Official A4LD Problem Thread!

[Bent Bolt]

Also took the trans (A4LD) out of my truck and found the overdrive band burnt. (again) but the frictions and steels still with the printing still on it. When I adjusted the overdrive band, I torqued to 10foot pounds, then backed out 1 1/2 turns. Still too tight? No other damage found in the trans out of the pickup.

Suppose to be 10 IN / LBS not Ft/LBS

Any tips to keep the over drive band from burning again? Am I not adjusting it correctly? Could I have a valve on the valve body leaking or a bad servo?

What does the surface of the coast clutch drum look like ? Put a straight edge to it to make sure it's flat. Check the rubber seal of servo piston . Should be nice and soft. If not or in doubt , change it.

 

[Shran]

I haven't officially had one die yet but the one in my '88 has always done weird stuff. Lost overdrive for a while, then it just came back, no idea why. I am also burning through ATF like crazy...it's toast in about 10,000 miles. Usually it starts slipping real bad going up big hills and heats up. Pan has lots of really fine metal stuck to it, filter is always full of chunks of something non metallic. I don't do any towing or even wheel it...just drive back and forth to work. Just thought I'd share my experience.

 

[Fordman]

The bands adjust to like 20 inch pounds, then back off 2 turns. I think that may be why it burnt.

Short update. I tore the spare A4LD apart, all the clutches and bands look new. The clutch frictions still have the writing on them. It has the snap together sunshell, and the center support with the needle bearings. Not sure why it was tossed. Will pressure check everything before reassembly.

Also took the trans (A4LD) out of my truck and found the overdrive band burnt. (again) but the frictions and steels still with the printing still on it. When I adjusted the overdrive band, I torqued to 10foot pounds, then backed out 1 1/2 turns. Still too tight? No other damage found in the trans out of the pickup.

Any tips to keep the over drive band from burning again? Am I not adjusting it correctly? Could I have a valve on the valve body leaking or a bad servo?

 

[pianoman2]

The bands adjust to like 20 inch pounds, then back off 2 turns. I think that may be why it burnt.

The bands adjust to like 20 inch pounds, then back off 2 turns. I think that may be why it burnt.


Quote:
Originally Posted by pianoman2
Short update. I tore the spare A4LD apart, all the clutches and bands look new. The clutch frictions still have the writing on them. It has the snap together sunshell, and the center support with the needle bearings. Not sure why it was tossed. Will pressure check everything before reassembly.

Also took the trans (A4LD) out of my truck and found the overdrive band burnt. (again) but the frictions and steels still with the printing still on it. When I adjusted the overdrive band, I torqued to 10foot pounds, then backed out 1 1/2 turns. Still too tight? No other damage found in the trans out of the pickup.

Any tips to keep the over drive band from burning again? Am I not adjusting it correctly? Could I have a valve on the valve body leaking or a bad servo?

More details... Both transmissions are completely apart now. The spare transmission needs both servos, both are cracked and hard as rocks. The transmission out of my truck also needs servos, but found an unusual problem I haven't seen. In the governor area one of the passages that goes from the governor down through the case to the valve body area had a hole in it allowing the fluid to spray out towards the tailcone area. Looked at the spare case and it is intact. I'll see if I can get some pics of it later, but I don't ever remember seeing this happen to an A4LD. With this hole, I don't think the governor could allow enough line pressure to properly shift this trans. Answers a whole lot of questions.

Going to order the new servos on Monday along with two new bands. All the drums and clutches still look like new, and pressure checks so far find no leaks. Maybe now this creature will operate better and last longer.

 

[Bruce]

Suppose to be 10 IN / LBS not Ft/LBS

It is 120 inch pounds which =10 foot pounds then back off 1 1/2 turns.

This is what is recommended by the shift kits.

 

[pianoman2]

It is 120 inch pounds which =10 foot pounds then back off 1 1/2 turns.

This is what is recommended by the shift kits.

That is what the transgo shift kit recommended. I'll have to dig deeper to make sure.

 

[Bent Bolt]

That is what the transgo shift kit recommended. I'll have to dig deeper to make sure.

Transgo does NOT say that.

They have a different method which works quite well. Turn adjusting screw in untill snug, back off until rear drive shaft will JUST turn both ways, tighten lock nut

 

[pianoman2]

Transgo does NOT say that.

They have a different method which works quite well. Turn adjusting screw in untill snug, back off until rear drive shaft will JUST turn both ways, tighten lock nut

Then I stand corrected. Won't be the last time. My wife is good about correcting me too.

