A4LD Tranny Dumped!

[The Slider]

3 years of sitting and I got my 86 B2 back on the road!!! 100 miles later in the country and NO phone signal, my tranny dumps all my fluid! SO I'm assuming I need a new tranny. can someone recommend a company that makes a GOOD rebuild? I have been hearing nasty things about Jasper online.

Thanks!

 

[adsm08]

Honestly, your transmission is probably fine. There is a lip seal on the pump that is very easy to roll, and pushes out easily when the trans gets hot hot, but can then go back to it's proper spot when things cool off. When the trans begins to overheat it will push the seal out, puke all the fluid, leave you stuck, and then show no sign of the problem when you get it off the tow truck and full of fluid.

Pull the trans, replace the seal, and add another cooler.

 

[The Slider]

Cool! Yeah when I cooled down, I put some fluid in it and it didn't dump out. and I have a cooler already.. Could it be possible I was low on fluid and that's what got it hot and dumped the fluid? I thought if I was low it would just not go into gear.

 

[Scott B.]

While you are at, since your truck has been sitting so long, why don't you pull the pan, change the filter, and put all new/clean fluid in?

 

[The Slider]

While you are at, since your truck has been sitting so long, why don't you pull the pan, change the filter, and put all new/clean fluid in?

That was done about 3 years ago. Not sure how often to do that. I was always told years ago that if you did that on an old transmission that it would wear out your tranny faster, dunno if that's true or not, but that might have been on older transmissions.

 

[adsm08]

Cool! Yeah when I cooled down, I put some fluid in it and it didn't dump out. and I have a cooler already.. Could it be possible I was low on fluid and that's what got it hot and dumped the fluid? I thought if I was low it would just not go into gear.

I very much doubt it was from low fluid. All auto transmissions have a cooler. The A4LD needs an auxiliary cooler in the line. If you already have an aux cooler get a bigger one. I'd also be checking into the possibility that one is plugged up, or coolant is low. The primary cooler is cooled by the engine's cooling system by having a core that coolant flows over.

The primary cooler should be able to flow about 2 quarts a minute.

Not sure how often to do that. I was always told years ago that if you did that on an old transmission that it would wear out your tranny faster, dunno if that's true or not, but that might have been on older transmissions.

That was never true. It's a myth that I believe came about largely from guys who never changed their trans fluid until they already had issues, hoping it was a sticking valve and that cleaning the trans out and putting fresh fluid in would fix it. They change the fluid, get down the road, some crap that was plugging up a leaking seal gets knocked loose and now a tiny leak is a huge one, and BAM, she blows up, must have been the fluid.

Most service schedules say to change the trans fluid 30,000 miles severe duty, 60,000 normal duty. That works out to about 3-5 years. If it was done three years ago then you are safe.

 

[The Slider]

My aux cooler is about 1 1/2' x 7" you can see it through the front grill. Ill price a tranny flush to see if any crap is in the lines...