A4LD Ranger trans INterchangeable?

[weaselzz]

I have a friend with a 87 ranger 4x4 with 33's on it and a burned up tranny. I have read on the net that the later A4LD's were strong, but that they came behind explorers and the explorers had a different lockup mechanism for the torque convertor. What I was wondering is if I could just put a explorer trans into the ranger or just get an explorer trans and pull the guts out of it and put them in my current ranger case?

I am a chevy guy so I have to say I know very little about fords. I know that is gonna cause some greif but hey atleast im trying to help a ford guy out.:)

[ImNotRight]

how much money does he have?

the tits setup is the AA adaptor to chevy 60 degree 700r4 back to stock t-case.


If he needs to keep OD. I've also heard that if you gear the fawk out of the truck and spin the 2.9 to the moon it'll last longer.. Of course at the expense of your engine.

If not, swap to a c5..

[4x4junkie]

Later A4LDs were better than the earlier ones, but I wouldn't exactly call them 'strong'

Yes, gearing your axles down will increase the tranny life by a lot. 4.56 would be good for 33s.

You might also check www.therangerstation.com . Someone there likely will know about the lockup part.

[wanderer-RRORC]

84-88 same: full hydro
88-92 same: 4.0L stronger unit (kinda like being king of the idiots)
93-96 same: electronic called 4r55e/5r55e (ranger, unsure of explorer changed in 95)

after that theyre all either 4r55e's or 5r55e's..same thing as the A4LD..but fully electronic

and BTW..these trannys are J U N K..once they go the case is usually warped enough that a rebuild doesnt help..most get 1-2 years out of a rebuild..

[weaselzz]

So what to do? A c5 is not an overdrive transmisison but that doesnt really matter. Is a c5 a bolt in or do I have to mix and match adapters?

A 700r4 would be nice but he isnt gonna buy an adapter and a good 700r4 core, cause most of those a burnt up junk, the early stuff at least. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

I am reall ynot sure what to do if the a4ld is crap and I dont want to put crap back in it then where do I go with out getting to outrageous and off a budget that is at most $400.

also anyone know what a stock ranger had as gear ratios?

[ImNotRight]

gunna be tight with a budget of $400. your best bet is to get another a4ld and spend the $$ left over on keeping it cool. if you can get it regeared deeper for cheap by a buddy or something, i'd go that route..

any of the other routes are gunna be spendy when you figure in changing both driveshaft lengths.

around here finding a c5 with the ranger 4by tailshaft is even getting difficult. difficult usually directly translates to more expensive.

[bobbywalter]

actually the a4ld is not full hydro cuase it used a solo for converter lockup. then it got one for 3/4.

[wanderer-RRORC]

actually the a4ld is not full hydro cuase it used a solo for converter lockup. then it got one for 3/4.
DO'H..yer right...forgot...

[trannyboy]

they are interchangeable as long as motor is the same , but most explorer's came with a 4.0liter in them and the bell housing is different.you can change bell housing and pump assembly but you need to make sure that the endplay clearance is correct. there is about 10 different thickness washers and it is pretty important to get it correct. these trannies are junk but there is not alot of options as far putting in a different tranny into them. they are not cheap to rebuild due to they ussualy have major hardpart damage.

[weaselzz]

so basically i am screwed on this one? The truck isnt worth much as it is now, so dropping a 600 to a grand in it doesnt make sense. Damnit, I hate this cause if it were a chevy I would now all there is about it and how to fix it. I am so in the dark here.

Someone mentioned a c5, how hard is it to do one of those? Also if anyone knows what gear ratios came in one of these pos that would be great. I think it was a stx if that makes any difference.

[demonranger]

gears range anywhere from 3.42 (I think) to 4.10

look on the door jam & report axle code back here or look on tag @ the axle.

More than likely he's running 4.10 or 3.73's

[wanderer-RRORC]

they are interchangeable as long as motor is the same , but most explorer's came with a 4.0liter in them and the bell housing is different.you can change bell housing and pump assembly but you need to make sure that the endplay clearance is correct. there is about 10 different thickness washers and it is pretty important to get it correct. these trannies are junk but there is not alot of options as far putting in a different tranny into them. they are not cheap to rebuild due to they ussualy have major hardpart damage.

you have no idea what your talking about.

first off...ALL explorers are 4.0's *edit* and 5.0's :)

a 2.8 2.9 and 4.0 all have the SAME bellhousing

an A4ld bellhousing is NOT interchangable like the other t18's and c4/c5's its a major deal to dissassemble and reassemble.

there are MANY trannys that will fit in there..

auto's include c4 c5 c3's
manuals FM 145, FM 146, M5od, TK5

maunal trannys
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ManualTransmission.html
auto's
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AutoTrans.html

and just about anything else ya want to know
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index.htm

[weaselzz]

thanks for all the great info!! I am going to look into different trannys instead of paying 150 for another a4ld that is in questionable condition form a junk yard.



I guess chevy and ford people can get along and help each other out some times.:smokin:

[DemoMike]

...

first off...ALL explorers are 4.0's

...

'cept for the 5.0's :flipoff2:

[wanderer-RRORC]

'cept for the 5.0's :flipoff2:
DANGIT..got caught AGAIN!!!

I dont think about those due to the AWD and the IFS stuff (programed for wheel-ability)...I always think of the 90-97's as having just the 4.0...(and the 95-97's make me cringe due to the IFS)..

[ImNotRight]

and the 4.0 SOHC.. which doesn't use the bellhousing pattern that the OHV version does.