I have a 1993 Explorer Limited 4x4, A4LD Trans, auto, 133k miles. It started slipping recently, I lost overdrive (wouldn't engage) but the others gears were fine. Now I have lost all gears. It simply wont engage in any gear. Fluid level is normal. I drained the fluid from the casing and it was black and viscous, like motor oil instead of the runny redish color it should be. . I also found tiny metal shavings in the pan... not alot and they were very very small, but there were some. It was shifting hard (slaming into gear) prior to going out completely. I still have reverse but I have to get it up to about 3500 RPM to get it to engage and it shudders badly once engaged.

Could this be just a torque converter/bad fluid problem or should I start looking for a new tranny? I don't know what the previous owner put in the transmission for fluid (maybe 5W30 motor oil??), and I've only had the truck about a year. I have put only 7k miles on it since then so I have never serviced it, but never had a problem until about 2 weeks ago. Total milage is 133k.

I was going to try cleaning out the pan with solvent, refilling the case with all new fluid and see what happens but I thought I'd ask here before I waste the time. If it sounds like my trans is bad then after 130k miles maybe I ought to just replace it?

I thought I'd ask here what you all think though before I spend $1,300 on a factory rebuilt trans as opposed to maybe 60 bucks worth of fluid and a new filter. What would you do under the symptoms I described? I would have to borrow the money if I need a new tranny, I dont have $1,300 extra bucks atm.

 

That thing is completly toast, no question. sorry but your into a complete rebuild and only do that if you'd also do the engine(when it goes) cuz your on borrowed time w/it also.

 

Engine is fine. This is my desert beater, the tranny has 133k on it. Who knows what the engine has. I'm always upgrading and servicing the engine, so I'm not worried at all about it. I've done a rebuild on the engine and the oil pressure and compression are like a new car. I just have zero exp with automatic trans. I always had manual desert beaters before this - but none of them had power leather seats, Tilt/cruise/steering wheel controls for the 12 disc CD player, onboard computer, climate control, etc. LOL. I am keeping this baby. If I have to replace the motor they cost about 800 bucks longblock at Kragen. Then I'll have a whole new truck!

Thks for the input. Pretty much what I thought anyways but I wanted some input from ppl with experience with ford auto trans.

 

The 4.0 OHV engine will run practically forever if well maintained. The A4LD transmission is a different story. Have you considered replacing it with a 5 speed manual.

Mason

 

You said "I've done a rebuild on the engine" Does that mean YOU did the rebuild or you had the rebuild done? If you can rebuild an engine you should be able to slip in a transmission from a wrecker. I've seen complete parts trucks out there for $500.00. Other posters seem to indicate a transmission rebuild is not as difficult as it sounds for the DIYer.

Also... as mentioned the A4LD is problematic, the 4.0L motors are solid.

The overdrive condition sounds like an issue with the vacuum modulator (a $15.00 part - see other posts on this, there are many) but with the other gears going...???

Good luck with it!!

 

A bad VM wouldn't cause me to have no gears at all, would it?

A salvaged trans might be an option, but there's no way to tell what kind of condition it is in either. I may put it in only to find that it also has problems.

As far as doing a manual 5-speed conversion, I don't want to go there. I have done several engine rebuilds, I did them myself, but I don't have the time nor the tools. The last time I did it was about 10 yrs ago and the car was from the early 80's. I was also using Dad's tools, not mine. I would rather just keep this truck stock as it came from the factory. If the A4LD has issues, this one lasted 133k miles, so a factory rebuilt one should last another 100K.

My question was more or less directed to the torque converter, I can get a new T/C for $160. Would a bad T/C cause the fluid to run black, smell burnt, and lose all gears or is it a matter of bad T/C=Bad Trans? O/D went first, but then the others followed. It started slipping in and out of gear a few weeks ago, and gradually got worse. D,1, and 2 alll worked at first then they too started doing the same thing - and it got worse as the engine warmed up.

I stated that the fluid was viscous for that reason... from what I understand the T/C is just a turbine. Would thick fluid cause it to fail? Why and how did my trans fluid get so thick to begin with? When I drained the fluid it looked and smelled just like motor oil when doing an oil change. Trans fluid has the viscosity of water when it goes in, so how did mine get blackened and thick as oil?

BTW the crack about the previous owner putting 5W30 in the trans case was a joke. No one put oil in the case! The previous owner is my brother in law, although he's no mechanic he does know basic maintenance

 

Since you have the issue with the fluid AND losing ALL the gears I'd say it is a more serious problem. Is $160.00 T/C worth the gamble on a "maybe" fix? (more than a used transmission?) I'm no tranny expert so I have no comment on the workings of the T/C. There are other guys on FTE with far greater transmission knowledge (maybe they'll speak up!).

