A4LD problems after changing pan gasket and filter

[OtakuN3rd]

Earler tonight (well, technically yesterday) I had a friend help me change transmission pan gasket and filter in my '89 Ranger. The transmission had been leaking at the gasket, and the truck gave a jerk when it shifted from 1st in to 2nd. I had asked around and was told this could be cause by a clogged filter creating too much pressure. Since I was changing the gasket anyway because of the leak, I figured I'd change the filter too to see if it would help.

I'll go right out an say that I have never changed one of these gaskets before, let alone a transmission filter, but the insturctions that I found on this website helped out a lot. So a big thank you goes out to this site for providing them!

In changing the gasket and filter I had my Ranger on ramps as opposed to jack stands.

The first thing I noticed that was odd was that my drain pan collected 5 quarts of fluid, instead of the three that I expected. There wasn't any cunks of metal or other sixable debris in the pan, and stangely, no magnet either. I went ahead and finished with the filter and gasket swap. After putting everything back together and adding three quarts of fluid I attempted to back down the ramps.

Uh-oh! It wouldn't go in to ANY gear!

I checked the fluid level to get a rough idea and sawe a little bit on the tip of the dipstick so I added two more quarts to match up the the 5 that drained out.

Still not going in to gear.

After a while brtain stoming with my mom on how I can afford professional repairs I had my freind push it off the ramps (the shifter was placed in to neutral) to level it out before trying it again.

Tahnkfully, it now went in to gear.

Going home from my mom's I noticed that it was no longer jerking when shifing from first to second, but it seemed to take a secod or two to find second gear. Then I noticed that it wouldn't go in to overdrive. When I get up to 55 it seems to try to find it, but fails and stays in third. I did make it back to where I live (about 14 miles away).

I am hoping to have the experts here help me through the problem, and I pray its a simple fix.

Thanks in advance. And for now, Good night

Other info:
The gasket and filter were sold as a kit from Auto Zone.
I used this kind of transmission fluid: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-High-Mileage-Automatic-Transmission-Fluid-1-qt/17133890

 

[OtakuN3rd]

Well, now it won't go in to any gear. Hopefully I can save up to get a replacement.

 

[jhammel85]

hmm...I was wondering about the fluid but it seems like it's compatible. I don't really know what it would be. When it's running, you've checked the level? It's in the crosshatched area?

It might be worth taking it back apart and checking over your work again. Save as much of fluid as you can by putting it into some sort of clean, unused container.

 

[OtakuN3rd]

Well, I guess I could give that a shot, it wouldn't hurt... The fluid level was pretty much spot on at full after it had been running for about 20 minuets.

I noticed that some wires on teh side of it had been cut, but flipping through the service manual I found on here it appears they're the neutral start switch wires...

Here's a pic:

 

[OtakuN3rd]

I dropped the pan again today and refilled it with three quarts of fluid. I am going on the speculation that there was too much in it to begin with and I added too much again. Unfortuneatly my funds are running short so I used the cheapo American XT stuff from Family Dollar but...

It'll go in to gear now!

I only drove it around a little bit in the residentail neighborhood here in town, but the biggest thing I notied is that it sometimes had a hard time going in to first gear, but shifts from first to second are pretty smoth and immediate. Reverse seems to work OK as well. These are just preliminary tests, I'm gonna get a shower and go visit my mom and take it on the highway and check the fluid lever after going there to see it after it has been driven a while. Hopefully I still have third gear and OD.

Here is a photobucket album with some pics I took today (as well as the one embedded above). Could someone take a look at these and see if there is anything noticeably wrong? I still want to know for certain what those cut wires are on the driver's side of the transmission.

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j296/souta95/89 ranger/

 

[adsm08]

Super tech sucks monkey balls. I know it probably cost more than the dollar general fluid, but it's probably worse.

 

[OtakuN3rd]

I'd say you're probably right, adsm08. I checked it when I got to my mom's and found it was not registering on the dipstick so I added a pint before I came home. after adding that pint it no longer slipped when I started going from a complete stop and it appears that I once again have overdrive. I checked it again after getting back here ant it was still low, so I added another pint. I'll check it again after some running tomorrow (namely getting some gas for my truck and a screw extractor for an unrelated project).

I'd say the American XT stuff at Family Dollar is halfway decent fluid, and never again will I get Super Tech transmission fluid.

I did notice my transmission leaking on the back end of it, and possibly on the front as well, so there are other problems, but at least I can get from point A to point B, and unless these leaks become major I'm just going to keep a close eye on my fluid level.

