Transmission issues.

[F150hybred]

Should be checked in neutral, cold, engine running

Weird... last time I looked, I'm sure mine said warm and in park.

 

[FIND]

Weird... last time I looked, I'm sure mine said warm and in park.

Park is fine too, it is basically neutral with the park pawl engaged. A lot of vehicles say park, others say neutral. I guess park would probably be the preferred gear, since it would keep the truck from rolling away.

warm though.... I don't recall that, I should probably find my owners manual, most vehicles recommend that you check it cold.

 

[wood1]

Wow, you really lack people skills don't you. I'm shocked that someone with your extensive experience isn't familiar with how to check transmission fluid levels in an A4LD...

FYI in the troubleshooting sections of both the Ford and ATSG manuals the following are listed under the sections regarding no/delayed engagement: plugged filter, sticking valves in the valve body (contaminated fluid or loose bolts which results in an internal leak), damaged manual linkage, improper oil level (you already checked), low line pressure (could be caused by plugged filter), then you get into internal wear/damage such as a damaged pump, forward clutch support seals worn, forward clutch assembly damaged causing internal leaks.

Internal leaks cause a reduction in pressure which results in the clutches not applying properly. This will burn the fluid because there is slippage in the clutch packs. If enough slippage and burning has occurred the clutch plates may be damaged needing replacement. If they aren't too fried you can save the transmission if you figure out why your internal pressure is too low.

If the transmission isn't cooked and you decide to fix it, there are two valve body improvement/shift kits available that include mods done to increase line pressure and reduce overlap in the shifts to minimize further wear. Glacier has a VB rebuild thread where he very nicely illustrates how to rebuild an A4LD VB with these modifications. I followed his thread with I rebuilt mine and I like how it shifts now.

It makes sense to change the fluid and filter and to adjust the bands, it is the cheapest way to find out if you should stick a fork in it and call it done. I realize that not everyone will replace a transmission and may want to try to get another couple years out of before retiring an old vehicle. Up to you as the owner to decide how you want to play it.

Oh, one other thing is that mechanics/owners sometimes replace the filter with the 2 wheel drive one which has a shorter pick-up than the 4 wheel drive one. That will act like it doesn't have the proper fluid levels causing it to not engage or loose engagement as the fluid sloshes in the pan. That seems unlikely in this case but who knows...

Enjoy. I will answer questions if you directly ask me. I don't mind looking up things in the manuals for you. Actually, I will send you a pdf of the ATSG manual if you PM me your email address.

FIND, you and I are done our conversation in this thread. No hard feelings on this end. We're all here to help each other out.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks for the advice. Sorry to the OP for the thread jack as well. My goal was to help others with my question, and possibly the OP.

When the A4LD was rebuilt, we used a Super master rebuild kit. Every internal gasket, O-ring, filter, etc..., was replaced. New bands, new steels and clutches , were used. Every bolt was torqued to specs per the Ford ATSG manual.

The only thing that wasn't done was using a New TC. It was flushed, and cleaned only. $$ was an issue at the time of rebuild and install, and a new TC couldn't be had.

What I am "Hoping", is that anything left behind (particles) in the TC, has ended up in the sump and the filter is clogged with the remnants. This makes sense to me that the clogged filter is resulting in poor pump pick up with a heavy viscosity fluid, and low cold start pressure. When I get the time I will change out the fluid and install a new filter, and see what happens.

I was wanting to adjust that new fangled adjustable vac mod while I was under it. I will do some research on it.

 

[FIND]

I read an article on the internet once, now I think I am an expert because I changed my tranny filter once.

There, shortened that so the other people reading wouldn't have to read you repeating all that other stuff for no reason.

 

[wood1]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310331#post2680039

Here is the thread with the ATSG manuals guys.

Hope you find something that helps you out. I found them very useful.

Buckow!

 

[KaukaunaRick]

No, no bang when going into drive and it hesitates more than a few seconds. Truck is parked. Not going to drive it until I have fixed it. Don't want to do anymore damage to it before diagnosing the original problem.

 

[FIND]

Now is a good time to drop the oil into a clean container so you can inspect it. Look for excessive amounts of metal flake (sparkles) or anything that doesn't belong in oil, such as bits and pieces of transmission.

Did you pull the vacuum line of the regulator and make sure that it was free of trans fluid?

 

[KaukaunaRick]

Changed filter and fluid. All is well. Thanks for all your help and advice. Fluid was a bit burnt but no shavings or any foreign objects. Runs like new and does not hesitate..

 

[FIND]

Hope it lasts you long enough to be worth while.

 

[wood1]

That's great. Again, you should adjust the bands. It's very easy to do...

 

[KaukaunaRick]

A link to doing this band adjustment?

 

[wood1]

It's a sticky in the tranny section dude. There is a lot of excellent info there. Here Brooklyn Bay's band adjustment thread. Glacier added photos and a how-to in there as well.


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158160

 

[nashka]

I just put back together my Transmission A4LD. Now Reverse doesn't work. Anyone know how to trouble shoot this problem.

 

[wood1]

Why not start your own thread in the transmission section? What was your transmission doing before it was rebuilt, was it rebuilt by a professional? Hard parts replaced or just clutches and seals etc?

I do enjoy rereading this thread...

 

[nashka]

I don't know how to start a thread. Transmission was not shifting into0 higher gears. I did the rebuild and only replaced clutches ans seals. Torque converter also replaced. The torque converter i had previous was for a ford arostar. Reverse worked prior to rebuild.

 

[wood1]

PM sent.