why hate on the a4ld?

[Twister]

I got a a4ld in my B2, it spews its fluid once every month or 2 but it keeps on going if i make sure it is full.

Hell once, i was picking up my siblings from school and it spewed all its fluid ( for the first time), it made it home 2 miles away on no fluid and it still worked the next day.

 

[lethal-threat-b288]

Well I had a seal go bad don't go into od and It gets me wherever I want to go no complaints other than my gf can't drive a stick, Aka the only reason besides having more control over my power, I'm swapping in a m5od. So here's the summary! Love the a4ld but want more control and don't want my old lady takin off in it lol still love her tho

 

[4.0B2]

I mean i might have my hands on a md05.. and if i do, i'll do a 5 speed swap
but with my other mods it's hard to justify it when my auto has been so good.

 

[Boggin]

i bash them due to personal experience. ive got one truck that already had a bad a4ld and i managed to get 2 other ones to break due to wheelin the hell out of one and the other one is just regular use and its on its way out now. the manuals ive had though, they rock. tough as nails

 

[4.0B2]

i bash them due to personal experience. ive got one truck that already had a bad a4ld and i managed to get 2 other ones to break due to wheelin the hell out of one and the other one is just regular use and its on its way out now. the manuals ive had though, they rock. tough as nails

see i'm okay with this... personal experience. some people on here bash them like they know but have never ran one...
kinda like the jeepers and smittybilt winches.. most people talk bad and have never had one
i'm still going with i'm lucky on our a4ld's..

 

[mhughes165]

the people u see bash them generally are speaking from the experience of everyone else on here that has been through that same old song and dance time and time again......


i have owned.....23? i think, rbv's now, and have worked on/built many many more.

my failure issues i experience with a4lds, at random for no rhyme or reason puking front pump seals. Torque Converter lockup solenoids go bad, leaving converter locked, breaking bands, sun gear? shattered.

now granted this was by the more abusive then average driver in all cases.

a original a4ld if well maintained should not be expected to live a day past 150k miles, now the reason the a4ld is crap is because of the age all these trucks are now, any time past 150k is a blessing.

personally i hate parasitic power loss, so i usually run a stick or a built automatic (can build a a4ld the same as any other trans) HOWEVER i would make sure anyone doing the build on the a4ld have a VAST knowledge on these transmissions, as not doing something precise can lead to bad things happening lol

 

[4.0B2]

so what you say i should do on an a4ld that's simple?

i was just asking.. i looked over a lot of stuff on here about how people have had problems with them, and just thought to myself-- dang i'm lucky! lol

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

so what you say i should do on an a4ld that's simple?

i was just asking.. i looked over a lot of stuff on here about how people have had problems with them, and just thought to myself-- dang i'm lucky! lol

I think a real tranny cooler would go a long ways.

BTW, my truck is mostly street driven, it sees a little mud and deepish snow now and then but it has been rocking 235/75-15 tires for as long as I have had and spent much of its road time on pavement or gravel.

 

[mhughes165]

if u do a total rebuild, replace all the hard and soft parts, any damaged pieces, and take your time it can be done by a competent mechanic, any upgraded parts, mild shift kit helps them too it seems.


the process is generally the same, just figure out what u want, order the parts according to how strong u want it to be and go from there

 

[4.0B2]

i've had them apart before, several times... just not the ones at our house.
and my truck has a real cooler on it. it was added a long time ago when my dad had the b2.

i've thought about rebuilding it and doing a mild shift kit...

 

[Snoranger]

I had an A4LD that went through 128k miles of hell. I got the truck at 60K and started beating on it. finally broke it at 188K.
I put my foot to the floor every day, EVERY chance I got.
I did donuts in the truck at least once a week.
I ran it low on fluid every month, It would slip going around a right turn.( thats how I knew it was time to fill it up!)
We chained it to a 49,000 lb forklift and roasted the rear tires till they blew.
I towed more racecars to the track then I can remember.


The truck was a beater truck, plain and simple. It was neglected, beaten, and NEVER had the fluid changed. Till one day the converter locked up. I was 30 miles from home and 26 traffic lights stood in my way. I drove home, just tossed the truck in neutral at every light (stopped by 11 of them). When the light went green, I just dropped it into gear at 2500 rpm and spun the tires to get going. It made it home, and I tossed a 2.9l A4LD that i had in there.


I cant say ANYTHING bad about the A4LD!! It took a beating like a champ!!

 

[4.0B2]

I had an A4LD that went through 128k miles of hell. I got the truck at 60K and started beating on it. finally broke it at 188K.
I put my foot to the floor every day, EVERY chance I got.
I did donuts in the truck at least once a week.
I ran it low on fluid every month, It would slip going around a right turn.( thats how I knew it was time to fill it up!)
We chained it to a 49,000 lb forklift and roasted the rear tires till they blew.
I towed more racecars to the track then I can remember.


The truck was a beater truck, plain and simple. It was neglected, beaten, and NEVER had the fluid changed. Till one day the converter locked up. I was 30 miles from home and 26 traffic lights stood in my way. I drove home, just tossed the truck in neutral at every light (stopped by 11 of them). When the light went green, I just dropped it into gear at 2500 rpm and spun the tires to get going. It made it home, and I tossed a 2.9l A4LD that i had in there.


I cant say ANYTHING bad about the A4LD!! It took a beating like a champ!!

 

[AllanD]

you missed the AXOD(early Taurus) and the ATX (Escort), but I'm not sure the AX4N belongs on your list, theone in my 3.0DOHC (Duratech) Taurus always seems to shift when I mentally think "shift NOW"...

AD

I bash the A4LD for the same reason I bash the AX4N, the C-series, the AOD, AODE, EOD, E4OD, CD4E, and even the 350, 350 Turbo, 400, and 400 Turbo.



If I can't pop it in gear myself, I'm not interested.

 

[exbass94]

158k miles on mine and still going strong. Personally I like the A4LD. I really like the way it shifts. Quick, and firm, but not too firm. I think most fail early from abuse and not changing fluid. I think I can get 200k out of it, but I'll be satisfied with 170k.

I really like my 5r55e too and expect it to last just as long.

 

[NMB2]

I bash the A4LD for the same reason I bash the AX4N, the C-series, the AOD, AODE, EOD, E4OD, CD4E, and even the 350, 350 Turbo, 400, and 400 Turbo.



If I can't pop it in gear myself, I'm not interested.

manual valve body