4.0l OHV and A C-4 tranny!!

[wrecked_racer]

hey guys
So my buddy and I are building a Baja ford ranger the thing is fully caged and has all glass fenders. last year we lost a transmission and instead of putting the old 4 cylinder back in we went with a 4.0l but as we all know A4LD are junk so we are trying to make a c-4/c-5 work our current problem is that the flexplate is to tall. meaning the height if laid on the table is about 3/8 to 7/16 to tall.
so my question is does anyone know of a flexplate or application that has the same bolt patterns but is shorter?

 

[adsm08]

A C5 trans was available in the early 80s Rangers with the 2.8. A 28 flex plate will bolt to a 4.0.

 

[RonD]

Some more info here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/InterchangingTansmissions.html

A4LD got a bad rap but to each his own

Good read here on making an A4LD better than new: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/a4ld.shtml

Sample of the read here:

One of the most interesting upgrades available for this transmission is the off-road race package. This includes numerous valve body and internal modifications. These modifications are easily attainable from a good tranny man. What this modification does for you, is give you an automatic with all of the advantages of a manual....... and none of the downfalls.

Many of the problems with A4LDs were from solenoid wiring inside trans, heat was a problem engineers under estimated.
And autotrans rebuilders didn't work on OverDrive transmissions much, so they would goof up, trans would fail and they would say, "Well A4LD is junk" to customer, lol, no one likes to admit their goof ups, and this still happens with new technology, shops "go to school" on new stuff and charge the customer for it.

 

[wrecked_racer]

Thanks Guys

Thanks I will check this out and see if it will work

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Some more info here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/InterchangingTansmissions.html

A4LD got a bad rap but to each his own

Good read here on making an A4LD better than new: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/a4ld.shtml

Sample of the read here:

Z
Many of the problems with A4LDs were from solenoid wiring inside trans, heat was a problem engineers under estimated.
And autotrans rebuilders didn't work on OverDrive transmissions much, so they would goof up, trans would fail and they would say, "Well A4LD is junk" to customer, lol, no one likes to admit their goof ups, and this still happens with new technology, shops "go to school" on new stuff and charge the customer for it.

Meanwhile AOD's and 700R4's have a decidedly different reputation.

 

[RonD]

Not from my experience.
Early AODs were short lived if you didn't add another trans cooler and would constantly shift into OD and back when it wasn't needed.

AODE solved the shifting issue and would be a better comparison, since it added computer control, but in 1993, and of course the same problems with electric shift solenoids, but by then most trans shops had "gone to school" on the A4LD(1985), so could diagnose and fix the problems with AODE, so no "well, this trans model is junk" statements because they could actually fix them right the first time.

700R4, a GM transmission, really, same overheating issues as most first year OD transmissions, first 2 years saw many broken input shafts until they beefed it up, 3rd/4th clutch pack would burn out, TV cable adjustment was critical or trans would burn out.

C3 was the father of A4LD, A4LD added OD to a C3 and electronic torque converter control and then 3/4 shift control later, A4LD was renamed 4R44E when full electronic shift control was added, and then renamed again to 5R44E when engineers added 1st + OD shift to make 2nd gear, changing a 4 speed to a 5 speed
So the A4LD has been used from 1985 until 2012, from 1974 if you count the C3

New versions of any automatic will have problems, but being the first of the first(OD and electronic control) brings on an added set of problems, and that is the misdiagnoses of problems and the repair of those problems, and there is nothing worse for a trained professional than to goof up and admit it, so the admitting it part often gets left out.
Soft parts fix and trans is dead again in 6 to 18 months, "trans must be junk because I put in new parts and it failed again".

You run an engine with out oil and spin a couple of bearings, you find those bearings and only replace those, then run engine again and.............other bearing spin or knock???
"WTF this engine must be junk, I put new parts in and it failed"
Most understand engines much better than automatics and for the most part wouldn't just replace 1 or 2 bearings, at least not without checking the others, lol.
Automatics are no different, just like different engines need different things checked.

 

[adsm08]

Ron, you do have a few good points in there. Especially about the issues with admitting to a screw up. In my case it wasn't even about pride so much as the consequences of having made even a minor mistake.

However there were some problems that were endemic to the Bordeaux transmissions. There is the issues with the front pump seal on the A4LD. Yes the cause is improper installation, however is usually takes an above average skill for that type of seal to not cause it to puke. There are also the issues with Reverse dropping for no good reason, and the 3-4 shift issues caused the wearing of a servo piston bore in the case.