My tranny is about to be toast
10-06-05, 04:55 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
My tranny is about to be toast
Well, I brought my car to the stealership earlier this week and they said that they might have to rebuild my tranny for $2,500. 
I have only 88,000 miles on the odometer, though I think some of the problem stems from me neglecting regular transmission fluid changes. Not only including that, I can't remember how many times I "neutral dropped" it when I first got my driver's license way back when I was 16. 
There are a bunch of other things that need to be worked on, including the brake system and the timing belt. I am no mechanic, so I cannot and do not have the time to work on this myself. There is only one dealership on Guam, the rest are a bunch of independent shops. So right now, my only choice is to shop around and see what kind of deals I can get. If worse comes to worst, I might just have to sell the car as is... which means I will be selling it for dirt cheap basically.
If it comes to that, I don't know if I should sell the car with all the mods I have on it, or should I strip it down and then sell it? I am in Guam, so it will be hard to send the stuff off-island to anyone who might be interested in buying parts from me, the most difficult being the aero parts.
*sigh*
I will be making a feeler thread for everything I have on sale, *just in case* I decide to sell the ride stock.
Anyway, what do you guys think I should do? Rebuild or sell?
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=181673 - feeler thread
I have only 88,000 miles on the odometer, though I think some of the problem stems from me neglecting regular transmission fluid changes. Not only including that, I can't remember how many times I "neutral dropped" it when I first got my driver's license way back when I was 16. There are a bunch of other things that need to be worked on, including the brake system and the timing belt. I am no mechanic, so I cannot and do not have the time to work on this myself. There is only one dealership on Guam, the rest are a bunch of independent shops. So right now, my only choice is to shop around and see what kind of deals I can get. If worse comes to worst, I might just have to sell the car as is... which means I will be selling it for dirt cheap basically. If it comes to that, I don't know if I should sell the car with all the mods I have on it, or should I strip it down and then sell it? I am in Guam, so it will be hard to send the stuff off-island to anyone who might be interested in buying parts from me, the most difficult being the aero parts.
*sigh*
I will be making a feeler thread for everything I have on sale, *just in case* I decide to sell the ride stock.
Anyway, what do you guys think I should do? Rebuild or sell?
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=181673 - feeler thread
10-06-05, 05:16 PM
#2
What are the symptoms, is it slipping?
It's cool, we've all done it. I can't count the number of 10mph reverse drops into 2 at WOT I use to do.
Check the Indy mechanics. $2500 oughta include a few good hookers, or a bunch of bad dirty ones.
All A541-E's will work, make sure it's one of the '94-'96/'97, or they'll be doing a little bit of conversion work with some different parts. Keep in mind new A-54X transmission in the US cost like $500-750 used - rebuilt. v6 Camry / Solara Avalon, or a FWD RX, Highlander, or Sienna van.
Paying transmission, or mechanic shops to actually rebuild a transmission is normally a joke when you can just get a new transmission & have them slap it in for half the cost.
If you get a new one, or this one winds up being OK, fit an aux oil cooler after the stock cooler. You'll kill yoself for not doing it earlier!
It's cool, we've all done it. I can't count the number of 10mph reverse drops into 2 at WOT I use to do.
Check the Indy mechanics. $2500 oughta include a few good hookers, or a bunch of bad dirty ones.
All A541-E's will work, make sure it's one of the '94-'96/'97, or they'll be doing a little bit of conversion work with some different parts. Keep in mind new A-54X transmission in the US cost like $500-750 used - rebuilt. v6 Camry / Solara Avalon, or a FWD RX, Highlander, or Sienna van.
Paying transmission, or mechanic shops to actually rebuild a transmission is normally a joke when you can just get a new transmission & have them slap it in for half the cost.
If you get a new one, or this one winds up being OK, fit an aux oil cooler after the stock cooler. You'll kill yoself for not doing it earlier!
