Replacement transmission, noob ?'s on compatibility, sourcing, etc.

[Jaunty Bastard]

Hi All,

First things first, the patient at hand is a 1992 Ranger STX 4WD V6 4.0L. with ~174k on it, that outside of my current problem is in really good shape, located at the moment in eastern Washington. I acquired it at the beginning of May, had it checked out by a couple of wiser folks than I and was told that the transmission was going to be on it's way out soon, but I probably had 6-8 months left. Cue to last week when I was on my way up a mountain pass and, as you now may have guessed, smoke started coming out the tailpipe and fluid was leaking like a sieve when I pulled into the rest ar. It turns out that a seal hold blown and what little life was left in the trans is now gone.

The person that I had working on this is giving me the impression he is too busy to be able to finish this up in a timely manner. That's cool, but now this problem is back in my lap. I have a fairly rudimentary understanding of automobiles and am capable of executing basic maintenance/repairs but this is totally over my head.

Where I'm at now is trying to locate a replacement. This is the first time I have done this. Here are a list of questions I have and would really appreciate any advice or tip offs to other resources to enlighten myself on this subject.

1. Is there a easy way to find a list of compatible trannys from other ford models for my specific sub-model?

2. Any suggestions on sourcing? Should I go with a pulled on from a local wreaking yard (how can I verify it's condition?) vs. a rebuild from online source like Autopartsfair.com?

3. From experience, is there a cost range that I should be looking at for the part and labor to have an idea when this is getting out of hand?

4. Am I asking the right questions and taking the right approach on this or am I in deeper than I already thought?

I know that these are pretty broad questions and there may be a broad range of opinion, but frankly I don't really have any point of reference for something like this and am trying to dial in how I take the next step.

Thanks again for any help!

 

[RangerX]

Welcome to the forum!
The auto trans is the weak link in an otherwise strong truck.
Heres a link that might help in some way, especially near the bottom of page: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/a4ld.shtml
Others will come along and have some better help, so hang in there.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The front seal blow out issue is pretty common on the A4LD transmission. You don't have to replace the entire transmission since the issue is in the bellhousing area. There are several things which could be done such as replace the front bushing with a special type which doesn't require any machine work. Enlarge the drain back passage, and replace the front seal. Check the coolant level in the radiator.

 

[Jaunty Bastard]

Welcome to this forum! The front seal blow out issue is pretty common on the A4LD transmission. You don't have to replace the entire transmission since the issue is in the bellhousing area. There are several things which could be done such as replace the front bushing with a special type which doesn't require any machine work. Enlarge the drain back passage, and replace the front seal. Check the coolant level in the radiator.

Thanks for the feedback BB. The dude that I had look at it before he bailed intimated that for whatever reason a full replacement was going to be required. I can't really say either way. I'm about two hundred miles away and as I stated in my OP, wouldn't be able to judge anyway. And since this situation has reached the point where this needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, I found a used/rebuilt for ~$1100 and a different mechanic to move ahead.

That being said, I have a feeling that you may be of an opinion that I may be have been (egregiously?) misinformed on the salvagable state of the trans and maybe could do something different in the extremely short window I have to cancel the shipment of the replacement (Like tomorrow E.O.D?)

Thanks again,
J.B.

 

[RangerX]

If you do the replacement route, I'd hang on to the old trans, on the chance it's fixable as per BB's comment.