rebuild tranny?

[snd4mc]

my A4ld tranny is starting to slip a little and has a slight delay when it upshifts from 2nd to 3rd. at napa a master rebuild kits is 150.00 bucks a torque
converter around 200.00, i bought a tranny book to rebuild it, but doesn't
show any updates. tranny shops in my area want 1100.00 for a rebuild if i pull it out and deliver to them, why so much? and is it really that hard to rebuild? it doesn't look that bad in the book. anyone rebuilt one of these that has any advise?
thanks for looking marc

 

[old409]

I've been thinking of rebuilding mine. In the meantime I picked up a used one to use while I do it. There is an excellent thread on here about doing the a4ld. I can't even begin to imagine the time these guys put into this thread and I want to thank them. Check it out, I think you will find just about everything you want to know about the A4LD.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98027

 

[Bent Bolt]

Would you know a worn out bushing by looking at it? Or where the direct clutch circuit likes to leak??? Thats why it cost so much to have a trans rebuilt.
If you are going to do this, take your time. Double check EVERYTHING. Keep your work area clean and clear for other parts. Before you install the valve body, air check all clutches and servos.

 

[old409]

I never did an A4ld but I have done Packard Ultramatics and Torgueflites.It's been a while but I think I can do it. I'm in no hurry now because I got a used tranny to put in my truck until I get the rebuild done.

I'm going to have the bushing in the bellhousing machined in, replace the converter, solenoids and install a Transgo kit in the valve body and a full kit plus any worn parts.


The Packard Ultramatic was something else. Nobody would do it so I did it myself. If I remember correctly, it had 32 bolts that held the torque converter together. I took it apart and replaced the clutch disc in it with one that had better friction material on it. It was laid out on the floor on clean cardboard and as I did a step my brother in-law checked it and then I rechecked. It worked great once we remembered we didn't put the fluid in it and filled it up. I rebuilt the motor after and forgot all about the tranny fluid.

 

[john5482]

If you're new to rebuilding transmissions, let me give some advice from my own experence. First learn and study theory, get to know how things work inside the automatic transmission. Even though the A4LD is one of the easiest transmissons to rebuild, you can still have problems after the rebuild is completed. The overhaul kit is not the only thing you need! Most A4LDs that have lots of miles/years on them without basic care will not only require a master kit, but also replacement hard parts, valve body, torque convertor, bushings, etc. A 2-3 upshift issue could have a number of possible problems involved. The governor, valve body, bands, drums, engine issues, modulator and/or linkage out of adjustment, dirty fluid/filter, low fluid. Any of these can cause shift problems. The fix can be from a simple change/flush fluid to a complete tear-down. Start simple then work up-check fluid level correct as needed and do short road test. Problem still there then remove the pan and check the condtion of the fluid. If it's dark red, got a burnt smell to it and/or lots of metal pieces floating around or on a magnet, you got a serious problem. At this point if the fluid is not too bad and there's little to no metal pieces, replacing fluid maybe enough. Water getting in the tranny can mess up shifting too. Without doing a controlled pressure test, a stall test, a governor test, there's no way to know for sure what the cause is. If you have no way to test the transmission on your own, take the car to a transmission specialist. They can run some tests on the transmission to give you a place to start trouble-shooting. They can let you know what's going on and provide some advice.