Transmission dead? Cost of replacement?

[xyeLz]

Hey guys,

My Bonnie has been part of the club for many years now. It's a 2001 SSEi.

I was on the highway a few weeks ago at a high speed (60+) and I noticed when I gave it some gas that I felt some stuttering. I thought nothing of it, since the car kept moving. It repeated this same behavior for a few days. However, one day I was driving home and just as I arrived home, I went to turn left and all I got was a rev of the engine. I turned the car off, back on, put it into drive, and still nothing. Just revved up. I tried reverse, but the same thing happened. I was towed into Sullivan Tire who told me I needed a new transmission which would cost $4500. I didn't like this, so I had it towed back to my home so I could figure out what to do. I decided to have it towed to a transmission place (Franklin Auto Transmission in Franklin, MA). The tow truck driver got in and actually drove the car onto the tow truck... However, it only drives for about 100 feet before it dies again.

Franklin Auto Transmission seems trustworthy, but I'm skeptical just because of the age of my car. I've had 3 alternators replaced in the past 2 years. I don't have any local trustworthy mechanics nearby that I can take the car to for an honest opinion. Only Sullivan and another garage nearby. I spent $1400 at Sullivan last year on brake calipers, rotors, and pads (I provided the rotors and pads myself: EBC). Franklin Auto Transmission believes, without looking at the transmission itself, that the torque converter went. They will know for sure when they rebuild it, but this requires me approving $2400 worth of parts and labor.

I'm just not sure if you guys even think this is worth it or if I should move onto something else? Franklin Auto does warranty their work. It's an 18 month, 18,000 mile warranty. I need a car, and my Bonnie is my first and only. Should I keep holding onto it or move on?

[nos4blood70]

I would stop going to that place... $1400 for a brake job? Yikes.

It sounds like your transmission is toast though, and you probably won't find a place to rebuild it for any less than $1500, all said and done. If the rest of the car is solid, it might be worth it. But if the car is rough overall, it might be time to move on.

[MattStrike]

The other option is to get a used trans, it's cheaper but you risk the reliability.

[xyeLz]

I would stop going to that place... $1400 for a brake job? Yikes.

It sounds like your transmission is toast though, and you probably won't find a place to rebuild it for any less than $1500, all said and done. If the rest of the car is solid, it might be worth it. But if the car is rough overall, it might be time to move on.

Sullivan was convenient cause it was right across the street. Their sales people are also nice. It wasn't just brakes, thinking back. I brought it in and asked them to take a look at it and let me know what they found. That was MY mistake. They found a whole crapload to fix which was going to cost $2500. I narrowed it down and had them fixed what was necessary and important to the functionality of the car. It basically had a mechanical overhaul.

The electrical of the car still sucks, though. And the AAMCO alternators have been a nightmare so far. Not to mention, they're hard to find for the supercharged version. They're warranteed for parts, but not for labor, so whenever the stupid thing dies I end up dishing out $80 to replace the thing.

Anywho, the car SHOULD be solid. But who knows. What annoys me the most is the bubbling paint and rust on the hood and quarterpanels.

[xyeLz]

The other option is to get a used trans, it's cheaper but you risk the reliability.

Yeah. I'm not savvy enough to do the labor either, so wouldn't it be just about the same price?

[xyeLz]

The other option is to get a used trans, it's cheaper but you risk the reliability.

Yeah. I'm not savvy enough to do the labor either, so wouldn't it be just about the same price?

[nos4blood70]

You should get your misc things like alternators from Andrew over at Bonnevilles Unlimited. Most things on these cars can be repaired with a basic tool kit and some time. I learned to wrench on mine.

Obviously, the trans is a different beast for someone who doesn't have any wrenching experience. I'd give the thing a good look over before you dump the money in it for that trans.

[Roadrunner]

I have had three 4T65E trans rebuilds. Failures were:
- 4th input shaft
- P1811 pressure control solenoid (along with worn clutches / stretched chain)
- Stripped planetary/sun gear

Prices have been about $1300 to $1800
I have been using same shop for years. He gave me 90,000 mile warranty for previous build and it lasted ~125,000 miles
Current rebuild has 3 year unlimited miles warranty. I've also gotten more than 185k miles on a rebuild.
Warranties this long are very uncommon and I only get them because of long time relationship.

I am in a somewhat high dollar zip code too. If I drive 50 miles any direction into the country, labor repair prices drop by 30 to 50%.

Many years ago when I didn't know which shop to use, everyone said "$1200 but cant say for sure depending on what we find and price could go up by several thousand."
This guy gained my trust by how he answered the questions:
So if it ends up being real bad can I bring in another used trans for parts/rebuild? If so how would you handle the situation?
I was able to pin down a not to exceed price before any work was started and he said he could get his hands on a used one for me if it came to that.

Never had a converter failure (above $ include converter when failure had metal shavings in oil).
Given your situation, you may also want to consider getting one from Triple edge performance and having someone local install it.

[maxi426]

The tow truck driver got in and actually drove the car onto the tow truck... However, it only drives for about 100 feet before it dies again.

I've been in the auto repair business a long time, and I haven't seen may serious transmission issues resolved by changing the fluid and filter, but this might be worth a try on this one. The fact that it moves for a short period of time , and then stops moving makes me think that the filter might be plugged, When the car is shut off, junk temporarily falls away from the filter only to be sucked back up when restarted. I think I'd try it. Be aware though that if the filter is plugged, the transmission has ALOT of wear. JMO