'95 century transmission

[sumner3]

Howdy folks, I have a '95 Century (107K with the 3.1) and Friday the transmission seemed to just fry. I was cruising at 45 under no acceleration when a funny metallic grinding noise was heard. I pulled off the road and I still had power ahead slow in first gear (no noise) However no reverse and a awful metallic grinding noise when I did, same noise in park. Again it shifted into drive and the noise stopped but I did not try it again. NOW here is the question I had the tranny serviced less than 200 miles before (oil and filter) so the shop had the pan off, if it was this close to going shouldn't they have seen metal shards? Could the service have been the cause? I checked before calling the tow truck tranny oil is Full and new. I heard a rumor the '95 s had a design flaw that something simply wasn't strong enough, did I simply fall victim of bad timing? The tranny is shot at any rate, is this car worth putting a new (junk yard $300 ) tranny in? How much should that cost to have done at my favorite local shop?

[GTP Dad]

I would say you are a victim of bad timing. You don't say how long ago the last tranny service was before the most recent one. Sometimes the new fluid can actually cause a problem resulting in tranny failure. As far as the shop seeing anything it is possible but doubtful. They may have seen some debris but unless there was a large quantity of metal shavings they would not have noticed much. I would say that the car is definately worth a $300 jyt. Expect to spent about $400 in labor to have it removed and reinstalled. Also make sure the shop flushes the existing tranny cooler or puts on an aftermarket one. If there are a large number of shavings in the lines and the old cooler it will destroy the new tranny too. Good Luck!

[trannyman52]

sounds like the reverse input shell is broken!!!!! it's called "the stove pipe",,,,,for a good reason!!! you can get a stronger part from after-market suppliers,,,,common sence thing,,,,STOP before shifting to reverse,,,will help keep it in one piece,,,oh ya,,,it is also used for second gear,,,but the failure is usually related to aggressive driving habits!!!