Transmission woes

[Thomas52]

Just purchased a 91 Explorer 4x4 with 108,000 miles from the original owner, needing several repairs, most of which I have completed, or am capable of completing; but not so with the internals of an automatic trans., of which I know very little. I changed the trans filter, and dumped the fluid (3 times) which is s.o.p. for me when I buy any used car. The fluid was old and discolored, but the pan was clean. The 2nd to 3rd up shift which was initially a little uncertain improved, but now it seems to slip out of 1st gear off the line under moderate throttle pressure, but it's fine under very light acceleration. I have absolutely no faith in transmission shops, and there are no good used transmissions around for a 24 year old vehicle. I really like this vehicle and hate to junk it, because it's not worth the cost so called "expert" repairs or rebuilding. My question; has anyone had a similar experience, or know of an inexpensive fix. P.S. I am a very easy driver and this vehicle will not be subjected to harsh driving conditions. Thank you.

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site it's great to have you here

Tony

 

[Thomas52]

Thank you. Looking forward to learning more about this vehicle if I solve the trans problem. As a 62 year old guy I cut my teeth on GM th 400's, Fomoco C6, and Chrysler 727's, and it's sad to see that increasing sophistication has reduced reliability and longevity.

 

[Wolfie_85]

The A4LD, as I've learned myself, is prone to difficulties. No idea on the slipping, but if it has issues changing gears, it could be the vacuum modulator, the kickdown cable, or a solenoid. Those are the easiest fixes. Could also be the governor, or the valve body. I forget if the 2-3 shift is electronic or not. The kickdown cable is easy, it is located on the driver's side of the firewall, press the tab in and gently pull toward the front of the truck, then, with the engine off, press the gas to the floor and listen for the plastic ratchet like noise. Done.

What fluid did you use? That can make a lot of difference. I prefer standard DEX/MERC. It, from what I can tell, is the closest to the original.

I wish you luck. I'm no expert on autoboxes myself. I'm just throwing out what I learned through experience. I've heard adjusting bands cam help. But if you want a rock solid diagnosis, have a well respected shop look at it. Tell them right away that you don't want to replace or rebuild it, you just want to know what it might be. Alternatively, we have a transmission board here. I learned a lot of cool stuff there.

 

[FR-425]

Manually shift 1 2 3, until it's warmed up (5 miles)

Then put it in drive. (not overdrive)

If the 1-2 shift issue is gone, the diagnosis is the governor.

If it persists, then possibly the servos leaking. (rebuild time) Or a genuine slipping clutch pack, also rebuild time

only the 3-4 shift and TCC are electronic. 1 2 3 are mechanical.

After warmed up if the shift is late (say 2500 @ light throttle) then first adjust the kick down.

If not improved replace the vac mod.

Of course it would not hurt to just do the kick down adjust, replace the vac mod, adjust the bands and clean or replace the governor.

Rplacing/cleaning the governor can be done with the trans in the truck. (need to drop the transfer)
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155582

In fact all of these items can.

Until you get to overdrive and TCC it's just a C-3 trans. Trouble shoot the same way.

 

[Thomas52]

Will do

Thanks for the reply. Will run through these tests when I have some time this weekend. Afraid to drive the Explorer 32 miles to work until I determine if it's cost effective to fix it.

 

[Jason94sport]

Also you can pickup a decent deal on Ebay for a used trans, even rebuilt ones. It's all about how much your willing to throw at it.

 

[arco777]

Rebuilding the valve body with a shift correction kit is not hard. Just takes attention to detail. You can remove and re-install it with no special tools besides an in-lb torque wrench, and if you can operate a tweezers and pick, you can rebuild the body with a shift kit.

 

[iLoveMyExploder]

ive done some reading around here on the A4LD transmission... a handful of guys are saying that if it comes down to having to rebuild that transmission- that the regular rebuild parts kits contain parts that are even crappier and more faulty than the original parts that ford made them with in the first place. they recommended spending the extra money on the high dollar performance rebuild kits, claiming that its worth the extra expense because it guarantees longer life with little to no future issues afterwards.

I don't know how true those statement are, so don't take my word on any of that