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1988 bronco ii locked up in reverse


Chuckc

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So went to hook up boat the other day and back into driveway when it locked up in reverse felt like brakes where sticking.. so I jacked up the back of truck and tires spin freely but when one spins other spins in opposite direction. Can put in drive with rear jacked up seems to spin good but when I put in reverse you have to hit gas to about half throttle to get tire to spin at all... hope someone can help
 


RonD

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Not following

So the A4LD automatic transmission doesn't move in Reverse, but does in Drive?

Not related but you have an OPEN rear axle, normal, wheels spin in opposite directions when jacked up
Limited Slip axles spin in same direction

If transmission locks up driveline in Reverse then you have a broken transmission, Reverse is the most common "1st sign" of a failing automatic in any year or brand of vehicle, not a Ford thing, just the way automatic's work thing
 

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Kinda sounds like it's slipping really bad in reverse.
 

Chuckc

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Any chance body of valves can be removed and cleaned from pan access?? Possible something could be clogged I should say this transmission has had water in it before.. also just did pan gasket a few days before and found 2 pieces of plastic and sludge in pan
 

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RonD

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Ford stopped installing, making/building the A4LD in 1994, so 25 years ago

But good news is the parts were all used until 2011, in the 5R55E or 5R44E transmissions

So rebuilding is an option
Good read here on the A4LD: https://therangerstation.com/tech_library/a4ld.shtml

It got a bad reputation from poorly educated shop techs that NEVER worked on an Overdrive transmission, A4LD was the first, so they went to school on the customers "dime", and no tech would say, "oops, I goofed up let me rebuild it RIGHT this time", they usually said "I am perfect so it broke again because its a bad design", LMAO

So bad a design that Ford used the same design from 1985 to 2011, 34 years :)
Ford just loves to warranty bad parts, so if something breaks all the time they just keep on using it................NOT
 

adsm08

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It got a bad reputation from poorly educated shop techs that NEVER worked on an Overdrive transmission, A4LD was the first, so they went to school on the customers "dime", and no tech would say, "oops, I goofed up let me rebuild it RIGHT this time", they usually said "I am perfect so it broke again because its a bad design", LMAO
Perhaps if the penalties in this field, both financially and professionally, for not know exactly what you are doing all the time on every new bit that comes along and not doing it perfectly every time, were not so severe, things like that wouldn't happen.

I however dislike the A4LD on it's own merits.
 

Uncle Gump

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According to that picture... That transmission is done.
 

Chuckc

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Is their any options on transmission swap other than putting another a4ld in their?
 

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Uncle Gump

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Uncle Gump

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To the OP.... is that a picture of what came out of your transmission?

The quickest way to running down the road again is just to put in what came out.

If the truck is worth it... buy a rebuilt... flush the lines and cooler... and add a cooler. Keep the water out and drive it for another 125K.
 

Chuckc

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Its just a beat up mud truck, rebuild kits look relatively cheep about 200$ then maybe I can vent properly..
 

Josh B

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My apologies Uncle Gump, I got mixed up on the names somehow when scrolling down and had believed that second part to have been posted by another individual :)
Carry it on :D
 

RonD

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Is their any options on transmission swap other than putting another a4ld in their?
No, not really, you could use a C3 or C5 automatic from a 2.8l engine, same bolt pattern as 2.9l, but they are 3-speeds no OD, and your computer would turn on CEL(check engine light) full time because A4LD solenoids are no longer connected.

Manual trans swap is a whole lot of work, with new pedals and steering column

A4LD may just need the valve body rebuilt which can be done without removing transmission
First thing would be to drain the fluid and inspect the fluid and pan for metal bits
If metal bits are found then transmission needs to come out, you have mechanical issues not just "pressure" issues

All automatics run on fluid(ATF) pressure, forward requires 125psi, reverse 175psi, this is why reverse is usually effected first if there is a pressure issue, like in your case.

In the front of the transmission is the Main pump(front pump, and only pump, lol)
It is connected to the outside case of the torque converter, so spins at engine RPMs, increasing engine RPMs increases pump RPMs so it pumps more fluid
This fluid is sent to the Valve body where its restricted flow thru the passages builds up the pressure
Inside the valve body are "valves", lol, of course, hence its name, valve body
These valves route the fluid, under pressure, to the clutches and bands(brakes) in the transmissions main body, the rotating part of transmission
The clutches engage and disengage the internal shafts
The bands hold the disengaged shafts from spinning
This is how "gears"/ratios are selected

In the bad old days the valves were all operated by springs holding them closed, or open, until enough pressure built up and started to push them open, or closed, engine vacuum or a cable was also used for downshifting, over riding a valve's spring
In the mid-1980's automatics started to get solenoids instead of springs to operate the valves, the engine computer would operate the solenoid/valves based on RPMs, speed and engine load
Way better for shifting but an added complication as some saw it, lol, they still prefer carbs, to each his own

But what hasn't changed are LEAKS inside the valve body, in the bad old days and the good old days, gaskets and o-rings on the valves will start to leak over time and that causes lower pressure in the valve body, and that causes slipping and lack of certain "gears", like reverse

So rebuilding the valve body with new gaskets and seals can solve many issues, it's not a final solution for sure, clutches and bands do wear out, like brakes do on the wheels, and the main pump can get weak
But rebuilding the valve body needs to be done regardless when a transmission is rebuilt, so even if it doesn't solve the problem totally its not wasted money, or time, since its done, you just need to replace bands and clutches along with pump to do full rebuild
 
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Chuckc

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When I dropped pan last only found those plastic.pieces in picture and a lot of that muddy sludge. Not sure if it had metal mixed in should have put magnet in their.. well guess I’ll drop it again and rebuild body of valves and go from their..
 

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