A4LD blown

[johnsongang]

Ok, I have a 1990 B2/2.9L with the A4LD auto trans. Engine runs good, no leaks.
Tranny did have a small leak, but I was keeping an eye on fluid levels and trying to find out exactly where it was leaking. I found out through the Ford corporate website that there was an outstanding recall on my vehicle involving the parking pawl. Got that fixed and about a month later, while my wife was driving at about 50mph, it starting chirping and jumping in and out of reverse. She stopped, checked fluid and added about half a quart. On the way home, it started smoking and dumped every bit of fluid.
It sounds to me like a blown seal somewhere or worse. Where do I even start? Is it worth rebuilding, or should I look at buying a rebuilt one? BTW, just put about 800 bucks into all new brakes all around AND it has a full tank of gas! I'm keeping this and fixing it for my daughter's 1st car.

 

[homegrownranger]

I feel your pain my tranny blew today on the way to work for the 2nd time. On one of my transmission before my tranny cooler went out causing it to over heat smoke and blew a seal dumping fluid everywhere. Have you checked that? I can rebuild a manual in 2 hours but never tried to rebuild an automatic. Could it be possible that It was over filled? That would blow a seal too.

 

[johnsongang]

I feel your pain my tranny blew today on the way to work for the 2nd time. On one of my transmission before my tranny cooler went out causing it to over heat smoke and blew a seal dumping fluid everywhere. Have you checked that? I can rebuild a manual in 2 hours but never tried to rebuild an automatic. Could it be possible that It was over filled? That would blow a seal too.

so what does that entail if it is just a blown seal? Are we talking a rebuild or a new tranny?

 

[homegrownranger]

I rebuilt mine when I blew a seal. Is it locked up or anything? If you didnt burn it up too bad you should be able to get away with a rebuild. I cant say for sure because I dont know how bad it burnt up. Mine started leaking fluid and smoking like a mother so I stopped and got towed home to avoid further damage.

 

[tomw]

If your wife was driving 50 mph in reverse and it started jumping in and out of gear, I'm not sure where the problem lays. On the other hand...
The A4LD will take a lot of abuse, contrary to some reports. It just needs to be kept cool and have the fluid and filter changed on a reasonable basis.
I would suspect the OD drum and planetary are going away, along with the splines on the input shaft getting twisted. The center support seals also have a reputation for problems, along with the governor seals.
You can take it to a shop and have the worn clutch disks and hardened seals replaced. You may have to get some new hard parts as noted above. There are sites on the web that will ship you a guaranteed rebuilt, Ford sells re-manufactured transmissions, and then there are the local and nationwide franchise repair shops. Take your pick. Consider how much traveling you do, and how long you plan on keeping the truck. A transmission or engine repair every few years or so is still less than a monthly payment, so if you like it, it is always cheaper to repair it if you have no plans to sell it.
tom

 

[johnsongang]

what can I expect to pay for a good rebuilt with a warranty?

 

[My92Ranger]

It depends on your area and whether you are doing the work yourself or having someone else do it.
Installed I would guess around 1500 or so?

 

[CountryBoy704]

you can get a rebuilt one for around a grand if you wanna install it yourself