Is it worth it to put a trans in it?

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[GSmith215]

Okay, so at 191,000 miles, the Buick blew 2nd gear.  I got off the highway and was on the main local road when noticed a ticking kind of sound when it went into 2nd gear.  I got onto a side street 5 blocks from my house instead of on the main road and then there was a crunching/rattling sound about 2 blocks from the house.  The car still moves, but it doesn't move well in 2nd and makes a lot of noise.

I checked the fluid - it's down about a pint (not quite completely, but close).

So, do I put a used tranny in it?  I can get one for $100 - $300, but then I still have a '96 Regal with 191,000 miles and no A/C.   Everything else works relatively okay for a 14year old car (still need to do valve gaskets, but that can wait).  Motor is very strong.

Opinions?

[TehWinGTP]

I say yes, but just get it rebuilt. No sense in getting a used one, I went through that and it was bad too

[Prospeeder]

i would just get a used one really. Rebuilds can be way worse, iv herd nothing good about rebuilts transmissions, and there thousand or more where a used ones 100 bucks, and would probably be ok if it worked fine before, Iv done it plenty of times and only had one dud, its a risk i guess.

[TehWinGTP]

I don't mean go buy a rebuild..... I mean go get YOURS rebuilt.... You know, like go to a trans shop and tell them to fix/rebuild it?!

They'll replace anything that needs replaced, and most places have a WARRANTE..........

[XTRevolution]

Where do you live? I have a 4T60E from a 95 Regal that should fit perfectly in Northern Ohio that I will sell you for cheap. Has a fresh change of Dex6 fluid, and a new pan gasket and filter replaced within 5,000 miles. It also has a new parking pawl rod.

The transmission has 217k miles on it but was rebuilt at 144k miles (which I have the receipt for) and has had the fluid replaced twice since then as preventative maintenance. It has also been used with a transmission cooler, and shifts absolutely perfectly.

I'll sell it to you for $150. If you don't think that price is fair, we can talk more, but the filter and fluid alone are worth half that much. I don't think the transmissions you are looking at come with fresh fluid and a new filter and Dex6 is not cheap. I'm also fairly sure Bob (the guy who did my L67 swap which caused this transmission to come out) would be more than happy to perform the swap for you for cheap, maybe even on the same day.

Don't read into the mileage. We have a guy on gmforum.com who has 454k miles on his 3800 engine and it runs like a champ. At 217k miles, my old engine's compression was within 2PSI of 188PSI. That's better than a lot of very low mileage cars have!

[Mike]

'96 Regals have the 3800 Series II, which means the 4T65E transmission, doesn't it? I don't think you could just swap the 4T60E in.

[XTRevolution]

'96 Regals have the 3800 Series II, which means the 4T65E transmission, doesn't it? I don't think you could just swap the 4T60E in.

No, 96 Regals still had the 4T60E. Hell, even Series 2 L67 cars in 1996 like the Riviera had the 4T60E-HD.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

If your love for the car out values the cost of getting a fixed trans then fix it!

Used is good for me, but it couldn't hurt to have your new(used) one at least checked out, or buy XTRs if you're close!

[GSmith215]

XTR- Thank you for the offer, it's a good price.  I'm in Central Florida, though, so I'll have to find a freight hauler.  Let me kick that around real quick.

The overall debate is this:  I paid nothing for the car, and ignoring the cost of tags/title/registration (about $150), I've only put about $70 into the car since I got it.  Everything that was wrong with it was fixed or rigged rather cheaply.

The main downfall is the lack of A/C is downright brutal in Florida.  I need to scope out Craigslist and see what my options are before I make a decision.  I won't have any really cash to do anything (either to fix or to buy something else) until next month.

I *REALLY* like this car, but I gotta think it over.

Thank you all for your feedback.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

might be an idea to park this, and find one in decent shape like it, with working ac and just have a parts car on the side to rape for whatever you need (except for AC and a transmission)

[Jay]

a/c work is easy. i did my s10 myself and who knows how long the a/c didn't work beforehand.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

what kinds of shit can cause an AC compressor not to turn on? my old regal has no AC too because of this.

[Jay]

Low freon.

[XTRevolution]

Low freon.

A clogged orifice tube will also cause problems, but if the freon is low or if the pressue is too high, the compressor will not start. Also, if the relay is bad.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

he was trying to recharge it with one of those canadian tire kits (after releasing all the old gas into the air) i could get the compressor to engage if i bypassed the relay with a wire or something, but the relay was good i tested it with a battery. the light comes on inside saying the ac is on though too... someone once told me it somehow ties in to the power steering?!?! i was baked and cant remember that explanation tho