10-06-05, 05:41 PM
#4
Pole Position
Thread Starter
symptoms:
When I turn on the car in the morning and put it in Drive, it takes a good 5-10 seconds to get into gear, longer if it has been raining or is a little bit cool (Guam is hot year round). I always back park into my garage, so I don't know if it does the same thing in reverse. Although there was an instance when I did reverse out in the morning and it was hard. I also notice leaving the first stretch of road from my house, I have to let go of the gas and then press again to get it out of first (it keeps going into higher rpms without shifiting into 2nd). btw, what exactly is "slipping"?
can you tell me which trannies can fit into my 96? If I can find a junked car with a tranny, maybe I can just find someone to change it out?
also what is the oil cooler?
When I turn on the car in the morning and put it in Drive, it takes a good 5-10 seconds to get into gear, longer if it has been raining or is a little bit cool (Guam is hot year round). I always back park into my garage, so I don't know if it does the same thing in reverse. Although there was an instance when I did reverse out in the morning and it was hard. I also notice leaving the first stretch of road from my house, I have to let go of the gas and then press again to get it out of first (it keeps going into higher rpms without shifiting into 2nd). btw, what exactly is "slipping"?
can you tell me which trannies can fit into my 96? If I can find a junked car with a tranny, maybe I can just find someone to change it out?
also what is the oil cooler?
10-06-05, 05:42 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
Originally Posted by metalface
I bought a used A541E with 15k miles on it for $660 and had my broken tranny replaced with it for about $600 of labor = $1250 to replace the transmission
10-06-05, 06:14 PM
#6
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Get an inline filter.
Then drop the pan and clean the screen in there.
After that you may be able to just drive again if you do this then flush teh fluid to clean it up.
That is teh same way mine used to be.
I would also reccomend never leaving it in O/D when you know you are going to downshift.
Press the button before hitting the gas and it will reduce the wear issues causing blockage.
Sell all the parts you won't get anythign selling a modified car.
Then drop the pan and clean the screen in there.
After that you may be able to just drive again if you do this then flush teh fluid to clean it up.
That is teh same way mine used to be.
I would also reccomend never leaving it in O/D when you know you are going to downshift.
Press the button before hitting the gas and it will reduce the wear issues causing blockage.
Sell all the parts you won't get anythign selling a modified car.
10-06-05, 06:43 PM
#7
Sounds like you're slipping.
That's where the engine & power input half of the torque convertor spin together, but the rest of the transmission is sitting still becuase there:
1) isn't enough fluid pressure to fully engauge the clutches - letting them slip (i.e. slide against each other without grabbing) and you don't fully get into a gear
2) there is so little fluid the torque convertor input can't drive it's output.
2) is rare for us as 1 happens long before 2.
You can try changing the fluid.
You very seriously need to warm the engine & transmission up, move the shifter throguh every grear & check the fluid level. Hopefully you're low on fluid, otherwise you're more than likely going to be SOL.
Keep in mind, once a transmission starts slipping, it only takes 10-15 min worth of slipping to completely wear out a clutch - at which point the whole thing has to be rebuilt.
Sell the car as-is, less you can put something back to stock.
That's where the engine & power input half of the torque convertor spin together, but the rest of the transmission is sitting still becuase there:
1) isn't enough fluid pressure to fully engauge the clutches - letting them slip (i.e. slide against each other without grabbing) and you don't fully get into a gear
2) there is so little fluid the torque convertor input can't drive it's output.
2) is rare for us as 1 happens long before 2.
You can try changing the fluid.
You very seriously need to warm the engine & transmission up, move the shifter throguh every grear & check the fluid level. Hopefully you're low on fluid, otherwise you're more than likely going to be SOL.
Keep in mind, once a transmission starts slipping, it only takes 10-15 min worth of slipping to completely wear out a clutch - at which point the whole thing has to be rebuilt.
Sell the car as-is, less you can put something back to stock.
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10-06-05, 08:07 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
My car is stil driveable. It's not stuck yet. I will be getting it back from the dealer today or tomorrow.
I will probably change the fluid first then before doing anything else and then I will let you guys know what's up. Thanks for the help SK and pheonix.
I will probably change the fluid first then before doing anything else and then I will let you guys know what's up. Thanks for the help SK and pheonix.
10-07-05, 11:46 AM
#10
Sure thing! By minor changes, what I mean is you have to give the differential parts & case to a machine shop so they can do some minor machining to get the parts to work. (because the whole thing has to be put in on opposite sides)
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