Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Engineering/Technical
Engineering/Technical Ask technical questions about cars. Do you know how a car engine works?
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 11-07-2005, 10:46 PM   #1
solaris=amazing
AF Enthusiast
 
solaris=amazing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: freeport
Posts: 1,331
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Unhappy Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

Hey guys, wow i haven't posted here in a while....now i got a whopper of a thread..lol.

A couple days ago i was driving home and i felt my tranny slip then engage...making the tires chirp. I have a 1995 ford thunderbird w/4.6l V8 automatic. I took it on a side street to check the fluid, ran through all the gears to get the fluid woken up (while at idle ofcoarse) then checked the fluid, everything fine, pink, no metal pieces etc..

I start to drive...i'm going nowhere. I let it cool for 20 minutes on a side street...start it, then go into Drive....i have to gas it to 5k then it engages...with alot of wheelspin ofcoarse. PS i got it home. Today i call a bunch of shops and it seems $1300-1600 is the going rate for a rebuilt tranny/labor. Next door is a Shell that does good work (know through friends that had work done) and is gonna charge $1390 total tax and all.

Now, i never had a tranny rebuilt before, this is the original tranny in the car with 133K miles.... I'll be honest, i did do my share of brake stand burnouts/donuts etc....that was in the summer. I do go WOT atleast 3-5 times a day to hear my baby wind up (no mufflers...sounds mean..lol). ALL THAT SH*T is done with now, i paid the price...when i get my car back, it's gonna be driven like i was an old lady...lol.

I asked the mechanic, and he said rebuilt is NEW... A question for you guys, how are rebuilt tranny's..? I mean will it last like a stock tranny..like 60K+ (lol..ford tranny's) or will i have slipping problems etc. I just want to make sure this tranny will last a few years. Any of know if when they rebuild a tranny, do they just fix what is wrong....or do EVERYTHING to ensure your $900+ is gonna be well spent..? BTW they are gonna just take out/put in the rebuilt...not do a tear down and fix what i got. It's the daily driver so i need it quick.
__________________
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

Dead men naked, they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad, they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea
They shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.....
....Dylan Thomas....
solaris=amazing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-07-2005, 10:49 PM   #2
solaris=amazing
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
solaris=amazing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: freeport
Posts: 1,331
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

-I'm just paranoid...thinking i'm gonna get a half-ass rebuilt tranny, with black fluid in it..lol. VERY important.....is there a break in period that i have to abide too..? Like when an engine is new, you gotta ease the first 500 miles etc..

Either way i'm gonna be driving much easier...to save gas and my car. No more 1st to D (which i heard wasn't too good for an a/t) or power braking to drag race...jeez...
__________________
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

Dead men naked, they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad, they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea
They shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.....
....Dylan Thomas....
solaris=amazing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 12:41 AM   #3
kcg795
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Skamokawa, Washington
Posts: 259
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

Yeah. 133,000 miles is a little to soon for a transmission to go.
kcg795 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 01:27 AM   #4
curtis73
Professional Ninja Killer
 
curtis73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Penn Hills, Pennsylvania
Posts: 3,561
Thanks: 0
Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts
Re: Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

Not in my opinion! I've had some Ford trannys that lasted about 40k. Trannys from that era are not Ford's strong point.

Solaris, a rebuilt tranny if done properly is often better than a stock one. Ford farmed their parts and assembly out to the lowest possible bidder (just like anyone else) and they got a tranny that makes it long enough to be out of warranty. When you have one rebuilt, the rebuilder has the option of going to a Ford parts counter to buy the guts or getting them from an aftermarket source. The Ford counter will charge three times what the parts are worth, especially considering that they come from the lowest bidder. If they're smart, they go to the aftermarket where they build the highest quality parts (since their own name and reputation is on them) and charge a competetive price. As with most parts, you can get a better part from the aftermarket at a cheaper price.

So, provided its assembled properly (get a warranty since even master tranny builders sometimes forget a check ball or spring) and the parts they use are good, the rebuilt version should be better than stock.

Edit: Take a good look under there... you can save several hundred dollars by pulling the tranny yourself and taking it for a rebuild. You should be able to get a quality performance rebuild for $600-700 easily. You still get the warranty, but if you have to have it re-done, you'll have to do the labor yourself.
__________________
Dragging people kicking and screaming into the enlightenment.
curtis73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 07:16 PM   #5
solaris=amazing
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
solaris=amazing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: freeport
Posts: 1,331
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hey Curtis, what's up man..you always helped me in the past..thanks alot. I miss your long, informative reply's.

Yeah the car is gonna be done late tomorrow or thursday with a full rebuilt tranny, i hope they don't use ford sh*t parts. Either way though it will have a warranty (not sure how long though..gotta find that out) so hopefully the shop will measure twice, cut once..lol. As long as this baby lasts till next october..i'll be alright (saving for a 02GT 5spd).. Now hopefully i wont have a tranny that leaks also, the older one had worn gaskets i'm sure. It was leaking from where the engine meets the tranny....i hope that doesn't mean anything bad for anything else BUT the tranny.

When i first get the car back, do you think i should test it out good, like wot, 60-100mph run on the dead highway..? Or just granny it..lol. I want to make sure it's solid ya know.. But like i said i'm done with aggresive driving...especially with a car with a very weak trans.
__________________
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

Dead men naked, they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad, they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea
They shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.....
....Dylan Thomas....
solaris=amazing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 07:18 PM   #6
solaris=amazing
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
solaris=amazing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: freeport
Posts: 1,331
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

Sorry, btw do they replace the ENTIRE torque converter...? Or just re-use the tc..?
__________________
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

Dead men naked, they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad, they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea
They shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.....
....Dylan Thomas....
solaris=amazing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 07:28 PM   #7
curtis73
Professional Ninja Killer
 
curtis73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Penn Hills, Pennsylvania
Posts: 3,561
Thanks: 0
Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts
Re: Rebuilt Tranny...Will it Hold Up..?

They replace your TC with a rebuilt unit. They cut them open, repair and braze as necessary, then re weld them closed. No problems. Rebuilt TCs are great.

I would say you should run the tranny gently for a while until the friction surfaces inside have had a good chance to heat cycle. Maybe the first 500 just drive it calmly. A couple strong launches won't kill it, but WOT shifts should be avoided.

Maybe a pan-drop and filter after 1000? Anyone else have a thought on that?
__________________
Dragging people kicking and screaming into the enlightenment.
curtis73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2005, 08:21 PM   #8
solaris=amazing
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
solaris=amazing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: freeport
Posts: 1,331
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks alot curtis, yeah she's gonna be easy ridin..lol.

I'll be honest, ever since i got this car almost 2 years ago w/119k on the clock, it's been beat on....wot...burnouts...50-100mph runs daily on dead highway roads. So it seen 13K miles of heavy abuse.. I swear it taking off my mufflers and getting chrome straights put on instills a devilish child in you..lol. With that added "exhaust note" you tend to think you got a decently fast muscle car...when it's just a daily driver cruiser.

Hell it is my first RWD V8.....and i'm 24, so i think those things combined make for a heavy right foot..lol.
__________________
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

Dead men naked, they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad, they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea
They shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.....
....Dylan Thomas....
solaris=amazing is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD

Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Engineering/Technical

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:36 PM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts