4HP14 on Xantia Mk1 dead. Suggestions?

[octinum]

Have been reading the forum for similar problems but I didn't see any. So it's time for a topic.

The car is a 1997 Xantia Mk1 2.0i 8v, 121hp auto. These have the ZF 4HP14 on them. The problem started with the transmission slipping excessively when shifted from P/N to D when cold, only for the 1st gear. When put into D, it would crawl very, very slowly on a level surface. It would "thump" into 1st gear if I increase revs momentarily, or after it's warm enough. After that first thump, it shifted with no problems until it is parked for some time and cold again. I replaced the ATF with Dexron II spec but nothing changed.

One day, it decided P was D, R was N, and so on. I suspected it was the cable but it was back to square one (previous paragraph) next day. I stopped using the car and moved to C5 as, luckily, my daily driving patterns changed into a single-car-for-family style.

I couldn't find anybody to fix the transmission. All shops said they wouldn't be able to find parts, especially the hydraulic valve body. Sure enough, I couldn't find the hydraulic valve body in Turkey as well. Months later, I tried in hot weather, and found out it also slips in 2nd gear too now.

From my research, I believe this is a common issue with the 4HP14 valve body, where the seals (orings, or whatever) turn brittle/hard in time. I also found evidence of a "transmission rebuild" in the documents the previous owner handed to me, and if I know the "specialists" in Turkey, they didn't touch the valve body and replace the brakes/bands/whatever is in there using a mechanical overhaul kit. So if I'm going to keep this transmission, looks like I'll have to find a valve body to start with, and that's assuming the rest of the box is OK.

So a couple questions for some guidance.

1. Should I keep the transmission or change to a manual? Is it easy to find at least a remanufactured valve body in your countries?
2. Is it easy to remove the 4HP14 valve body without taking the transmission out? If it is, I might have a shot at it at home. I don't have the space/tools to remove the transmission tho.
3. I heard that a certain 6 speed gearbox would fit, does anybody know which 6 speed gearbox it is? If I'm going manual, I would go for it and keep owning something special at least.

Selling the car as is and buying a manual Xantia is not possible, for one, H2 Xantias are very rare in Turkey. And even 20+ year old cars are expensive in Turkey, a Series 1 Xantia SX can easily cost 2.5 years worth of minimum salary. Think of it like paying 40k Euros for a Xantia in Germany.

[xantia_v6]

One of the common failures of the 4HP14 and 4HP18 is that the governor seals fail and leak much of the pressure from the pump, causing a range of symptoms.

I believe that the governor can be removed and the seals replaced without removing the transmission from the car.

Many parts for these transmissions are still available, as they were used on other cars such as Saab and Volvo.

[xantia_v6]

This series of videos show the work to replace the governor seals on a 4HP18 (the big brother of the 4HP14). He actually skips the part where he fits the seals to the governor shaft, but you can see the rubber rings around the governor shaft in vieo 3 or 4.

[octinum]

This series of videos show the work to replace the governor seals on a 4HP18 (the big brother of the 4HP14). He actually skips the part where he fits the seals to the governor shaft, but you can see the rubber rings around the governor shaft in vieo 3 or 4.

Hmm, so you think it's the governor, not the hydraulic valve block? Or do you think I try the governor, then go for the valve block? Considering this can be done in situ, and assuming the governor seals are easy to get, this might evolve into a "try governor seals, convert to manual if it doesn't work" job.

[octinum]

One of the common failures of the 4HP14 and 4HP18 is that the governor seals fail and leak much of the pressure from the pump, causing a range of symptoms.

I believe that the governor can be removed and the seals replaced without removing the transmission from the car.

Many parts for these transmissions are still available, as they were used on other cars such as Saab and Volvo.

Oh, missed this post actually. So looks like worth a shot. Thanks!

Do you know of a 6 speed manual that will fit without too much more of work than just dropping a 5 speed one from another Xantia?

The reason I'm asking is i don't have the necessary tools, nor the space to do this and possibly leave for another time when i hit blockers. So most likely course of action is to take the car to the transmission repair shop, ask them to replace the governor seals in-situ, and convert to manual if it doesn't work. To be honest, I'm not optimistic and don't want to deal with a transmission out job just to see that it's the valve block, which i can't find anywhere.

[xantia_v6]

I have not heard of a 6 speed conversion of a Xantia. The original 5 speed transmission for a Xantia is a BE3, which has a cable operated clutch, but later transmissions usually have a hydraulic operated clutch.