4cyl/auto trans

[danbf750]

good day to all, i'm new to this site and i don't want to offend the sensibilities of you good folks out there with what i'm about to ask, but i'm looking for any info you all can spare about the 4cyl engines offered now. i've always had v8s and never had the need to pay attention to the 4yl engines. with gas prices what they are i'm looking for a 4cyl/auto trans combo to put in the model a i'm building. the 4cyl is for the mileage and the auto trans is for the ease of driving as a daily driver and due to past and knowing myself, future injuries. pick a limb, any limb, it's no fun driving a manual trans with only three of them. thank you for taking the time to read this dribble, any help is most appreciated. dan

 

[Delray Dude]

the 2.3 will run forever and get decent mileage. you can pick up a donor car fairly easy with your engine / trans combo for fairly cheap - do the usual when the motor is out, timimng belt / water pump / seals and you should go for years with no problems.


as for the auto, don't know much about them.

 

[bonestock87]

As for the automatic trans offered in the fox body, the A4LD.....The number one thing you must do to expect any kind of longevity is an external cooler. Don't get me started.

It's not a horrible trans as many will allude to, it just did not receive the proper cooling from Ford IMO, thus many (well, all of them most likely) do not last as long as a person should reasonably expect. It's not as if the 2.3's power output is just too much for that trans to take.

 

[taunusrainer]

The 1988 2.3 had a c4 transmission, didn't it?
A4LD was fourspeed with lockup afaik....

 

[bonestock87]

The 1988 2.3 had a c4 transmission, didn't it?
A4LD was fourspeed with lockup afaik....

I'm certain the A4LD has been the auto trans for the 2.3 since at least 1987, and most likely a couple of years before that.

 

[zonker]

yep, '88 2.3 with AT uses an A4LD and a 7.5" diff with a 3.73 ratio