My 91 has 220K miles and runs beautifully. There are thousands of these transmissions still on the road too and operating just fine. You may get a bad one at the wrecker but I'd take the chance. Use your 90 day warranty to thouroughly test the unit.

Is your brother vehicle savvy enough not to use a non-Mercon product in the transmission? That would be a problem.

 

Mine still runs beautifully too. I have been told by others also that if you take care of the Ford 4.0 engine it will run forever, plus mine has been rebuilt (A shop did this one)

LOL. No he isn't mechanically inclined but he isn't stupid. He would look in the manual or right there on the stickers under the hood. It says in bold type USE DEXTRON/MERCON III ONLY, even on the dipstick itself it says this! It is a mystery to me how my fluid got so thick and blackened but who cares now, the tranny is bad, no doubt about that now.

I agree with everything you said, and after a week of thinking about it I have decided the best thing to do is get a tranny from a wrecker since I don't have the $$ for a new one. Most say they can guarantee the mileage that was on the vehicle it was taken from, and most have a 90-180 day warranty. I used a parts locator service and have about 20 e-mails in my inbox waiting for me to call and take my money, so I'll either find one nearby or one who will pay for shipping

I'm still putting a brand new T/C in it since they are only $160.

I don't do Moab or anything but I am a bit hard on it when 4 wheeling, so I'm actually surprised it didn't go out sooner.

thanks for the input.

 

Was the tranny fluid ever changed?? Believe it or not, many people never do. While you are under there, I would replace the differential fluids as well. Me personally, I would have a reputable local trannsmission shop rebuild it.

I have a hard time believing that you can get a "factory rebuilt" transmission for $1200- $1300. I would think you are looking at closer to $2000 but I must admit, I have not priced them.

Also, factory does not rebuild transmissions. In fact, Ford does not even build them anymore, they just buy them and install them. They buying rebuilts from someone like Fred Jones in Oklahoma City and marking them up before selling them to you as "factory rebuilt"

 

I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle, so I have no clue. Judging by it's looks I would say it never had been changed. The Ford manual (as well as the Chiltons guide) says you should never have to under normal conditions. There isn't even a drain plug on the A4LD, you have to remove the entire pan to get the fluid out.
Remember I am borrowing the money for this project. Parts and labor would be more than the cost of the crated ones from AutoZone and Kragen anyways. (mostly labor, I have checked this option also) - I can do the labor for free on a rip and install. I also have a time factor because this is my only vehicle right now. Being homebound and asking neighbors to drive you around isn't very comfortable.
Duhhh!!!!! Of course I priced them. Did you think I pulled those figures out of my crack? Kragen = $1,388, AutoZone= $1,399. Both have a 3 yr warranty and both include a new torque converter. Pep Boys doesn't even stock them but I imagine their price would be similar. This is with core return. The core is about $600. Yes, it would be closer to $2k if I wasn't turning in the core, but I am.

I realize that factory rebuilt doesn't mean "rebuilt at the Ford factory" it just means rebuilt to factory specs. I didn't think it was rebuilt by Ford. I said I had no experience with Auto Trannies, I didn't say I had no mechanical experience.

I maintain the transfer case and the differentials regularly. The differential on Explorer is notorious for not engaging and/or staying engaged so I check the wiring and keep it all clean too, so it isn't necessary to service them at this time. The A4LD trans does not have a drain plug and is supposed to be "service free"... Thanks for the suggestion though. It is a good one and would appply in most cases.

I only wondered if a bad Torque Converter could be the issue since I know (knew I should say) nothing about auto trannies... After doing some research on turbines, torque converters and how they interact with the trans, gearing and schematics of the A4LD along with a few other autos, it seems it would still work even if you did put 5W-30 in it, just not for very long and you would have serious lag on the shifting. It would also get extremely hot and probably completely melt down in about 15 minutes due to the high viscosity of the fluid and the friction it would cause. It would not burn the converter, the stator is made of hardened steel. It would melt the planetaries and their rings, then continue to shoot 5w30 through the molten heap.

I think this is what happened in mine: The fluid started getting overheated, causing the O/D planetary set to stop working, then it went down the line and as I did so it kept getting hotter and hotter and I kept burning the planetary sets until I had nothing left. That would also explain the black molten goop that poured out when I took off the pan. I bet if you boiled a bottle of Mercon III for an hour you'd get the same thing. Makes perfect sense to me now.

