Got to Love it...Car problems...

[brewmaster15]

yep....got to Love it...spent over a $1000 on my van this month...Brakes , tires, bearings, axel.... hey these things happen right? No problemo...open wallet , pay mechanic, work done.....van runs great...for about 1 week... until its automatic transmission stopped working automatically.


Van is now a 3000+ lb paper weight... Transmission went... second time in 16 months...had it rebuilt back then for several thousand dollars....Of course its off warranty now.. and its shot again.... they tell me it has water in the fluid and the fluid is Goop....so goodbye seals..... and good bye Van. No idea how water got in there...though it may have been from a leak in the cooling lines...or got in from a vent and puddles...haven't exactly taken it 4 wheeling or crossing rivers so clueless here... Not a mechanic and I understand diddly about cars, engines, and trannys. What I do know is I am up the creek with out a paddle.

Bottom line....not a happy camper.. I just wish it the transmission went BEFORE I did all the other work!..I feel like I went to the casino to gamble and lost my wallet in the parking lot on the way in!

-al

[DLock3d]

That really sucks Al. There's nothing like struggling to keep a vehicle alive only to have it relapse with another issue.

[brewmaster15]

Dan,
I guess its alot like Discus...
Ironically if it was a discus I probably would have culled it last time it was sick.. instead of medicating it...

-al

[Darrell Ward]

That does stink. A trip to the junkyard with a few hundred dollars, and a weekend in my workhop would fix that problem. Too bad you live so far away, I could teach you how to replace it.

[Sean Buehrle]

Sorry for your troubles.
A transmission is fairly easy to remove and replace.

Back before front wheel drive vehicles I could drop any transmission in a half hour.

These stinking front wheel drives have made it a pain in the butt but still doable.
The risky part is getting a decent replacement from the salvage yard.

They usually have a 30-90 day warranty but there's no guarantee it works so you might end up doin it a couple times before you get a good one.

Sucks, been there.

[Darrell Ward]

Yeah, it's not that bad, as long as you have a lift, and a transmission jack. Saves you a lot of hassle.

[Chad Hughes]

That really sucks Al!

I personally HATE dealing with car repairs. I have already come to terms with the fact that I'll have a car payment for the rest of my life, so I just get a new one every 4 or 5 years. I never break down.

Hope things look up for you soon!

[Keith Perkins]

Sorry Al, I can certainly empathize with you.

[Melissa]

I guess its alot like Discus...
Ironically if it was a discus I probably would have culled it last time it was sick.. instead of medicating it...

-al

Lol sorry for your troubles Al, but that made me laugh. It is a lot like Discus, huh? It's always difficult to make the call- invest more mula in fixing em or culling them. :P
Hope you are able to find a replacement vehicle soon.

[Disgirl]

Sorry to hear this Al, good luck with finding another one soon! I can't help but remember when we spent about $2000 on a root canal and crown for one of my husband's molars. Soon after all the work was finished and paid for, bad pain for him, and the tooth had to be pulled, cracked root. Not a good time for us. Good luck!
Barb

[brewmaster15]

Hey Thanks guys...wish you were closer and I could tap you on this one!

Barb,

Sorry to hear this Al, good luck with finding another one soon! I can't help but remember when we spent about $2000 on a root canal and crown for one of my husband's molars. Soon after all the work was finished and paid for, bad pain for him, and the tooth had to be pulled, cracked root. Not a good time for us. Good luck!
Barb

Lol...I had the exact thing happen 2 years ago...then they wanted another $1000 to put in a titanium post, followed by another $1000 for a fake tooth ... Thats a bill I just couldn't do then and still haven't.

-al

[DiscusOnly]

Sorry to hear about the car problem. It sucks when older car starts to break down slowly piece by piece. Why can't they all just break at the same time? Anyway, are you sure you don't want to invest a few hundred in (maybe a used trans from the junk yard?). Before you do that, just have a reliable mechanic tell you what others potential the van may have over the next 12-15 months.

BTW.. is this a van or minvan van? Wouldn't happened to be a Honda would it? Their trans are known to go at a certain point.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Van,

Its 2002 ford Winstar... I got a few prices for used trannys and they still come up to $2500 installed by a garage...I can't do the work myself on this... solder pipes no problem..wire electrical no issues, fix computers piece of cake, breed critters and I shine...engines and trannys...forget it..to quote a famous gun slinger..."mans gotta know his limitations" and I do!

Its a real bummer..we family camp alot here and I travel with a ton of hiking and photo gear.....That Van was perfect for a family of 4 on the go like us.

-al

[DiscusOnly]

Hi Van,

Its 2002 ford Winstar... I got a few prices for used trannys and they still come up to $2500 installed by a garage...I can't do the work myself on this... solder pipes no problem..wire electrical no issues, fix computers piece of cake, breed critters and I shine...engines and trannys...forget it..to quote a famous gun slinger..."mans gotta know his limitations" and I do!

Its a real bummer..we family camp alot here and I travel with a ton of hiking and photo gear.....That Van was perfect for a family of 4 on the go like us.

-al

Al,

That sounds really high. My friend own a junk yard. If you want, pm me the year and engine size I'll have him look it up on the computer. His computer is hooked up to the network of junk yards in the East coast (will be able to tell you who has one and price).

[Darrell Ward]

Yeah, that does sound a bit much to me, but I guess it depends on how much the garage charges for labor. I've bought used transmissions in the past locally from $300 to $500 from running vehicles being "parted out" due to collision damage.