Which A4LDs are directly interchangeable?

[ASNWRULZ]

The tranny in my '93 Ex is toast and I found one on craigslist for $100 obo but it's out of a '95 3.0 Ranger 4x4. If this one were to sell before I can get it I might hit the bone yard for another one, so as a reference which year and models of Ford products have A4LDs that are interchangeable? (directly or with slight modification) I know Rangers and Aerostars have 'em but what's the best one that isn't in an Ex? I'm guessing a 4.0 Ranger?

 

[MrShorty]

The 3.0 is a different engine family and, therefore, uses a different bellhousing bolt pattern. If the bellhousings are removable and interchangeable, then that may not be a big deal.

I could be wrong, but I usually consider '94 to be the last year for the A4LD. In '95, they introduced the 4R55E and 4R44E (aka A4LDE) which, in many ways, is just like an A4LD but with all the shifts electronically controlled. If anyone claimed they had a '95 A4LD, I'd want to make good and sure that it wasn't an A4LDE before buying it as a "plug and play" replacement in my 1st gen.

4.0 Ranger or Aerostar are you best choices for replacement A4LD's. A4LD's from a 2.9 L engine will also bolt up, but the 2.9 A4LD is not as strong internally (unless someone has rebuilt it to be so). The older 2.9 A4LD's ('85 to '87 or '88) only had one solenoid, where your '93 has two solenoids, so you want to check that condition before using one from behind a 2.9.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The 95 Aerostar was the last year for the A4LD in a Ford RWD vehicle. The 88 Aerostar was the first year to have 2 solenoid valve bodies.

 

[ASNWRULZ]

Looking at a few aerostars at the boneyard, so I'm wondering does it have to be a 4wd or will an awd or 2wd work with minor mods?

 

[MrShorty]

Assuming your BII is 4x4, then converting from a 4x2 transmission to a 4x4 transmission requires changing the output shaft, which means disassembling the transmission. At that point, you are probably better off fixing the existing transmission than trying to convert a 4x2 to a 4x4 transmission.

 

[ASNWRULZ]

That's way beyond minor mods. I picked one out of a '93 electronic 4wd Aerostar. There was an Ex next to it and other then the frame support everything else looked the same. Hope it works out, that was a ton of work for nothin' if it's bad

 

[Bruces expo]

Did you make sure to remove the Torque converter with the trans and not leave it bolted to flywheel ? , I did that when I removed my first auto trans and found that It Ruined the Torque converter and the bushing in the bell housing , My a4ld Just lost all forward gears a few days ago , I found a 89 BII trans for cheap and plan to check it over before I buy it

 

[ASNWRULZ]

Did you make sure to remove the Torque converter with the trans and not leave it bolted to flywheel ? , I did that when I removed my first auto trans and found that It Ruined the Torque converter and the bushing in the bell housing , My a4ld Just lost all forward gears a few days ago , I found a 89 BII trans for cheap and plan to check it over before I buy it

Did you happen to re-install yours without removing the tc from the flywheel? It sounds more likely to have issues with a re-installation then a removal, that or some serious monkey ******* to remove it. Not trying to be a dick or nothin, just curious... BTW, I've heard the BII trannies aren't as strong as the Ex being mated up to a 2.8 or 2.9 instead of the 4.0. You're definitely going to have to swap bell housings IIRC

 

[Bruces expo]

No the Bell housings are the same ! , The first time I Ever removed a Trans I Did Not Remove the TC with the Trans And it Screwed the Torque Converter and The Bushing on the Bell housing , Yes the BII a4ld is Weaker , But its all I can find in short notice , I will be keeping my 93a4ld and will Rebuild it myself when time,money Allows !

 

[ASNWRULZ]

Time for an update, while setting up to swap the tranny I decided to try and move my Ex under its own power one last time. It had been a few weeks since the last failed attempt to move so what the hell. Sure enough, the symptoms return to what it was like when I first drove it. This seemed like a miracle so instead of digging into an 8 hour job I dropped the pan, cleaned the sludge out of the bottom, used my transfer pump to empty all of the metal lines and cooler, then changed the filter and refilled it. The stupid thing drives and shifts just fine now. I re-assembled the interior the next day and have been driving it daily with no flairs or issues. Just goes to show that the easy things should always be checked first, and to think the PO was going to scrap it over a $35 filter change...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Thanks for the update! That's good news.