Well I got my 89 4.0 automatic out on the street after 7 months in the garage. before that it sat outside for over a year and a half without moving and i dont know much about this tranny. (Just for some background) When i backed it out of the garage it had plenty power, left some tire marks after romping on it. When i put it into drive to drive down the street it took off like a snail and no matter how much skinny pedal i gave it, it just SLOWLY accelerated. The fluid is at the proper level and the engine runs strong. What could it be?

Leaving it sitting up for so long then romping on it probably.

Check your tranny fluid if it is ok. DO a good tranny service and use DEXTRON 3 Make sure you have the engine running for a lil while before you check the fluid. Run it through all the gears while holding the brake.

Its 19 years old baby it a lil.

Is it making any noises.

Well romping on it was by accident, never drove this one before and the accelerator is a little touchy. yep, checked the fluid and plan on dropping the pan to change filter and refill with dxtron 3 and not atf+4, i know better than that. but im curious if the previous owner really destroyed it and i dont know how the tranny operates. Is it gear driven or belt or what? any info or even a detailed diagram of the aw4 would help. O and its not making any noise, that i can hear.

How does it run when you put it down to 1-2 gear then shift to 3. Does it drive easier when you manually shift it. Will it eventually shift through all the gears? I am pretty sure it is gear driven. I would do the t-case the same time you do the tranny since they both run off of Dex 3. Shift through all the t-case gears also make sure it isnt stuck in 4 lo. That is all i can think of at the moment.

Yeah if its in 4-Lo then it will do that, but it will rev really high w/o accelerating much, not just feel sluggish.

sounds to me like you are taking off in third gear... as in the TCU is not shifting the transmission appropriately. Try pulling the shifter back into 1 and taking off.... if it takes off like it should, check your TCU fuse and/or the solenoids in the transmission.

thanx for the info guys, i will try it in 1st and 2nd when i get home and make sure its not in 4x4. will let you know

When you have tranny issues with a AW4 always suspect the TPS. Adjust it and see if your problems go away.

Great piece of advice, quick and easy fix that will save you a headache if you start off there.

well, in 1-2 gear i got great power just like it should when i accelerate. in 3rd gear at dead stop just like it should, then when i start in drive from a stop its like im starting in 4th, no power at all, like a snail. I have never had to mess with the TPS. is this still a TPS scenario? If so whats the proper way to adjust? If not, what next?

Sounds like it could be the TCU still. You could always just shift through the gears manually like I do on my old ford. (not really, don't do it all the time, haha)

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http://www.lunghd.com/

have you tried adjusting your kickdown cable (small cable that goes from the throttle body to the tranny)

WOW!!! Awsome site bluexj, spent 2 hrs on it and still want to spend more. I will adjust the tps tomorrow and if that doesnt work i will try the kick down cable. Thanx again

Did you get the tps adjusted? Keep us updated I got the same problem with mine. Thanks