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A4ld ?


mountainkowboy

mountainkowboy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
117
Age
67
City
Socal Desert
Vehicle Year
2011
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Sucks to be you
So really, how bad is this tranny? Are there any issues that I need to be aware of?
 
Hehe, ya in most cases they are as bad as people say.

The worst issue (but not the only one) is the TC bushing. It fails under any kind use more than light duty.
As any automatic they don't like heat. There are things you can do like installing a large tranny cooler and hooking up a TC lock up switch so you can manually controll the TC. Keeping the TC locked up as much as possible helps keep the tranny running cooler.

Larger than factory tires really stresses the auto. Regearing helps.
 
Installing a Torque Converter lock up switch.

The lock up TC circuit is a ground switching system. The ECU grounds
the circuit to control the operation of the TC. So in order to install a
switch to force lockup all you have to do is hook up a grounding circuit.

Locate pin #53 on the ECU. They are numbered on the ECU.

Tapp into the pin #53 wire in the engine management harness.

Run a wire from the pin #53 wire to a switch, then from the other side of the
switch to a good ground. I ran mine to the negative battery terminal.

Note: Haynes manual says the wire is Pink and Yellow but mine is Orange. You can
verify the wire color by looking at the TC plug on the transmission.

Now you can control lock up. When the switch is in the on position the lock will stay
locked up regardless of engine load as long as the transmission is in 3rd or OD.

When the switch is in the off position the lock up will operated as it always did.

Note: There is no lock up in first or second. The valve body overrides it in
those ranges. Also remember to turn the switch off when comming to a stop or the
engine will lug down until the transmission drops out of 3rd gear.
 
2manyfords said:
Installing a Torque Converter lock up switch.

The lock up TC circuit is a ground switching system. The ECU grounds
the circuit to control the operation of the TC. So in order to install a
switch to force lockup all you have to do is hook up a grounding circuit.

Locate pin #53 on the ECU. They are numbered on the ECU.

Tapp into the pin #53 wire in the engine management harness.

Run a wire from the pin #53 wire to a switch, then from the other side of the
switch to a good ground. I ran mine to the negative battery terminal.

Note: Haynes manual says the wire is Pink and Yellow but mine is Orange. You can
verify the wire color by looking at the TC plug on the transmission.

Now you can control lock up. When the switch is in the on position the lock will stay
locked up regardless of engine load as long as the transmission is in 3rd or OD.

When the switch is in the off position the lock up will operated as it always did.

Note: There is no lock up in first or second. The valve body overrides it in
those ranges. Also remember to turn the switch off when comming to a stop or the
engine will lug down until the transmission drops out of 3rd gear.
Click to expand...

good write up. you should submit it for the tech library.
 
Keep the fluid and filter changed regularly, don't beat on it too hard, and you should be fine. I have no complaints about my A4LD, just had it's second flush at 137,000 miles (It's been neglected, I recommend flushes at least every 30,000 miles) and it still works flawlessly. :icon_thumby:
 
I have an A4LD on my bench right now. Some of the weak points were the brass bushings used in the earlier versions. Later units had torrington bearings instead which helped make it a bit stronger. If you do get a rebuild make sure it doesn't get a "soft" rebuild where they just replace gaskets and the friction plates. The bushings need to be replaced and there are some valve body upgrades to help with shifting problems and a few other case upgrades. As with any other part of your car regular maintenance is the key to making it last, and don't beat the crap out of it:D

Derek
 
It seems to work fine right now and I have a large cooler on it. I will be doing a complete fluids change on the truck very soon. If and when it goes is there a better trans to use? I want to stay auto and when the 2.9 gives up I'll be going to a 4.0.
 
I have the 1350 T-case and the 1354 is stronger, my ? is can you make a 1354 into a manual shift?
 
I don't think the 4r or 5r will work behind a 2.9lt. They are electronicaly controlled tranny's and would need the engine and ecm that came with the tranny.

Derek
 
derekj said:
I don't think the 4r or 5r will work behind a 2.9lt. They are electronicaly controlled tranny's and would need the engine and ecm that came with the tranny.

Derek
Click to expand...

Sure they do. Just have to swap the internals from the 5R55E into the A4LD case al-a Franken-tranny !!
 
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