 

[Fordman]

Got a bad habit of trying to recall from memory, but at my age...not a good idea. My method is tighten it light to snug, with a short wrench, back off 2. The 90-91 4.0 trannies usually used a double wrap that backed off like 3.5 or 4 turns. 92 went back to regular od band. This is a real confusing thing, since one doesnt know if the band could have been replaced, and may lead to od failure.

The bands adjust to like 20 inch pounds, then back off 2 turns. I think that may be why it burnt.

 

[Zachalanche]

My A4LD suddenly lost reverse one day and I had to push the truck out of my garage. roughly 50 miles later the transmission started to slip in the forward gears. by the time I managed to get home it would barely move at all, but the odd thing was that reverse was once again working. I swapped in a 5 speed and couldn't be happier.

Looking back I think the whole thing may have been a result of high temperatures. 2 days prior to the failure, I was hauling dirtbikes up a fairly steep hill on a 100+ dregree day. the transmission had about 145,000 miles on it. not sure if my A4ld is rebuildable or not, but its still sitting in my garage if anyone wants to try.

 

[tkshawaii]

1992 A4LD - Engine stall problem

Why is it we have a ton of people with posts in this forum about A4LD problems, but none are posted here?

I'd like to get a list of A4LD problems whether they're fixed or not.

Aloha from the islands. Here is my A4LD problem....

A4LD transmission on 1992 4.0l Ranger 2wd xtnd/super cab, regular bed, 190K miles.

Engine stalled when putting the vehicle from either park or neutral. It felt as though the transmission was locked and no slippage. It did this in both forward and reverse gears, P to (O through 1), N to (O through 1), P to R, N to R. I finally got it to go after doing a little revving and performing(God forbid) - "neutral drop." It has performed fine since except for a deep groan/creek, going into O from Park that same day.

For the past three days, it has been just fine, fluid level is good and color is okay - not perfectly pretty and red but pretty good(dropping pan and changing fluid, filter, gasket today.) New rear U-joint, front joint is tight and fine. Engine is strong and actually compression is pretty level across.

Valve body? Bands? Sprag? Help???? LOL

***Update***

Dropped pan - normal gray sludge on magnet, no major filings, just the normal wear - nothing in the pan - fluid doesn't smell burnt or old. (6-24-09)

**Filter gray with sludge but still no shavings and the likes... also really looked through the fluid material to see if I can find any copper/brass or metal shavings - none. (06-24-09)

 

[Ranger#1]

no forward nothing at all free rev i have reverse park and nutrel tranny temp is sitting at 150 ? 90 4.0 a4ld

 

[Chevelle Kid]

Blew up my torque converter trying to do a burnout. Fix was to buy an '85 B2 with manual everything and swap everything over!

 

[Uly The Hermit]

The A4LD on my '91 suddenly lost overdrive. It seems fine as long as I don't put it in O/D. But I don't know for how long. I tried to check the fluid level after it had been driven about 60 miles but couldn't read the level. It's as though the fluid became more transparent. I *think* it's at the upper end of the crosshatches. I changed the ATF about 1000 miles ago. The old fluid looked a bit on the brown side and there was a lot of fine metal stuff in the pan. This trans was supposedly rebuilt about 60K miles ago but the place that did it is gone. For all I know they stuck a junkyard trans in there. I read about the vacuum modulator and I'll check that. I looked for signs of ATF at the vacuum cluster but didn't see any. No smoke at startup. It might be losing fluid or I didn't put enough in when I changed it recently, not sure. I think I put in over 5 qts. There was some mention about adjusting a pressure switch but I need to find out more about that, and about adjusting the vacuum modulator. I have a '92 and as far as I can tell the trans just has a front seal leak. I didn't pull the trans yet so I can't be certain but it gushes ATF. I suppose I could switch transmissions but all that' wrong with the '92 is the leaky trans. Well, I did borrow a *few* parts....

To adjust a pressure switch (it's right there when you pull the pan is what I read) you, of course, have to drain the fluid. Is there such a thing as re-using the ATF? I mean, it can get costly if you keep having to drain the fluid to readjust something, right?

Switching to a manual trans on my '91 is becomming very appealing. I like this truck more than any car I've ever owned. I've had it about 15 years and it always gets through the mud and snow and ice and only left me stranded once (bad starter motor).

Now I'm off to try to remember where that A4LD tips post was. Somewhere around here, I think.

 

[Uly The Hermit]

I forgot to ask, on that Worst A4LD Years poll can I vote more than once? I've had my '92 rebuilt and it failed so that's two. My '91 was rebuilt so that's two too. That makes four and I voted once.