Ok guys,

I took big Bertha to the "best transmission shop in the state" to get a tranny fluid leak checked out, and they quoted me 4400 to replace the transmission. On top of that they said that i owed them 720 for taking the current tranny out and taking it apart to tell me that its no good. I have been out of a job and squeaking by taking the bus for the past 6 months but now i have a good steady job getting ahead on bills and rent and i think i can pay these ******* the 720 i "owe" them for the work so i can tow Bertha out of there. I love this car a lot and i want to fix her up so that she runs forever. My dream is to put a new tranny in and have this beast running for another 100k miles without another big problem. Is that a realistic thing? I am tired of dealing with shady mechanics and having a car that has problems but i am literally in love with this car, 4x4 to go hiking and trek through snow, big enough to fit a bed and 9 people comfortably (one in the trunk), and i can drive over the sidewalk if traffic gets too bad. I changed the heater core myself awhile back after a shop quoted me 1300 for the job (it ended up costing me a total of 35 bucks for the new heater core, and about 2 weeks of busing it while i was trying to figure it out, but WORTH IT) she currently has 160 k miles on her, is what i am looking to do realistic?? i have been talking to alot of people about changing the tranny and i am confident i can do it with some help but i dont kno if there is something else wrong with the car that made the tranny go bad. i want an older car that i can work on myself and just keep it going for a long time. Whats golden cant stay i know that but....any help or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

-Karx

 

here is the bill breakdown....the labour time to remove and install the trans for a 4x4 is 7.5 hours. Give them a 1 hour for diagnosis, 3.2 hours for removal and 1 hour for teardown = 5.2 hours x door rate plus taxes...= close to 700.
not sure what your skill level is but this is not a job for a beginner

if your going to replace the trans yourself you will need special tools
-service information
-trans jack
-floor jack and jack stands
-impact gun and compressor or an electric impact/cordless impact gun
-long tranny extension to reach the bell housing bolts
-fluid drain pans

the trans cooler lines, rad and trans cooler will need to be flushed to ensure no debris from the old trans failure is present. if not flushed out it will damage the new trans.
a young heathly back to be able to do this without a hoist, on the floor of a garage or driveway
-installing it yourself may void any manufacturer warranty.

 

You should have posted the issue with it here before you took it to a tranny shop. Vehicle info would help.

 

I did! 4x4 2000 slt, 5.9 v8. The issue was that it had a small leak, and it was started to shift rly hard into second gear alot