tranny blew up on the freeway...
#1
Meesto Spakaro
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tranny blew up on the freeway...
I was driving my '87 SE back from visiting my homegirl in SF and at 11:00pm with around 300 miles left to go...the car started shaking quite a bit...thought it was a flat...once I let off the gas *clunk* *screech* *rpms just rev and rev*
I was cruising going maybe ~90mph in 5th at the time
****.
Tried putting it in 5th a couple times but it would only grab at maybe 1500 rpm...any higher would result in a horrendous sound. At first I thought I was completely screwed (work at 9:00am in Los Angeles) but luckily I still had 4th gear. Thank God for 4th gear. I was able to creep back to Los Angeles in 4th without incident (got home at 5:00am)
I lost all of 1st, 3rd, 5th, and reverse. I can use 2nd up to maybe 2k rpm, and 4th is the only gear that feels good. Goodbye tranny. Suffice to say, I rolled through quite a few stop signs on my mission to get home.
Background on the car: bought it a few weeks ago for 700 bucks, had 110k on it but with some clutch/tranny problems. I thought it was a simple clutch bearing which was causing a whine/whirr and occasional squeek ...guessed wrong.
OK, now the questions:
I have a good condition S5 TII tranny that I can buy for $125. I understand there will be some fabrication involved in making this work- quick overview? (costs/labor)
Alternately, how much do standard NA S4 (will S5 NA tranny work?) good condition tranny's go for? Ive heard of a few people's S4 tranny's dying out on them. I can pick one up from the junkyard but i think it will still be ~$80 and no guarantee on the condition.
My budget is pretty limited, so im trying to debate which is the best value for reliability/cost.
I was cruising going maybe ~90mph in 5th at the time
****.
Tried putting it in 5th a couple times but it would only grab at maybe 1500 rpm...any higher would result in a horrendous sound. At first I thought I was completely screwed (work at 9:00am in Los Angeles) but luckily I still had 4th gear. Thank God for 4th gear. I was able to creep back to Los Angeles in 4th without incident (got home at 5:00am)
I lost all of 1st, 3rd, 5th, and reverse. I can use 2nd up to maybe 2k rpm, and 4th is the only gear that feels good. Goodbye tranny. Suffice to say, I rolled through quite a few stop signs on my mission to get home.
Background on the car: bought it a few weeks ago for 700 bucks, had 110k on it but with some clutch/tranny problems. I thought it was a simple clutch bearing which was causing a whine/whirr and occasional squeek ...guessed wrong.
OK, now the questions:
I have a good condition S5 TII tranny that I can buy for $125. I understand there will be some fabrication involved in making this work- quick overview? (costs/labor)
Alternately, how much do standard NA S4 (will S5 NA tranny work?) good condition tranny's go for? Ive heard of a few people's S4 tranny's dying out on them. I can pick one up from the junkyard but i think it will still be ~$80 and no guarantee on the condition.
My budget is pretty limited, so im trying to debate which is the best value for reliability/cost.
#2
Seduced by the DARK SIDE
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With only 4th working, the failure has to do with the countershaft (probably the input gear.)
Best value - a used NA trans with some kind of warranty.
The TII trans will need a custom drive shaft.
Best value - a used NA trans with some kind of warranty.
The TII trans will need a custom drive shaft.
#3
Meesto Spakaro
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from what i understand, an automatic transmission driveshaft from either an S4 or S5 will work-- everything will line up correctly? No additional clutch work necessary?
i have a feeling the previous owner tried to do some work on the car without really knowing what he was doing...ahh well.
i have a feeling the previous owner tried to do some work on the car without really knowing what he was doing...ahh well.
#5
The auto drive shaft will "work". Although it is shorter than a regular shaft should be, it still is long enough to "work". word is that you will be leaking tranny fluid though. I wouldn't do it myself, but if your looking to be a pioneer on the subject, let us know how well it turns out.
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Hey, exact same thing happened to me man. I smoked the clutch bad (damn stop lights) I reccommend puttin in the same series tranny. (alot less work) If you didn't smoke your clutch you might not need to replace it. But remember to put in a new pilot bearing (7$) throwout bearing. If the clutch needs to be replaced take off the Flywheel and get it resurfaced. You should probably be able to find a tranny for damn cheap i got mine for 300$ (canadian) and it works like a charm i filled it up with Relin Mt-90 oil and it worked like awesome. Most likey you did not have any oil in it and your tranny is totally melted together.
I replaced my tranny in my drive way (i'm 18) it took me about a month and with my snap-on set of tools. But I had school and not much time to work on it. It could be a weekend project. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to do while swapping the trannies. Its still fresh in my mind!
Evan
I replaced my tranny in my drive way (i'm 18) it took me about a month and with my snap-on set of tools. But I had school and not much time to work on it. It could be a weekend project. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to do while swapping the trannies. Its still fresh in my mind!
Evan
#7
Putting in a tranny can definately be a weekend project. Me and my father have replaced my clutch 3 times now and it usually took us about 10-12 hours. Be sure to drain the tranny fluid first before you unhook the driveshaft or you had better get out the paper towels!
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#8
Flinstone Power
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ihad a T2 tranny in my car using the auto shaft so i can keep my diff.. and it worked fine no probs.. no fluild leak either.. adn then the tranny went.. so put the N/A trans back in when i sold it.. if you want i got a auto shaft i will sell you for $75 shipped..
Dave
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