no reverse after replacing seals.

[burge743]

I just replaced the low/reverse servo seals in my 94 limited. still do not have reverse. i am guessing that the low/reverse band is shot. is there any way to confirm the band is fried before i yank the trany out? i guess i should start pricing a rebuild kit for this. any ideas how much this will cost to rebuild.

 

[burge743]

forgot to mention that the seals were purchased from ford.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Did you try to press against the band with the tip of a screwdriver? Did you check the reverse modulation spool in the valve body? What about checking the valve body gaskets for flaking or the valve body bolts to see if they are loose? Do you have a 0 -300 PSI transmission pressure tester?

 

[Glacier991]

I am guessing you may have had the band shift out of position.

 

[burge743]

no,i did not press a screwdriver against the band. i was able to look up in hole and see where the wear mark was on the piece of metal. i am guessing that what i was looking at was the band? do not have a pressure tester. i did notice that when i drained the fluid, it was not the color of normal fluid. it was a dark color. i am guessing that dark color came from the reverse band getting chewed up. i was able to move vehicle about a whopping 2" after i rev'd the engine pretty high. will drain the fluid again tonight and press a screwdriver on the band. will also check the gasket and bolts on the valve body. i know when i looked at everything when i had it apart, nothing really jumped out at me.
where is the reverse spool so i can check that?
is it possible the governor would cause this problem?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The governor wouldn't cause this problem. The reverse modulation spool is located inside of the valve body. The A4LD valve body rebuild diary contains all of the information you will need to rebuild the valve body.

 

[burge743]

i drained the fluid again last night. fluid had really small shavings in it(glittering). i did remove the valve body and noticed that 1/4 of the VB had fresh pink fluid in it(side of VB with solenoids on it). the other 3/4 of the VB the fluid was really dark and also had a fine brown fiber dust in it. i noticed that one corner of the VB gasket had failed. none of the VB bolts were loose. i guess now my question is do i clean/rebuild VB or do i replace or rebuild trans? i really want to thank you for help/expertise in this and your qiuckness of answering my post.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Try cleaning everything up, and replace the gaskets. They make regular gaskets, and thicker gaskets which are good for older, slightly warped valve bodies. Here's a color chart which is # 34 in my list of useful threads:

 

[burge743]

thanks for your suggestions. i will try them here in a few days and let you know the verdict. once again, thank you for your help.

 

[burge743]

well, i just cleaned VB and installed new gaskets. put in new fluid. now i have low gear but still no reverse. i think it is time to pull trany and replace it or put new bands in it. what are thoughts on this?

 

[Glacier991]

I'm with you on this one. I think it is rebuild time.

 

[burge743]

okay. i guess it is time to pull the trany out and disassemble to see what all i need to order. i was able to find another trans that worked well when it was pulled from the donor for $150.00. it also still has the transfer case case on it. thanks guys for your quick responses and also for your advice.