Need help! My 1988 Ranger, 2.3llt, 4sp automatic (A4LD) delevoped a a peculiar problem out of nowhere. When I put it in Drive, I get nothing but slip. It feels like the torque converter is locked up as it you hear and it feels like your connected to the rear wheels but when you give it some gas ... nothing. Same for maulally starting in second gear. Reverse is fine and first is ok. If you shift from reverse to drive, eventually drive will engage and it will work fine on the road untill you come to a stop, then again no drive. The same if you start out in first and manually shift to second then third and overdrive. I have changed the filter, fluid (not burnt or discolored) and the modulator valve. Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.

 

Welcome to FTE!!!!

I'm not really into trannies but it might be a presure problem or something sticking in the valve body, was there any dirt in the pan. If you don't get any more replies here try asking on our tranny forum.

 

Thanks Ken;

I have posted in the tranmission section as well.

I had a transmission guy road test the truck yesterday, and he was able to drive it normally if when moving from PARK you shifted directly to DRIVE and by-passed OverDrive. This he says, indicates that is a broken "over-drive carrier". He's says that it would require a new carrier and a tear down. Alternatively, I could just drive it without overdrive and may last a long time?

 

I'm not sure but if you have something damaged inside the crap from it could damage other components.

 

I'm not sure what an "over-drive carrier" is, however, maybe it is the "weak link" in these trannies. If you do some searching in this site, you will find some good info. I myself have an '85 with the A4LD, and have problems with overdrive. It DOES shift into OD, but it doesn't work right, and causes problems. This is typical. However, I have been driving it in "regular drive" (not OD) for over 3 years now, and it just keeps going & going. One other thing that happens ... the tranny will eventually get into the habit of "going neutral" while decelerating, as if shifted into neutral gear. When you give it gas again, it re-engages. In mine, if I give it gas too fast, it revs first, then slams into gear, so I have to gas it up gradually, then it engages smoothly, almost as if nothing was wrong. Ken mentioned a sticking valve body. This is pretty common too. Believe it or not, those additives that you buy at auto parts stores can work. All they do is dissolve gunk. If the valve body is gunked up, then your tranny might start working much better if you "de-gunkify" it with the additive. It worked in mine. The worst that will happen is you'll waste 3 or 4 bucks.

 

De-gunkify? Is that a technical term?

BTW, sounds like it's time for a fluid filter, and flush. Keep 'em clean, and they'll keep working.

 

I learned about a product called AutoRx through the threads on this site and have used it. Frank, the inventor of the product, is available directly on e-mail from the contact us box.

I have tried it in my personal engines and it cleans things up quite well. It is not cheap, but usually if anything is any good it is not cheap. You may choose to check their website AutoRX.com and assess their claims for transmissions. If not sure, e-mail them and they respond quickly.

russ

 

Thanks ... tried www.autorx.com and got "page contains no data" ?

 

smaster:

A thousand pardons. My error. The website is Auto-Rx.com. Silly me, I forgot the dash but it is a big deal to the computer. It is interesting reading.

Russ

 

Here's a thread I started in the Oil/Lube Forum a little while back regarding my own experience with Auto-Rx:

Auto-Rx for Transmissions - Does it Work?

 

Thanx ... I'll take a look at the site and the other post.

Also, had this reply from someone on the RangerStation...

Re: Help! No drive or second
« Reply #1 on: Jun 8th, 2003, 9:57pm » Quote Quote Modify Modify
Try the old brake fluid in the trans trick.
I had a 79 Fairmont a couple of years ago, like in 1999 to 2000. I bought it with 58 K on it and it drove like new for a few months, than it started acting about like yours. A guy at a Trans shop didn't even look at it and told me some the seals were old and dry and due to that, some kind of clutch(planetary?) wasn't working. He said $650 and didn't bat an eye. I told a guy at work, and he said his dad went to Kansas to buy an old Ford truck and halfway back to OK, the trans did the slip and stop deal. He poured in a bout a half cup of BRAKE fluid, and it made it home just fine. I did that to my Fairmont and drove it another 25,000 miles, before I sold it. It didn't work at first, but the next day I tried it for the heck of it, and it was like someone put in a new trans overnight. True story.


Any one tried this ??

 

I can't even think how that would help... brake fluid is some slick stuff... BTW, and I forgot to mention this earlier... I've used the Lucas Transmission treatment stuff (seals leaks, helps stop the bands from slippng too much) on a couple different cars with some pretty good results. Really firmed up the shifts on this old POS Sentra I had. Just some more food for thought...

 

Although brake fluid is NOT a petroleum distillate like the trans fluid, it WILL MIX with the trans fluid. It has excellent cleaning properties like the trans fluid itself, but it also softens & swells seals, grommets, & gaskets. I have used it in my '85 A4LD.

 

But long term it will kiil the seals, the swelling is the brake fluid attacking the seals.

 

Quite true. All that "stuff" is band-aid at best.