Bone yard tranny opinion
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Bone yard tranny opinion
Looking to get a mid range milage(80-100K) A4LD tranny from the local pull a part, $80 with a 30 day bring it back if it dont work warranty. Has any one heard of success stories or are they all nightmares. There are about 6-8 vehicles to choose from. I figure it will be hit and miss and a little bit of a gamble, I dont mind the work so thats not an issue, I believe the issue is with the A4LD, and yes i know to look for a few tell tale signs, i.e pull vacuum hose of module to ensure it is not leaking fluid and overall leak check,what say you
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
What's wrong with your current tranny? I rebuilt mine for about $200 worth of parts from bulkpart.com. You can also try out Ebay. They might have it a little cheaper. Rebuilding these things are pretty easy.
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Well I had posted before and pretty much figured that the hydraulics that operate reverse are worn, I drove from seattle to san diego and back and lost reverse on the way home in Oregon. I can still go forward and thats what life is all about right. So, I am now starting to show some of the A4ld tell tale problems, I can get an overhaul kit from autozone for $129. just dont know if thats gonna fix the problem, reneming some of the rubber seals and replaceing the clutch discs might be fine however, I am not for sure what parts if any come in the kit to rebuild the reverse section. weighing the options I thought maybe i could get lucky with a swap. Prior to overhauling yours what if any symptoms did you have. How much was the kit itself.
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
How hard exactly would it be to pull a trans in an Aerostar (89 shorty) and rebuild it? I'm talking shadetree mechanic here, no garage/hoist. Just some jacks/stands/ramps to work with, and a shop bench. Or for that mettaer, to do a swap from a donor in the back yard. I'm no pro, but I'm handy with a wrench and a manual/instructions.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
If you lost your reverse, I'll bet your reverse piston and seal are shot. You can buy a new reverse piston, drop the oil pan and put it in. That's not difficult at all. In fact, once you drop the oil pan, you can remove the valve body and clean that out too.
As for dropping the tranny, that's the easy part. The hard part is to take it out from under the van due to the lack of clearance. What I did was to tie ropes on the tranny once it's on the ground, jacked up the whole front end with my cherry picker, and pull on the ropes to get the tranny out once the car has been lifted high enough. Of course, the idea with the ropes is so that I don't have to put any parts of my body under the van while it's being lifted. I'm a chicken at heart, really
As for dropping the tranny, that's the easy part. The hard part is to take it out from under the van due to the lack of clearance. What I did was to tie ropes on the tranny once it's on the ground, jacked up the whole front end with my cherry picker, and pull on the ropes to get the tranny out once the car has been lifted high enough. Of course, the idea with the ropes is so that I don't have to put any parts of my body under the van while it's being lifted. I'm a chicken at heart, really
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,041
Likes: 1
From: Orland USA
DigitaLink:
Pretty Easy.....Run the front up on the Ramps. Jack up the back about level with the front and put a Jack-Stand on each end of the rear-end.Close to the Shock brackets.
Now take loose the trans and lower it to the ground with the jack. Pull it out from under the van. The van will be high enough for the trans to side out.
Pretty Easy.....Run the front up on the Ramps. Jack up the back about level with the front and put a Jack-Stand on each end of the rear-end.Close to the Shock brackets.
Now take loose the trans and lower it to the ground with the jack. Pull it out from under the van. The van will be high enough for the trans to side out.
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
copper, sounds like the thing to start with, I will assume that the reverse piston and seal are located some place easy to get at? I know about the bolt lengths with the valve body and the need to put them back were they came from. What is a good manual to be working from? I'll check the parts store to see the availability of the parts. One last thing, from the sound of it this can be done with the tranny in the car right? thanx for the help
Joe
Joe
Trending Topics
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
To get to the reverse piston, you need to remove the oil pan. Than you will see that the valve body has one corner cut out with a circular cover on it. That's held by 4 bolts. Open those 4 bolts (beware that there is a spring inside, so try to keep it in by pushing on the cover while you remove those 4 bolts) and gently let the spring push the piston out. The A4LD is notorious for having a bad reverse response due to the bad design of that thingy, a couple of seconds is normal. I have heard horror stories of 30s delay before the reverse engages, but I have never experienced it personally.
Anyway, it's a very minor job and you don't need a manual, since there is nothing to adjust. But if you decide to rebuild the whole transmission, you will need a lot of tips. I can lend you my manual, but even then you still need tips they didn't mention in those manuals. It's not hard, just messy, and you need a really clean place to do it. A big clean bench ought to do it though.
Good luck
Anyway, it's a very minor job and you don't need a manual, since there is nothing to adjust. But if you decide to rebuild the whole transmission, you will need a lot of tips. I can lend you my manual, but even then you still need tips they didn't mention in those manuals. It's not hard, just messy, and you need a really clean place to do it. A big clean bench ought to do it though.
Good luck
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Copper, Thanks a million. I will get the parts to fix reverse and hope that takes care of it, Ive done the basic tune up on it and everything else is working fine. I am starting to get some stutter shifting between OD and 3rd, but a little gas or foot off the pedal takes care of that. I couldnt imagine what I'ld be doing right now without this forum. Your advice and wisdom have given me great faith in the human race. Have a great day
Joe
Joe
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stfree
Clutch, Transmission, Differential, Axle & Transfer Case
2
Jan 20, 2013 02:08 PM
martinus
Clutch, Transmission, Differential, Axle & Transfer Case
8
Mar 27, 2008 08:36 AM
mnedwards
Clutch, Transmission, Differential, Axle & Transfer Case
1
Sep 6, 2003 01:58 AM