Need some advice....transmission I think

[monkeymantn]

I've got a 99 Rodeo 2wd that I rebuilt the engine in a few months ago. I no longer have access to a car lift, and my condo complex won't allow me to work on it in my driveway (yeah, it sucks). Anyway, I was driving home and I was in a 20 mph zone. I gave it some gas and there was a horrible grinding sound coming from the trans. bell housing and the car wouldn't shift out of first. I pulled off the side of the road and put it in neutral with the e-brake engaged. There was a loud ticking sound coming from underneath the flywheel. I gave it a little gas while looking under the car and metal sparks flew out from the bottom hole under the flywheel. I ended up having to have the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. I'm guessing I may have a bolt that has worked it's way out on the flywheel. I'm thinking of replacing the flywheel and potentially the torque converter since I suspect the flywheel might be warped at this point. Is there anything else that might cause these symptoms? The engine sounds fine, so I don't think it has to do with that end of the drivetrain. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[monkeymantn]

Well, turns out the flywheel was cracked. Book calls for a 9 hour job @ $60.00/hr. Just posting the update since nobody bothered to give any advice.

[Ramblin Fever]

I don't think it's because no one WANTED to give advise. I personally am a very regular person on this board, and always try to respond where I can with the problems I'm familiar with.

I've never experienced this problem before.

Glad you found the fix.

[FL 3.2L]

Sorry about your tranny problem. I figured your guess was pretty plausible, but the only way to know what failed was to drop it and look, and you were doing that. I was hoping for some cool pictures, though...

[pharm_rodeo]

Well, I'm sure someone would have posted a suggestion if he/she had something to add. Most of us do have jobs.

Also try Planetzoo b/c that's were Ramblin and Trooper BC spend most of their time. LOL

[monkeymantn]

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't trying to insult anyone. Although I don't have a lot of posts here, I've been a member of Twinturbo.net and 300zxclub.com for some time now, and I've never had a question about my ZX's go without being responded to in some manner.

Anyway, I had to take the rodeo to a local mechanic because I no longer have a lift to get the truck on. And, trying to drop a tranny is no laughing matter when you don't have the facilities to perform the work in. I hate taking my vehicles to a mechanic and I don't have a guy that I know I can trust. So, I suppose asking my question ahead of time was more a way of me making sure that he wasn't trying to tell me something else than what actually was going on with the noise. It still erks me that he is charging me $600 to replace the flywheel, when I know for a fact that transmission shops near my parent's house (similar-sized town, but 9 hours away from me) quoted my dad $225 for the same job. I'll try to get some pics of the old flywheel if I can.