1994 b3000 al4d?

[chrisp6108]

I purchased a good used 94 b3000 with 85k miles a while ago, had replaced alot of small things here and there, but the truck had no history with maintance when i bought it. during the warmer months, it started leaking tranny fluid out the trans, i beleive its coming from the front seal or the converter. It shits perfectly fine all day and i drive it back and forth to work, but i have to put a quart of fluid in as little as 1 time a month, or as bad as 1 time a week, depending on the tempture which is another reason why i think its a seal issue. I did not pull the pan to see what was in the bottom to see if there may be something more serious or not, because i know its got the leak it will need some attention sooner then later. The trans cooler lines all looked solid and dry, only visiable liquid i can see, is on the front of the bell housing and the pan itself.

My couple questions i have,
Is if a al4d? seems 94 was a bastard year for this model truck
Any suggestions on replacements or just have this one rebuilt?
should i just have the seal replaced if its the issue, or could it be something else i am over looking?

 

[exbass94]

1994 was the last year for the A4LD. 1994 was also the FIRST year Mazda trucks were built by Ford and are the same thing as Rangers. (1993 and older Mazda trucks have NOTHING in common with Rangers). So in that sense, yes, it's a bastard year. But remember, it's a Ranger. And Rangers had 3.0s with A4LDs from about 1990 till 1994, so any transmission from those trucks should work. But also remember that every A4LD is now at least 17 years old, any any junkyard transmission that old will be a really big gamble. Also, 2wd and 4wd transmissions are NOT interchangable (at least not without replacing some major parts that require major disassembly to replace), and 3.0s have their own bellhousing bolt pattern, so keep that in mind if/when you're looking for a trans.

 

[chrisp6108]

i guess the real question would be, would it be ok to just have a shop replace the front seal and put back together and change the fluids and filter?

Being it leaks i know the fluids inside is still good, because of me alwayse adding a fresh quart so often.
or would it be best to just go ahead and spend the extra money for a complete rebuild?