More A4LD Help - Opera House, etal.

[Rebus Knebus]

I was wondering if you could give me some additional guidance on my A4LD.

To recap...

My 1994 Ex (w/154k) would not shift from 1 - 2 in OD or D but would do so manually by going from 1 to 2 and then to OD. I dropped the extension housing and pan, cleaned and polished the speed governor, replaced the extension housing seal, replaced the low/reverse servo O-rings, and replaced the filter with a MicroFelt filter.

This did not change the original condition. I waited for about 1000 miles to let the system flush itself out and then I decided to do your valve body procedure. The VB was a little dirty but not bad. The thin gaskets were stuck to the separator plate but I was able to get them off with a little careful effort.

On re-installing the valve body, I found out that my manual shows there to be 19 40mm bolts, 5 45mm bolts, 1 35mm bolt and 1 30mm bolt. I had 18 40mm's and 2 35mm's with the extra 35 going toward the low-reverse servo near the large filter hole.

I did experience some problems (I thought) in reinstalling the L/R servo. I installed a new MicroFelt filter also.

The transmission automatically shifts like champ now...EXCEPT I have no reverse. Sometimes it will move and sometimes it won't. I'm thinking that the end of the L/R servo rod did not go into the proper place to engage the reverse/low band. I have read your warning statements on the L/R servo improvements over and over. I did notice that there seems to be a vacuum-type "whoosh" when I trounce the throttle. It sounds kind of like a vehicle with a carburetor but without the air-cleaner installed.

I'm going to drop the pan again this Thursday (hoping that the third time is a charm) and was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to get the L/R servo rod in the correct place. I have done it once before and it seemed to work then. Should I loosen the valve body (but not remove it) and then try and install the L/R servo? Is there a particular "feel" when this rod is seated properly?

As always, any advice and guidance that you could give would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ALYZ1FLR]

Its not hard.

Use a long flat tip screwdriver and rotate the band around till the engagment notch is visable thru the shaft hole and then re-install the servo. You can tell if you have it right by checking the plunge depth as specified in the atsg. manual. If you want to make sure that is the problem, you check to see if you have engine braking in manual 1rst. Put the shift lever in low 1 and accelerate then let of the gas and see if it slows you down or just coasts. Coasting will tell you if the low reverse band is slipping. Coasting can also mean the low reverse one way clutch is slipping.

 

[Opera House]

What's so hard about a couple of bolts?

Sorry, I just had to laugh. When I put the valve body back, I threw in a couple of bolts quick to hold the gasket in place. Then I got a little disoriented because I had the transmission oriented differently from the book. Then I must have grabbed some from the wrong pile. One screw bottomed out and then I had two extra 35mm bolts. The next day I pulled them out one at a time and checked them with a caliper per the manual. I ended up putting the two 35mm bolts closest to the filter mounting screw. Both were part two groups of three #1 bolts near the 3-4 shift solenoid. No way to prove it is right, just seemed to fit there best. Servo bolts are 20mm. Even with a manual there are times of cosmic angst.

I have trouble believing there is a problem with the low/reverse servo if 1st and all the other gears work. The warning is mostly because anytime you work on a transmission things can happen and the people here are very creative. If you tip the tail stock up, it could happen. That is why the manual says to install the servo temporarily while the valve body is still off. If the servo is removed, you can insert a probe and feel the small dimple. It will also be springy. Mark a small rod at 1.3 and 1.6 inches. Insert this in the servo hole Depth from the bottom of the servo hole to first feeling the band is 1.6 inches and it ill tighten up at 1.6 inches.

Going out on a limb here but I think there is a problem with the parking pawl engaging in reverse. The shift linkage is out of alignment either in or outside of the transmission. Did you have any problems putting it back together after the speed governor? There is a spring inside that thick section that pushes on the pawl. If that broke it would lock the pawl in park and reverse. Before you take it apart, jack it up safely and see if the output shaft will turn in reverse without the engine on. Internally you can check the nut on the detent lever. Sorry for the delay but I had to collect some notes I made from another location.