Hey guys. Brother in law has the above truck with shifting problem. On a cold start, pulling out of the driveway, it will get to about 3-4000 rpm and will slam into gear. Sometimes its worse than others, but is consistant. Once it warms up, the problem goes away for the most part.
I've researched a little online and have found a few people mention the 1-2 shift accumulator (servo...?) and was wondering if any of you have ran into this or have replaced one on the A4LD. And if you have, which servo is the 1-2 shift? I think there are 6 of the little suckers in there. Anyway, all i've done so far is fluid and filter. Old fluid looked/smelled fine. Thanks for any help you can send my way!

BTW I can't get on too often so if I dont reply right away, bear with me. Thanks fellas

 

2001 Rangers's don't have an A4LD. The last year of the A4LD is 1994.

The obvious things, make sure it is filled tot he proper level, make sure its the right fluid, and it it has more than 30,000 miles, the old fluid is not fine.

Beyond that, take it to a professional and have it professionally diagnosed.

 

I appreciate the help man. I gave my vin number to the local Ford dealer and that's what they gave me. Sorry for the mis-info. Fluid is the right level and correct type. Can't afford the professional diagnosis, hence me asking questions on this forum. I'll do some more research. Thanks for the input

 

Most professional diagnosis is free. What you can't afford is for it to fail catastrophically, which if you keep driving it is the next logical result.

The problem might be simple, but without a diagnosis by someone who has the experience and equipment, your really just throwing darts blindfolded.

 

How many forward gears does that truck have? 4 or 5? It is either 4R44E, 4R55E, 5R44E or 5R55E of course the first number denotes the number of gears the trans has. Anyway they both have similar characteristics on the outside. The reason for the delayed shift can either be a worn out or broken servo which is on the passenger side of the trans blocked by a cat convertor and is the rear of the 2 there or you have a broken or worn out band in the transmission. Now with the servo the cap which is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, take a magnet to see if it is steel or aluminum. If it is aluminum then that can be changed to steel which I recommend.

 

How about a sleepy VSS? If the vehicle speed sensor is having morning sickness, or didn't get its cup of coffee, it could be sending bogus info to the computer, which would then not push for up-shifts. A TPS that had glitches could do something similar. If it had a MAP, that could be telling the computer that the throttle is wide-open, so keep it in gear until it HAS to upshift. If it has a vacuum modulator, that could be sticking also, again, telling the smarts to stay in lower gear.
If the servo were not working, thinner fluid at operating temp would lead to it NOT working even worse, right?
The above is all generic, but it may be possible to test the action of the solenoids using gear at a dealer or transmission shop. I think the VSS and TPS information should be available from the OBD-II diagnostics.
tom

 

You would think it would work that way but when they get hot they expand thus sealing a little better than when cold. And the depends on if the caps are steel or aluminum.