TRANS FITMENT

[spottedwolf]

Will an automatic from a 1991 2.9L V6 fit a 1996 4.0L V6.............Flexplate bolt pattern ? Starter difference ? Wiring ?

 

[Shran]

Short answer is yes.

Long answer is not really, '91 would have an A4LD, '96 would have a 4R55E, which is a variant of the A4LD, but is all electronically controlled. So while an A4LD will bolt into your '96 with really no major issues, none of the wiring will hook up to it so it won't be able to perform a 3-4 shift nor will torque converter lock up function. Your computer will probably throw a bunch of codes too. I THINK that it MIGHT function as a 3 speed but I am not sure on that... you would need to build your own controller for 3-4 and TC lockup... and figure out how to tune out the codes in your ECM/swap to a manual trans ECM...

.... a lot of work just to have a cobbled up mess but if it was me and I had the parts and I just needed a beater that moves under its own power, I might try it and just live with 3 forward gears.

 

[spottedwolf]

Thanks Shan. Fortunately, the '91 donor 4x4 is complete and $500 total. I am also fortunate to have a good friend who can figure out all the wiring changes and do it properly. He is an excellent mechanic with years of knowledge across a gamut of industrial systems and quite familiar with Rangers as well. The downside is time constraints and I am sick of the standard trans.

 

[Shran]

I think you would be a lot of time and money ahead just finding a 4R55E from a '95+ 4.0 truck. If you can find a donor from around that time period, it would be a bolt in swap with no fiddling, and those are built slightly better than an A4LD anyway. Should be able to use an Explorer as a donor or possibly an AWD Aerostar van.

The irony here is that most of us are doing the exact opposite because the automatics have developed a bad reputation. Whether they deserve it or not is always up for debate but manual swaps are always a hot topic. If you really want to do an auto swap, you should absolutely be able to sell your parts and at minimum break even.

 

[SenorNoob]

There might even be someone here with all the right parts to trade even...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

There might even be someone here with all the right parts to trade even...

I actually have a 4R55e here from a 96 Explorer if memory serves me correctly and would love to have a M5OD for a 4.0 but I’m not sure shipping to and from Canada would be cost effective, lol

Dang thing was even a relatively fresh rebuild when I got it

 

[SenorNoob]

British Columbia is the far side of Canada from you. Had it been Toronto area ya'll might've been able to meet up at the border.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Oh yeah, while I’m thinking of it…

You will need a wiring harness and computer to swap from manual to automatic. If you use the 91 donor, you will have to swap everything because your 96 should be OBD2 and the 91 is not, so the entire wiring will be different. Dash, chassis, everything. With a 95-97 donor you would just need to change the transmission, the engine/transmission wiring harness and the computer plus steering column and radiator. Much simpler.

I also highly recommend doing a shift kit in any auto transmission to reduce slipping and such, plus adjusting the bands (if the trans has adjustments), fluid and filter, new reverse servo o-rings and gaskets, and a large auxiliary cooler. The cooler you can keep the trans, the happier it will be. Might not be as important in Canada as it can be here in the states.

 

[Shran]

Oh yeah, while I’m thinking of it…

You will need a wiring harness and computer to swap from manual to automatic. If you use the 91 donor, you will have to swap everything because your 96 should be OBD2 and the 91 is not, so the entire wiring will be different. Dash, chassis, everything. With a 95-97 donor you would just need to change the transmission, the engine/transmission wiring harness and the computer plus steering column and radiator. Much simpler.

I also highly recommend doing a shift kit in any auto transmission to reduce slipping and such, plus adjusting the bands (if the trans has adjustments), fluid and filter, new reverse servo o-rings and gaskets, and a large auxiliary cooler. The cooler you can keep the trans, the happier it will be. Might not be as important in Canada as it can be here in the states.

I am not totally sure that much, if anything, would be needed to run an A4LD in his truck as a 3 speed (1, 2, 3 & R gears only.) He has a manual trans now so it wouldn't even know the difference. The main problem would be the 3-4 shift solenoid and TC lockup.

Honestly, the more I think about this, IF I were to do this myself I would be wanting to use a very early A4LD (85-87) that doesn't run off electronics for the 3-4 shift. Then all you need is a switch to lock up the torque converter.

.... And... @spottedwolf ... IF you wanted to go that route... I have a core A4LD from an '85 Ranger that needs to be rebuilt. It can be yours for a very low price if you can figure out how to pick it up in South Dakota

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I am not totally sure that much, if anything, would be needed to run an A4LD in his truck as a 3 speed (1, 2, 3 & R gears only.) He has a manual trans now so it wouldn't even know the difference. The main problem would be the 3-4 shift solenoid and TC lockup.

Honestly, the more I think about this, IF I were to do this myself I would be wanting to use a very early A4LD (85-87) that doesn't run off electronics for the 3-4 shift. Then all you need is a switch to lock up the torque converter.

.... And... @spottedwolf ... IF you wanted to go that route... I have a core A4LD from an '85 Ranger that needs to be rebuilt. It can be yours for a very low price if you can figure out how to pick it up in South Dakota

I know I had an 89 Bronco II with an A4LD and the wiring harness for the trans melted on the exhaust. It shifted terrible and I got around 10 mpg. Somewhere around there or the start of the 90s they went to a two solenoid valve body if memory serves me correctly. When I fixed the wiring it shifted nicer and I started getting more like 17 mpg.

 

[Shran]

I know I had an 89 Bronco II with an A4LD and the wiring harness for the trans melted on the exhaust. It shifted terrible and I got around 10 mpg. Somewhere around there or the start of the 90s they went to a two solenoid valve body if memory serves me correctly. When I fixed the wiring it shifted nicer and I started getting more like 17 mpg.

IIRC 85-87 needs just the TC lockup switch, 88-89 had one electronic solenoid, some 89's-94 is the electronic two solenoid deal, and then 95+ is of course the 4R44E/4R55E and later the 5R variants.

I might be off a bit there and I'm just going off of 2.8, 2.9, and 4.0 trucks so 4 cylinder and 3.0 may have other variations. It appears from car-part.com that 88 and early 89 was its own deal and late 89-94 were interchangeable.