Hi I have a 1990 Aerostar van, 3.0 V-6, 2wd with the A4LD trans. First a little history... This van has approx 150k miles on it and the trans was replaced by the previous owner, from a junkyard. [Supposedly had 107k on it from the junkyard...] When the last owner installed the trans, he forgot to hook up the kickdown cable, and decided to pull a pop up camper with it.

Well, when I bought it, the trans groaned a bit when you dropped it in gear. I discovered the kick down cable problem and hooked it up, the way it's supposed to be and it seemed to work fine. Even the groaning has slowly been going away. When I drove it to the store it, shifted just fine on the way there. BUT, when I went to leave it briefly worked across the parking lot, then completely died. It was like you stuck it up in neutral. No response from any shifter position, not even a shudder or a try from the trans to engage. I pulled the dipstick and looked to check the fluid/condition. In the light from the headlight, I could see some foamy bubbles, very tiny, but the fluid did not smell burnt and was reasonably red. I could see no signs of leaks anywhere and the trans has been fine before this happened. It is like someone pulled the power plug to it... I even checked to see if the shifter cable popped off or something, but it was all there, including the kick down cable to the TB. So I had to drift it into a parking spot and walk home.

Any and all suggestions are welcome as I am at a loss, as I have never really had to fool much with these types of Ford transmissions. I read thru the A4LD trans problem section and found nothing like this mess. Please help!

 

any movement at all in reverse or forward gears? try all positions.

easy to do test is set emergency brake and block all 4 tires on level ground.

watch shift selector on driver side of tranny while someone moves the handle thru the gears.

these are complex, once one has checked the simple stuff such as ATF level and condition, shift mech. movement, and no metal grinding noise it has moved out of the realm of a non technical DIYer. this is one where experience counts.

get references from friends and family before taking it to any tranny shop in area. some are licensed to repair some licensed to rob.

 

Hi, thanks for the reply! No movement at all in any selector position. I did the selector lever check and seen it move throughout the rang of motion. The fluid is red and does not smell burnt. No noises at all from the trans.. no groaning, whining or grinding noises... I swear it's like the torque converter let go... How often do those go bad, and do they also quit without warning? Thanks again, Mike

P.S. I have my "feelers" out for another trans and/or some pointers on just what is going on with it. Keep ya posted!

 

Ok, I have been in your boat. The number one thing is fluid level. If the level gets too low, the pump cannot pick up fluid properly and you get little or no line pressure, no pressure means no engagement. When was the fluid last replaced. Fluid smell or color does not indicate its true condition. Fluid that smells or has a bad color is far gone, the fluid should be replaced before it gets to that point and it can cause issues before getting to that point. Every 30,000 is about the maximum interval the fluid should be replaced at. There is a sticky at the top of the forum on how to flush your own system. My moms van is bad and is starting to go, wouldn't engage in either direction. Added a little fluid because it was slightly low, got it to the shop, had it gentle flushed and new MercV added, it has worked fine since. The old filter may have been partially plugged, a plugged filter will have the same effect as low fluid.

As far as a TC failure, you should not have a sudden failure with a TC. Those tend to make a lot of shuddering and stuff before they break. You also get some engagement, maybe not enough to move the vehicle, but you can feel when the trans engages and it seems to me that its not engaging as opposed to TC failure.

As far as finding another trans. Save your time and money. It is usually more cost effective to fix your old trans if you plan on keeping the vehicle. The reason for this is your old trans probably in as good or better shape than a worn out donor. An overhaul can repair what is needed, and your trans can be upgraded in the process. If you get a donor it can get you by for now, but you have no idea how long, what might be wrong with the donor, etc.

 

Hi, Thanks so much for the reply.[ "Other" related forums I have been on has netted ZERO replies... ]. Yes the fluid level was o.k. and I agree with you on the whole donor thing too. I have been calling around today and I've heard some real crack-smoking prices... how about 350 and my old one in trade? I asked the mileage.. they didn't even know, as the van was crushed out already... nice, huh? They said 90 day "warranty" as well... One guy told me 88 to 91 is the only one that will work for me.. I heard it was 88 to 94 ..hmmm. I suppose I'll have to try out flushing and adding a new filter and fluid. You say "Mercon V" fluid? Do you know offhand about how much I'm going to have to buy? I think I'll pull the pan before wasting money on fluid though. If there's obvious chunks and big pieces in the pan it's a goner. Wouldn't I get lucky if the pick-up tube/filter fell out of the valve body... that would be easy to fix. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

I pulled the pan off this evening and things don't look good. There were no big pieces, but there was a lot of tiny flakes.. stuff like you see in metal flake paint, a fine glittery powder. The local trans guru's theory was the torque converter came apart...[ this was apparently the "front pump" noise I was hearing earlier. It was the converter slowly grinding itself to teeny pieces.] .. and flushed the fine gunk thorough out the trans. Now he'll rebuild it for 11 or 12 hundred... of course. I guess I'm going to remove it tomm. with a friend of mine and get it ready for whatever trans I can find to replace it with. It seems the window of donors is only from 88 to 91, so that puts the kibosh on an easily found part. It will be fun in the junkyard which has turned into a sea of deep mud and all vehicles sitting on the axles. Oh the joy... I'll keep you posted. M.

 

ranger or explorer 4L A4LD from eary 90s will work also

i believe the reason is that the early 90s had the speed sensor in the tail shaft and the later 90s had the speed sensor in the rear end off a tone wheel on the ring gear.
may be able to take your old tail shaft and put it on a later year tranny?
haven't researched it so you're on your own.
the later 94 95 has a more ruggedly build A4LD

flush the replacement with cheap Mercon rated ATF, the $2 qt stuff before putting it in.
i suggest a new or rebuilt torque converter. old ones that have set are unreliable because of corrosion and friction breakdown. the friction material drys out.
make sure the rebuilder has put in new friction discs in the TC

humping a heavy tranny out and back in twice in one winter is not a fun experience.

 

Hi and thanks for the tips! I'm heading to the junkyard in the next few days to scope out the pickins'... hopefully something will be there I can yank out. This "pick-yer-own" yard asks from 100 to 175 for a trans. No warranty though.. and a sea of mud to boot. I can get one elsewhere for 300 to 350, with a whopping 90 day [ooooooo!] warranty. I just don't have that kind of money. Hopefully something will work out. Cheers, Mike

 

Scoping the junkyard is a waste of time. Everything there will already be toast or on its last legs. If you want to keep the van, rebuild your old trans. That way you only replace what needs to be replaced. If you get a junkyard trans, rebuild it before installing it. Either way you get stuck with rebuilding it. $300 for 90 days is too much. If that is too much to spend on this van, then maybe you should look at scrapping it out. When you put the economics together, you either fix it or you don't.