaft completely. If the hubs were to lock by chance while driving, the shaft would be driven by the axle and would beat everything to pieces before you could stop. The chance of this is almost impossible, but I'm sure you are familiar with Murphy's law!

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

Just make sure you remove the front driveshaft completely. If the hubs were to lock by chance while driving, the shaft would be driven by the axle and would beat everything to pieces before you could stop. The chance of this is almost impossible, but I'm sure you are familiar with Murphy's law!

that sounds great to me.... the 4 wheel drive didn't work anyway.... but according to my research, its probably the switch that's gone bad, or a bushing or something simple. fixing the 4 wheel drive wasn't on my to-do list anyway... its not a feature I need. I don't go rock crawling or mudding.... I stay on paved roads anyway.