tranny explosion or clutch disintegration?!

[elliottut]

I just had my 92 manual tranny towed to the shop, but they won't be able to look at it til monday. The truck has 142K miles, a 5speed manual, and has recently (for the first time) towing a trailer with loads of 2 yards of gravel about 7 miles at a time.

Here's what happened and I need opinions as to what people think might be wrong and how much $$$ I'm looking at from a good local shop:
Yesterday I was driving around shopping, and while waiting to pull into a parking space (clutch in, in 1st gear) I hear this pinging sound (like metal popcorn and springs bouncing around in my transmission area). I decide to leave the shopping and drive it back to work. I have to work hard to get it out of gear and get it into gear, and then the noises go away and everything seems alright. I drive it back to work.

That evening I start to drive home. As I get off the highway and onto the exit, it seems locked in 5th gear. I finally yank it out of 5th and once again start hearing pinging popcorn from the tranny area. I decide to pull into the nearest parking lot. I barely make it into 1st and 2nd gear to get the thing through stoplights and into the parking lot. There are some really nasty rattles and lurches of the vehicle . I get it parked and shut down.

Out of desperation, I add some more fluid to the clutch fluid reservoir after seeing that it is almost totally empty. Doing this, I see that the fluid looks almost grey (not normal, but does this have anything to do with a bad clutch?) Of course adding fluid had absolutely no effect. I could not get it into any forward gear at alland reverse would only grind when I tried to get it into gear. Being in neutral, there is no noise.

So what do you think: a clutch that finally disintegrated, or a tranny that needs rebuilt? The guy at the shop said if it's a tranny (worst case), it would be $2-3K (I would have to junk the car if that is the case, it has been driven fairly hard).

I know this is long, but I need some good educated opinions on what might be wrong, what to look out for by way of a mechanics explanation, and best case/worst case scenarios (need to start shopping for a new Explorer?)

Thanks for your help.
Desperate.

 

[ammo troop]

Sounds from your discription, the pressure plate finially gave up. Given the miles and the fact you've recently started pulling a loaded trailer. As far as the clutch fluid, it is only brake fluid in there, and it is suseptable(sp) to picking up impurities from the air -- dust, moisture etc... replace the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing & slave cylinder and should be good to go.

 

[elliottut]

Thanks for the info. Those repairs are beyond my level of ability/resources. What would be a fair estimate for this kind of work?

 

[ammo troop]

Probably looking in the nieghborhood of $600.00-$800.00, 85% of the cost is labor parts are only $100.00-$150.00. Good luck!

 

[elliottut]

Mechanic called, it was the clutch flying apart. He recommended replacing the slave cylinder while rebuilding the clutch. 2 U-joints were also frozen and some bolts in the exhaust manifold broke off when they tried to remove it. Told me I was in the $1000+ range.

Ugh.