I did a partial rebuild of the a4ld in my 89 BII eddie bauer 2.9 a few months ago. It was working great, shifting through all gears, but then it started having major slippage issues. I didnt replace the servos and solenoids when i rebuilt because they appeared to be fine, so when I started getting the slippage I went ahead and replaced them. Nothing.

It takes at least 3 seconds to engage forward when cold, reverse takes around 5 seconds, and then it takes quite a bit of rpm to make it move either direction. When it is warm, it takes quite a bit longer to engage, about 5 seconds for forward and 12 seconds and 1700rpm to go into reverse, and then it hardly moves either way without significant rpm. It also makes a "thunk, thunk, thunk" (louder and deeper when it is warm) that you can actually feel if you rest your foot on the pedals or hold onto the engine intake.

When I did the partial rebuild, i replaced:
torque converter
bands
seals
clutch discs
gaskets
and then i later replaced the servos and solenoids.

Could this be the pump? When you get it up to speed it will shift from 1-2-3, but very hesitantly, it will not go into overdrive (although i believe it is attempting to, it just cant build the pressure to apply the band), and I cant tell if the tc is locking up.

Thanks soo much in advance for any help.

 

It could be the pump, but I would check to ensure you had plenty of fluid - NOT overfilled - in your slushbox FIRST. Check it cold, check it warm. I would also check for vacuum leaks and check the vacuum modulator. Not sure what else could be going on, doesn't sound as if any other hard parts are failing - unless the valve body is culprit. Outside of that, can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

 

am i right in my thinking that the pump could be making all that noise though? The fluid is fine, warm and cold, I think the valve body is fine... how would i go about checking the vacuum modulator? I also have heard that the cooler lines could be plugged... but the tranny never gets hot, the fluid is not burnt, and there is just that noise... that awful clunking that screams mechanical failure.

 

Pump, torque converter, motor/transmission mounts, or something in the driveline (u-joints, etc.) is what it's starting to sound like. Could also be some other hard part in the transmission, but those three is where I'd start. I think I must've missed the noise part of what you posted altogether

 

Does the noise change pitch with you rev the engine up in netural/park? It very well could be a pump on the way out. When the pump "blew" apart on my wife, there was no noise and no gears when it happened. Also check the backing plate, sometimes it will rub on the flexplate/TC if it was bent.

 

Yeah, the noise speeds up when you rev the engine, in neutral, park, forward, reverse... the pitch changes i guess, it gets louder. I dread dropping trannies, but i guess im gonna have to here in a couple of weeks, right after I get the new head put on my 89 ranger (old one cracked, even though it was the later version) I'm so glad they dont make 2.9/a4ld based vehicles anymore.

 

Spend the extra $$$ on a World Products replacement head for BOTH heads while you're at it. The supposed 89TM / 90TM heads for the 2.9 are either unicorns or they're not much better than the 86TM casting heads. All of the 4.0 heads (to the best of my knowledge) are crack-prone as well. I had a neighbor who had a '98 4.0 Explorer trade in his ride on a Sport-Trac because both heads were cracked and he didn't feel like paying to replace them only for it to happen again. Hence why I have not bothered considering a 4.0 swap

There is an issue with the A4LD pump, spacer, backing plate, etc.:
Ford Ranger A4LD Automatic Transmission

 

Had the same problem with my a4ld trans. and lost my overdrive gear. My mechanic (I dont do trans. work) wouldn't rebuild it and said I would be throwing money away (my truck is a 90 bii). I had Jasper Rebuild installed instead for about $2500. Price is steep, but I have a 3-year warranty and dont have to worry about it like my friend that's rebuilt his a4 trans 3 times in the last 18 months for about $1500 + the headaches and beer costs. Just my 2 cents... gotta love the ford transmissions they saved so much money on!

 

By the way, my above costs for the installed Jasper A4LD included and external cooler mounted in front of the radiator. My trans lines go into the radiator cooling the fluid and then to the external trans cooler and back to the trans. Has been fantastic with no problems for about 4 months now.

 

kwolf, your mechanic is right - 'rebuilding' an A4LD is throwing money away.... if all you do is a soft rebuild. If the money is spent on the upgraded parts, etc. and installing a much-needed fluid cooler, then yes.... money wisely spent! Now, all that being said - you will also want to change your fluid and filter every 12 months or 12k miles on your A4LD, regardless.

 

sounds like your torque conv is going bad,when you pull the tranny back out check the forward & reverse clutches while you have it appart, go through the valve body & make sure all the valves are free & the separater plate gaskets are good & blow out the cooler,tranny tech Gigger

 

Thanks for the reply Kernel...I plan on keeping this '90b2 on the road for a few years and spent the money on a better transmission. The guys at Jasper take the A4Ld and replace the "weak" interior components with "beefed up" parts for the interior that replace the crap ford put into them to save money on the assembly line. If my tranny goes in the next 3 years, they tow it..repair it..and deliver it back...at no cost to me. Is a Win-Win situation.
My B2 was the last of the production line in 1990, I have rebuilt and/or replaced everything on it Still need more, but the trans installed combined with the cardone u-joint drive shaftconversion on the back have made this worth driving.

 

sounds like your on your way now, good luck, Gigger

 

No worries, kwolf. I wasn't intending on buying a BII with the A4LD, but I decided to get the '89 anyway. I plan on going through it little by little and restoring it to as near as new condition as I can. I have no history on the transmission, but if it ever does crap out on me, I'll probably do a good heavy duty rebuild with all the upgraded parts. I believe it already has the cooler, but if not, I'll add one.