And the most popular comment to this topic will be.

[GPster]

Today I started the truck, put it in drive and drove it up the street to the stop sign. I stopped and when I tried to get moving again nothing happened.  Took it out of gear into neutral , back and forthinto and out of gear then it finally caught in gear and started moving shifted ok and made it over town where I parked it to go to the bank. When I got done I started it back up to pull out of my parking spot. It moved enough to get into the street and it stopped moving again. I pushed it around the corner and to the curb, checked the fliud level ( Full in park with the engine running and red not burnt) and the after a minute in gear with the engine idleing it caught again and seemed fine. I drove it about 250 highway miles on Friday and 250 miles back yesterday at the speed limit with no cargo. This is a '89 Ford Ranger pick-up with the 2300 4 cylinder and about 120,000 miles. The trans is the automatic with overdrive and even though the truck has a 4.11 rear end the engine only reved @ 2,800 RPM the whole trip. Because this is the first vehicle that I have driven for 10 years my diagnostic skills are shot but I worry well. Any ideas? I was kind of enjoying this driving thing. GPster

[Fat Cat]

Yep got one idea but you aren't going to like it. It sounds like you are suffering the effects of age on an A4LD. They are known for losing the snap ring on the 1st/reverse clutch pack. When they do it requires disassembly of the trans and replacement of about $600 worth of parts. I have done it 4 times over the last 8 years.

[GPster]

The original intent of my opening title was supposed to include "Yeh, mine did that just before it quit" but it was too wordy to fit in the space. I had your experiences in my mind when I bought this truck and the first thing I had done to it was change the fluid and filter. It was all apparently OK but there would be no indication of a snap ring coming off due to mileage.  The property next to mine is owned by the rail road. When I drive over town I have to drive over rail road tracks (costs $85.00 in Swanton) and I thought some terestial circumstance was happening to the truck because I was going over town to get a money order to pay for my poor judgement. Also Marietta has brick streets and there are still rails in them from the old trolley system. The parking place that I had selected to go to the bank was right next to some of those tracks and I thought  parking the truck next to them might have instilled fear into it's soul.  Is this the incidence with the trannys where you don't try and save money and not buy a new torque converter? GPster              500 miles of driving, two nights in a motel, a ticket and now a tranny. I'm beginning to fell it might not be so presumptuous to put my GPster vanity plate inside the door of the trailer. Some day when my fingers are not tired I'll have to relate the reason and circumstances and outcomeof the Railroad track deal. GPster

[Fat Cat]

I had your experiences in my mind when I bought this truck and the first thing I had done to it was change the fluid and filter. It was all apparently OK but there would be no indication of a snap ring coming off due to mileage.

GPster

I think the filter change may have hastened the problem. In my experience with this tranny. Any changes like that will only hasten the failure. What I think happens in this case is that somewhere between 60,000 and 120,000 miles all the thrust washers are worn out. The internals starts getting sloppy. The drum that fails has about 12 springs under a retainer, held by the snap ring. When you change the fluid and filter you increase the line pressure on that drum and piston. Which causes the snap ring and drum to fail. I have had 6 of these apart and all of them have failed in the same place. The 3 that were failures while driving have all failed in the manner you described.

[GPster]

Want to rebuild another one? I could take it out and put it in the box on the back of my 3 wheel bicycle. If I start peddleing this weekend I could be in Swanton in a month for the next BBQ trailer work day. Make sure your mother has the coffee on. She and I seem to be of the same mentality on that subject. GPster

[Dave]

Geeze Joe I hope you can get it fixed. I know how much the driving thing means to you. It was good meeting you at the bbq build and I am hoping to make the next build and I was  hoping you could too. You did a good amount of work last saturday and im betting thats why your fingers are sore ..
Dave

[GPster]

Well the truck is in the hospital. It was bought with te idea that it wouldn't turn into an other project for me so it's going under a professional's hands'. I forgot how much this driving costs during the ten years that I moaned about not being able to. Well the best thing is I won't have to look at it hopeless in the driveway for the next week while # 2 granddaughter is visiting for a week. Also if it dies again I won't have to wonder what I did wrong. Has "Build Day #2 " been schedualed yet? GPster

[1FATGMC]

I think the filter change may have hastened the problem.

I think that is what got me on my recent trip east.  Before I left I changed the filter and the fluid in the pan.  The transmission was fine before that, but over the next 900 miles it got real sick until it puked all over WZJUNK.

If it wasn't for a friend in OK who came and picked me and the car up with a trailer and for John (WZJUNK) and Larry in Missouri who helped me put in a new transmission I might have become a tourist attraction along side the Will Rogers Turnpike.

Thanks John and JPster sorry to hear about your problems.

c ya, Sum

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