4wd trans into 2wd ranger. Help please!

Gregn · Aug 20, 2007

Hey guys & gals new to this site hope you can help. Ive got a 90 ranger 4.0 2wd. a4dl ? trans 4spd auto. My trans is going bad. I picked up a trans from a 90 Aero star with a 4.0. the aerostar was 4wd so the tail piece is different then my 2wd. Aside from that the trans' look identical. Can I switch the tail piece and make it work? Or is there something else I need to know? I know the 4wd tail piece fit into the transfer case and is shorter then mine ( by a couple of inches. Is this going to cause me problems? If so whats the remedy? It took me 3hrs to get it out of the aerostar and I dont want to pull mine if this isnt going to work. Before some one here says "why didnt you check this out first" I had heard that it would. Friend of mine suggested this forum (After I got the trans) and I thought Id check you experts before going further. Any help or suggestions would be greatly apprciated!

Thanks

ZSK · Aug 20, 2007

You have the A4LD. You can switch the 4wd to 2wd by changing the tailhousing and the output shaft. The transmissions need to be disassembled in order for the shafts to be swapped. The trans in my 2wd came from a 4wd Explorer. I just took the good trans and my truck to the local shop. They removed the bad trans, swapped the shafts and housing, installed the good trans for $350.

TireIron · Aug 20, 2007

yea in order to actually make the 4wd tranny into a 2wd you will have to disassemble both trannys to swap the output shafts. You can however just grab a ranger t-case and a driveshaft from a 4x4 truck with the same cab and bed setup as yours and bolt the tranny, t-case, and driveshaft into the truck and as long as the t-case is left in 2wd it will act just the same...

Gregn · Aug 20, 2007

Wow! great site !! Even better people!!! Thank you!!

So let me get this straight-- Im going to need to "rebuild" my trans to make this work, right? Or get a transfercase, driveshaft and a handfull of other parts to complete this ( more $ ) becuase the shafts are different lengths?How hard is it to tear one of these apart, do you have to "effectively" rebuild it as in complete tear down to get to the shaft? Im a pretty good with a wrench but Ive never opened up a transmission before. In in San Jose Ca. The shops around here want $300.+ just to r&r the trans never mind swaping drive shafts. ARGHHHHHH!!!! Seems to me if I gota tear them both apart to swap a shaft it might be better to to just rebuild the original one. Same amount of work ( isnt it?) only Id just have to to one. ( feel free to jump in with some good advice here gentlemen!!) It will be most apprciated!!!

Again thank you!!
Greg

Hmm, quick thought here---- what other make models years will work? What #'s do I need to look for and where on the trans are they?

projectnitemare · Aug 20, 2007

The tail shaft is the pretty much the first piece in and the last to remove, so yep it's pretty much like doing a rebuild. If you don't know how an auto transmission works then you are running a chance of messing it up. If you get a rebuild manual and have the proper tools and some good mechanical know how then there is no reason you wouldn't be able to do this yourself. What is wrong with the trans you have now? If is doesn't have serious failure I would just rebuild it because you'll end up rebuilding a used one anyway. If you want a shop to do the tailshaft swap, then take apart the bad trans yourself and get all the parts you need. Drop those parts off with your good trans and have them swapped. Or what has been said earlier get a t-case and the rear driveshaft from a 4x4 that is the same wheelbase as your truck. Install the t-case and d-shaft and drive away. The t-case would be pointless but if you don't care that much and need it done super cheap that would be pretty easy.

Matt

F150hybred · Aug 20, 2007

If anything, if you leave the t-case on the trans, it will give you some wild grunt gears for pulling heavy loads at a slow speed. You could also think of it as prep for a solid axle swap in the future!

Taragon · Aug 21, 2007

Or you can use a dummy 13-59 T-case from a 2wd Bronco II. Hell, the junk yards will pretty much GIVE them to you!!!

Gregn · Aug 21, 2007

Whats wrong with my trans is, its slipping baddly in first, slipping in second. When I put it in first it hardly moves very slugish its a little better in gear 2. Drive (3) and overdrive (4) seem to work fine. Reverse is also a little slippery, which is to say so Ive gotto put the gas on, ie rev it up abit more than one normaly should before it engages. what ive been doing is just leaving it in "Od" to drive around. Im fine once I get above 30mph and on the freeway. It still moves from a dead stop albight slugishly. So its not "dead" yet The trans was supposedly just serviced prior to me owning the truck (within the last year) the fluid looks fine, buts thats not to say that what may have been in there could have been burnt. Would can of transmedic ( or somthing similar ) and an adjustment help? How does one "tighten" the "bands"

Thanks again

ZSK · Aug 21, 2007

There's no fix in a can. I would find a local trans shop and have them take a look. Could be as simple as a gasket.

bronco_lou · Dec 6, 2009

Gregn said:
Whats wrong with my trans is, its slipping baddly in first, slipping in second. When I put it in first it hardly moves very slugish its a little better in gear 2. Drive (3) and overdrive (4) seem to work fine. Reverse is also a little slippery, which is to say so Ive gotto put the gas on, ie rev it up abit more than one normaly should before it engages. what ive been doing is just leaving it in "Od" to drive around. Im fine once I get above 30mph and on the freeway. It still moves from a dead stop albight slugishly. So its not "dead" yet The trans was supposedly just serviced prior to me owning the truck (within the last year) the fluid looks fine, buts thats not to say that what may have been in there could have been burnt. Would can of transmedic ( or somthing similar ) and an adjustment help? How does one "tighten" the "bands"

Thanks again

I would check the adjustment on the low band.

4wd trans into 2wd ranger. Help please!

Gregn

New Member

ZSK

New Member

TireIron

New Member

Gregn

New Member

projectnitemare

New Member

F150hybred

New Member

Taragon

Member

Gregn

New Member

ZSK

New Member

bronco_lou

New Member

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Members online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

Latest posts

Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Follow TRS On Instagram

Latest Album Photos

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Amazon Deals