93 Ranger. Impossible transmission problem. Really need advice.
 

Hello, I was wondering if anyone would be able to shed some light on a transmission problem that shouldn't be possible?

I purchased a '93 Ranger that runs great but has frame issues that I was going to have repaired. My problem is this: I was changing the gasket and filter on the automatic transmission and when I took down the transmission pan I found three metal parts inside. I've driven the truck, but not at highway speeds and it seems to run fine and shifts into drive and reverse perfectly.

I took the parts to a friend who rebuilds transmissions and he said that the parts were from the reverse band and that the transmission shouldn't be shifting. It does though..

The previous owner told me that the only transmission problem was that it wouldn't upshift unless you let off the gas for a second. I've had plenty of cars and trucks that act like this and it wasn't a problem for me. I'd just live with it.

Does anyone have any idea how my transmission could possibly be working? If I just bolt it back together with new fluid do you think that it will continue to run? This could easily get into more than the truck is worth. I paid $600.00 dollars for it intending to get a few hundred into the welding and have good work truck to haul things about 10 or 15 miles at a time. It's not worth sinking a lot of money into and I'd hate to have the frame welded only to have the transmission die.

Please note the grind marks on the second picture. Any idea how this could be possible?

Thanks for any advice. Pictures are hopefully attached.
Thank you
Tim
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...9ba225dac2.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...47fe648118.jpg

Welcome to the forum

A 1993 A4LD has been rebuilt at least once, I would guess, so those could be, probably are, left over pieces that didn't get cleaned out when trans failed before, as trans guy said those pieces are off parts that are needed, so................

Anyway, if its working now don't worry about it

Thank you for the advice (and for the welcome) Ron. I really appreciate it.

It's hard to imagine how the parts could be left in the pan, but by the way things are going in this world I guess that anything goes. I'm going to finish the job tomorrow and drive the truck a little. Your advice gives me some peace of mind. I spent the whole day going back and forth and decided to go for it. It's always a tough decision when you have to decide if what you're doing is costing more than the value of what you're working on.

One strange thing that I just realized. I went back and checked the pan again and there were no small pieces or shards whatsoever. Maybe the transmission was getting rebuilt and someone threw the parts in the pan as a joke and it didn't get noticed by the person doing the rebuild? I could feel the pieces sliding as soon as I tipped the pan to drain it. I knew that something was going to be bad.

I doubt they were left in the pan
Smaller parts like that can stay in cavities during reassembly and then fall thru into the pan after pan is on and trans is flipped right side up

That's something that I didn't consider.

I'm so used to working on my leaking transmissions, underneath the car, in our dirty gravel driveway, that I wasn't thinking about the transmission being upside down and on a nice workbench in a well lit garage.