 

[jhammel85]

Not too sure about those wires but if you had OD before you took the pan off then I wouldn't think it would be an "issue". Definitely worth looking into though..I dont know if it means that someone has replaced that trans at one time or what's going on there.

As far as the fluid goes, I wasn't going to say anything but yeah, that oil isn't the greatest (to me). When it comes to something as vital as ATF, Engine Oil or Coolant, I never skimp. It's easy insurance. I kind of see it like blood; If I had to buy my own blood, I would buy the best money can buy!

.....Does that make sense?.......

 

[OtakuN3rd]

Well, now I'm not so sure I ever had overdrive. I had felt it switch gears three times after taking off from a complete stop, but maybe it was going 2-1-2-3 instead of 1-2-3-OD When its in the highest gear and I'm going about 55Mph the Tachometer is reading about 2.2kRPM. Does that sound right for the 2.3L engine and the A4LD?

I know that skimping on fluid is bad but, considering I'm on a very small fixed incom, I can't afford the best.

 

[579]

You are lucky,yours is not that dependent on electronics.
I am having a similar issue.
Full rebuild then after 2.5 months of perfect problem free shifting, for no reason or rhyme, the OD starts to act up .
It's not shifting and getting into OD. I also can only go about 60 mph and the motor is screaming. The manners of all the other gears are also effected.
This morning I had to pull over and when I tried to accelerate manually through the gears I couldnt get the truck to move. It felt like I was attatched to a immovable object.

Once again I coaxed it into working enough to drive to work with no OD doing 55 mph on the hwy.

How has yours been doing ?

 

[579]

Mine is a 94 2.3 2wd too

 

[OtakuN3rd]

Going down the highway at 55MPH today I noticed it slipping a bit so I put in it to D from OD and the RPMs went up to about 3K when I felt it shift, so I do indeed have overdrive, but it seems to slip a bit in OD when the transmission is good and warm. It was also slipping a bit at 45MPH on an inter-city road (not really a highway) so its not exactly speed related.

The slipping could be caused by the cheap transmission fluid I used, or more likely, the cheap fluid is letting it slip a bit as opposed to if I used/could have afforded better fluid.

I've been keeping an eye on the fluid level and last I checked its about halfway up the crosshatched area.

I'm still not for certain what all those cut wires are for, but I am willing to bet they are for the neutral safety switch and the reverse/back up lights, but I would guess that there are more things that they go to that just those...

I wouldn't be surprised if this transmission is a used one that was installed after the original one went kaput. I have my doubts that it has ever been rebuilt. It may be one of the original revisions, and therefore older than the rest of the truck.

 

[579]

Maybe the new fluid was enough to wash out what was left of the clutch material. If what you suspect is true about it being a real old tranny, then introduction of new fluid could cause this.

Sometimes it just takes very little to accentuate a problem that is already pre existing.
Like if your ball joints are going out but there is no symptoms. Then you put bigger tires on then the ball joint immediately fails after a few miles. All it took was that big tire to accelerate the failure of the ball joint. I've had this senario play out before, and many others like it.

Btw - I got home yesterday and discovered that I no longer have reverse!!

 

[SechMwat]

Quick check

Otak take a look at the pressure switch located on the driver's side of your A4LD trans, just behind the TV cable (there will be 3 wires on a plug and the plug goes into a receiver) I was having similar problems with shifting out of 3rd into 4th. (I do have an automatic , so this info may be useless to you.) you could also check your TPS (Throttle position sensor) I have been told by mechanics and by my Chilton's that a TPS should be reading 0.9-1.1 volts (if you haven't checked volts before, make sure to read up on it before you do) These are the things I have checked and fixed on my 88, hope it helps. Oh, and check the wires themselves, I had to rewire my plug do to burns and cracks from it being put back into position incorrectly.

 

[OtakuN3rd]

In conclusion to this discussion, the transmission completely went out in the beginning of October 2012. I found one of Craiglslist for $250 out of a '93 Ranger that had around 60k miles on it (it was pulled to convert that truck to diesel, so there were no issues with it).

In the replacement procedure, we discovered that the bad transmission was in fact NOT from a Ranger! It had all the brackets for an Aerostar van! Doh! On top of that, the dead transmission was the earlier version that has the hydraulic OD solenoid. My Ranger, being an 89 is supposed to have the newer version with the electronic OD solenoid. Several trips to the junk yard later we got the wiring issues straightened away, and the proper brackets and levers installed. (That pin for the gear switch lever is a b*tch to deal with!!!). We finished the installation of the replacement transmission just before Thanksgiving 2012 and here it is almost a year and a half (and about 15k miles) later, and I am still driving it.