Questions about Trans/Engine Upgrade

[PekingMan]

My 93 has 135k miles on it right now and the transmission has not been rebuilt and so now I have a few questions.

1) How does one know when the tranny needs to be rebuilt? I don't know very much in this area, so I have no idea.

2) If a rebuilt is in order, should I get the A4LD rebuilt? I have heard the many horror stories on the board of people having to get them redone under warranty over and over again.

3) Is there a tranny that I can upgrade to and mate with the 4.0L? I may want to upgrade the engine to 302 though in the future, but I read in another post that the 4.0 is best for offroading and that is what the explorer will be primarily used for in about a year when I get a 2nd vehicle.

I'm full of questions and I really would like to explore (no pun intended) all my options.

 

[Speedfreak]

There is no set time for a tranny rebuild. With my tranny overdrive disappeared so it required the rebuild. When it was done I got a couple of options done, one was an indestructable planetary (don't know if it is or isnt), higher stall convertor and had the drain hole for the pump seal inlarged. This has worked well for me but the engine hasn't. I will be swapping to a 5.0L soon. I personnally dont think the 4.0L stands well with the Explorer but thats just me.


Your best bet is to consider all the available options and go for the one that best fits your needs, abillities and budget.

For the time being the A4LD and mazda 5spd are your only options behind the 4.0L unless Advanced Adapters comes out with an adapter for some other tranny.

 

[Sandy]

Sometimes you can feel that the transmission isn't shifting as fast as it use to. Sometimes when you step on it the engine is going but the vehicle isn't. Sometimes you lose one of the gears.

Those are indications that the tranny is going south.

If you can wait to change the tranny, baby it until you can afford the 5.0L swap. Change to an OD Auto trans and you will like it better. When choosing a transmission make sure you have a good high performance shop do the rebuild or buy from a good HiPo Transmission builder.

Once you have done the 5.0L swap getting back under to change the transmission will SU#K.