Best source for transmission parts?

[ponkotsu]

I was hoping to get a little more time out of my transmission, but looks like thats not going to happen. In another thread I wrote about how the guy that rebuilt it for me closed his doors after "rebuilding" mine. It's totally messed up. Leaking, noisy, bad shifting, and now as of yesterday I'm getting a check transmission message. Can't pull any codes from it, but it seems like a moot point...

Can't afford another $2500 to pay someone so I'm doing it myself in a couple weeks. Not sure exactly what parts I will need until I tear into it, but I'm thinking it will need everything. Considering it was literally in worse condition after it was rebuilt, I'm suspecting he might have just put a junkyard tranny in it.

Torque converter for sure
Solenoid pack (I was told only use OEM because all the reman's are junk)
Shift kit
Complete rebuild kit including bands

I don't want to put junk in this tranny, but I also can't afford to go overkill. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[BrooklynBay]

A good transmission shop will have a scanner capable of reading manufacturer specific transmission codes. Find out what the code numbers are before you rebuild it. Did the shop give you a written warranty? How long ago was it rebuilt? WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com has all of the parts that you will need.

 

[ponkotsu]

A good transmission shop will have a scanner capable of reading manufacturer specific transmission codes. Find out what the code numbers are before you rebuild it. Did the shop give you a written warranty? How long ago was it rebuilt? WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com has all of the parts that you will need.

Yes, I was thinking it would be good to get the code before taking apart. Was rebuilt about 2 months ago. Yes, I got a warranty but the scumbag closed his business the same day he finished my job. I will be suing him, but can't get blood from a rock...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check WWW.ATRA.Com to see if he was registered with them before he went out of business. Just out of curiosity, did the new shop put up a new sign on his old business right after he went out of business (I have a reason for asking this)?

 

[ponkotsu]

Check WWW.ATRA.Com to see if he was registered with them before he went out of business. Just out of curiosity, did the new shop put up a new sign on his old business right after he went out of business (I have a reason for asking this)?

From what I can see he was in business at that location about 10 years. Don't think he had any new signs. Checked the ATRA site and he's not on there. But I do remember seeing a plaque on his office saying he was a member. Probably didn't pay his dues. (Or his rent...)

 

[BrooklynBay]

Contact ATRA anyway if you think that he might have been a member. His membership might have expired when he went out of business so it's not on their website now.

 

[ponkotsu]

Contact ATRA anyway if you think that he might have been a member. His membership might have expired when he went out of business so it's not on their website now.

What good would that do? The warranty I have looks like it was specific to his shop only.

 

[BrooklynBay]

ATRA is a major network, so you might have additional legal rights in your favor. Sometimes these shops reopen in another location under a different name & license # if they have too many lawsuits.

 

[ponkotsu]

ATRA is a major network, so you might have additional legal rights in your favor. Sometimes these shops reopen in another location under a different name & license # if they have too many lawsuits.

Good point. I'm betting he will reopen again. This is at least his 2nd shop and maybe 3rd. If he reopens somewhere else and joins ATRA then they might put some pressure on him to make good or pull his certification.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Many years ago I went to a less than reputable shop (to put it mildly) that was supposed to rebuild the transmission in my 1988 van. They quoted me a price of $900, then after dismantling it said that it was $1,700, and they won't release my vehicle until I pay the higher amount. I went down to them, and asked them how the price doubled. They showed me some price book that had extremely high prices ($285 for a remanufactured torque converter when their parts supplier across the street that recommended them sells them for $75). They told me that they use another supplier which was not true. After picking up the van 2 weeks later, they said that it was ready to be taken home. I trusted them, then paid them in cash (a big mistake). I attempted to drive it out, and it broke down! They made me pay for the tow (another strike against them), then brought it to another mechanic across the street that was an electrical specialist without my permission. When I stopped by their shop, they sent me to the other shop which destroyed some of my wiring harnesses, and told me that my fuel pump was bad. They removed the inner kick panels, and made a mess in the van. I had enough by this point, and towed the van out of their shop. The guy wouldn't let me take it out unless I paid him for his time which was $60. After 2 hours at home I discovered that the computer wasn't getting a ground signal because it had a broken ground wire near the battery. The check engine light wasn't turning on so the fuel pump didn't turn on. After all of these years I still have the same fuel pump in there.

Getting back to the transmission shop. Another 2 weeks passed by, and the transmission died again. I went back to that shop, and he said that he only gave me a month warranty! The warranty started as soon as it went into his shop, and not when I drove it out. I told him that after all of this aggravation that he put me through he should at least examine it. He said that he wasn't responsible for the towing expenses or the sloppy work of the other shop that he sent it to. I reminded him that I gave him $1,700 & not $900. He didn't care, and said that I have to pay for any additional work that he does. I left, and told the transmission parts store across the street from him what happened. He said that they never had any issues with them, and my story was the first that they have ever heard about a bad experience from them. Shortly after this, the owner changed the sign on his shop, and got a new license number. It was the same owner. He did this because he probably had too many law suits. At the time I was very young & didn't bother to sue him although I should have. People learn from their mistakes, and from this experience I've learned that it's better to do your own work than trust some of these type of businesses. I'm not implying that all businesses are like this, but I'm saying that there are places out there that are not so honest.

 

[ponkotsu]

Most people have auto repair horror stories. Most of them seem to be about transmissions. That's why I do all my own work whenever possible.

The irony of what happened to me, is that I actually planned to do the rebuild myself. I called this jackazz to ask if he could sleeve the servo bores if I bring the case to him. He managed to convince me to just have him to the job complete. It made sense because I had a $1k warranty on the vehicle so my total cost was supposed to be just $1k. It would have cost almost that much for the parts and tools, so it seemed like a no-brainer. It actually cost me closer to $1500 out of pocket. So now I'm out the money, time and aggravation and still get to do it myself. And who knows what sort of additional damage this guy did that I have to clean up now.

 

[ponkotsu]

Maybe some good news. Got the code again today and took it to the tranny shop. I don't remember the code but they said it was "torque converter stuck unlocked". Totally makes sense. Noisy. Leaking. And fuel mileage dropped after the rebuild. So I'm going to replace the torque converter myself in a couple weeks and hopefully everything will run okay. I'm guessing the scumbag put in a used TC. Probably found it propping open the bathroom door while he was cleaning out his business.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Sometimes it could have a bad TCC solenoid (which is part of the entire solenoid block on the newer models) or a bad internal wiring harness, so you might not need a torque converter.

 

[ponkotsu]

Sometimes it could have a bad TCC solenoid (which is part of the entire solenoid block on the newer models) or a bad internal wiring harness, so you might not need a torque converter.

The trans shop agreed that based on leaking, noise, symptoms and the code that the TC is most definitely toast. It probably won't go very much longer and I shouldn't drive it. Probably already chewed up the pilot bearing from the sound of it. But you are right it could also be an electrical problem. I'll start with the TC and if that doesn't straighten everything out, I'll dig into the solenoid pack. If that looks good, then I'll most likely have to pull the tranny again and have a complete rebuild done. At least I'll only be wasting my time and not a bunch of money.