Conclusion: The transmission is slag. I will need to replace it, no, a bad torque converter did not cause this I will therefore need to replace the slag heap.

Question answered through my own research and the helpful comments from some nice people who took time to reply and share their knowledge.

 

Hi
You might want to flush out the trans coolent lines and cooler real well befor you put in that rebuilt. You dont want the clutch linning and burnt fluid going through that rebuilt. This is very important. JMTCW Roy.

 

I found a willing donor for the money, so I am getting the rebuilt to factory spec option done, and I'm having a pro mechanic do the install. As he put it the '93 with a 4.0 and A4LD is a "5lb package in a 1lb box" and after getting about 1/4 of the way into the removal I decided to let a pro do it. It is too close to the catalytic converter so I'd have pull the exhaust system out, 2 crossmembers, and the transfer case too. It was much more work than I thought it would be, or have the tools or time for right now due to some personal issues going on. I need my truck, and I need it like yesterday. Anything from a wrecking yard would be 10+ yrs old since the 1995 model and on had the A4LD revised into an electronic control version that wont work in mine without more modifications. I don't want to have to do this again in another 3 months.

My mechanic is a guy I know and trust that owns his own shop, and has been working on Fords for 20 years. He gave me a bunch of usefull info, including the fact that the Chilton manual and Ford are FOS about not needing to service this model trans. He says I should do a total flush every 30K miles especially if I am off-roading. Even though there is no drain plug and its more work, he said to do it anyways. He's going to tow it, do the R&R on my provided tranny and road test it after 500miles for 350 bucks, and he said he'll only need 1 day to do it. Plus, I know it will get done right that way and wont worry about it. He will flush it I'm sure, but I'll be sure to mention it when I take it in. He does my major work when I need it, like when I rebuilt the engine in this he did the machining work. I don't have the machinery for that kind of thing. All I did was dis- and re-assemble the parts.
I have learned alot this past week, thanks to this forum and the people who make it happen. I may not be doing a auto trans rebuild, but I learned alot about them and how they work due to this problem.

 

I recently went down the same road and come to the came conclusion that you did. EXCEPT my first rebuild and install cost around $2,000. the torque converter dies after 6 months and in turn ran metal chips through the trans. I get it replaced for free and another new torque converter. the bill was $2,900 with a big X through it and had written on it No charge . Make sure you comply with all the warranty requirements, and yes every 30k you should service these transmissions and if you are working it hard I would consider every 20k. Also you can get after market drain plugs that can be installed in the pan that way servicing will be a snap. Being that you off road you may not want the drain plug to be sticking down. Another trick is to get the fluids warm and suck it out through the filler tube. I have a piece of clear tubing that I can put down the filler tube and I hook it to a small electric pump and it empties the pan in a couple of minutes. This makes the pan removal a much less messy job

Good luck


Respectfully


Dean

 

Interesting... Thanks for the tips.

Did you get a new converter or was it the old one that sent metal chips through your system?

I'm putting a new one in with the tranny, and I'm going to make sure the system is completely flushed before the new one is installed. One good thing about having a mechanic do it is that if something goes wrong within their warranty, they fix it for free.

 

If you have a problem with the tranny you are buying from Autozone or whatever autoparts tore you select, fat chance getting the installer to take the fall for it if there is a problem (nor should he). That is why I tried to suggest a transmission shop. It's best to have a single source to hold responsible for any and all problems.

BTW - "Duhhh!!!!! Of course I priced them. Did you think I pulled those figures out of my crack?" - Very childish and uncalled for. We are trying to help one another here. This "derogatory" sarcasm does nobody any good and indicates a lack of appreciation for those trying to assist you. Remember that there is a good chance someone on this forum has already dealt with whatever issue you are facing and have a great deal of experience to offer. If you don't want our help, don't ask for it.

Had you been clear on pricing as you were in the later post instead of using dollar figures rounded to the nearest hundred, it would have indicated to me that you did price the transmissions. Instead it sounded like you were pulling numbers out of the air.

Your local transmission shop will re-builld a transmission to factory specs as well. Nothing special about getting one from an auotparts store and probably a point of concern regarding quality. If you buy for the guy down thge street that your neighbor used with some success three years ago, you have some idea that the guy who rebiult the transmission knows what he is doing and you can speak with him in person if there is a problem. There is nothing more frustrating than having to pull a replacement transmission that does not work and I have experienced this first hand. This is another reason that I recommended a tranny shop. That said, I hope that whatever you choose to do works out for you.