Manual transmission help please!

[husker3in4]

My 1999 Eclipse GST has run like a champ since I bought it new. Last year I started having problems with the bottom 3 gears (2, 4, R), sometimes they would go into gear just fine, other times they would inexplicably refuse to go into gear, like I was "locked out" of them. Sometimes when I would leave my home, everything would work. Then, somewhere in the 20 mins drive to my destination, I would lost my bottom 3 gears. When this happened, I could sometimes work the stick thru the top 3 gears and try to put the stick in the bottom 3 (with the clutch in) and after a min or so I had the bottom 3 gears again. This went on for a month or two, then the bottom 3 went out for good. I took it to my buddy who is a certified mechanic (and does most of the work on my car), he checked the linkage under the stick and in the engine bay, and he thinks the something is broken inside the transmission. He drained a little transmission fluid out and said it looked thicker than it should and saw metallic shavings in it, meaning there was something greatly worn inside the transmission. I trust him, he has always done good work for me at about half of the labor costs that the Stealership would do it for. But, I am just curious if any of you think it might be something else I could check into before looking into replacing the transmission? The vehicle has been well maintained over the years, but at 180k+ miles, Im not sure it would be worth it to put $1k into it for a used tranny and labor.

Any ideas?

 

[DSMjunkieNH]

I hate to say it but i would definitely pull the trans and check the pressure plate, clutch, and flywheel out just to be safe. especially since there were metal shavings in there.

 

[hotrodssnova]

180 k miles and shavings in the oil, doesn't look good. Have you owned it since day one? Has any maintenance been done by you on the trans? Can you work the trans levers from under the hood and feel the gears solidly engage? You will have to disconnect the linkage from the shift levers at the transmission and have the car off (obviously) to do that.

 

[guseclipse]

Mileage sounds about right. Even if the tranny is well maintained they eventually wear out. You got a good run out of it. I would get a tranny, replace clutch and resurface the flywheel.

 

[husker3in4]

Yes Ive had it since day one. I don't usually do the maintenance myself. I took it to the Stealership while it was under warranty, after that just went to different auto shops until I found my current mechanic about 6y ears ago. About 3 or years ago he replaced the clutch and transmission fluid.

He got it up on the lift and tried to work the shifter cable/levers in the engine bay from underneath, and it would not go forward (which is where it needs to go for 2, 4 and R).

How much would a used transmission run (ballpark?). The thing is, I love this car, but it has some other minor issues that would also need to be fixed for it to be at 100%. I ignored them basically while I could still shift into all the gears. Now that I cant, I can still actually drive it around, but I am limited to pull-thru parking spaces and just have to hope I dont get caught in a spot where I need to back up, because then I will look like an idiot getting out and pushing my car backwards while everyone is watching, .

Its a second car at this point, I picked up a 2001 escape for trucking around my kids who don't fit in my eclipse anymore.

I was really hoping you guys would advise me to look here or there for a possible easy or cheap fix. since I rate pretty light on the DIY scale for cars, replacing the transmission is more than I could handle to do on my own, and would likely cost more than the car is worth, wouldn't it?

 

[Chumpaumpalumpa]

Ya id say call jacks transmissions and talk options. if you want a stock like replacement for "cheap" then here you go. also, with buying this youll never have to worry about the trans through the life of the car.

Here are some options with prices.....
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/collections/budget-dsm-awd/products/budget-dsm-awd
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/collections/dsm-roadrace-rebuild/products/rr-ultimatesynchro
The difference between these 2 is that the ultimate syncro trans has all the gears double syncro'd.....makes a BIG difference.
You could of course start with the budget build and have 1-3 double syncro'd and the price will be somewhere between those two. just a couple options breaking your trans sucks, i was just there man i feel your pain....

http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/dsm-clutch-selection
This is so you know which clutch and flywheel to pick[DOUBLEPOST=1417807393][/DOUBLEPOST]also the trans is really NOT to difficult to replace..... even on jack stands. time consuming, yes, difficult, not so much.
this will give you an idea as to what you are getting into. if you have 1 friend come over and help you out it goes by pretty quick.

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He has an entire series that explains what to do in pretty good detail. i suggest you watch a couple even if you decide not to do the work yourself.

 

[husker3in4]

Ouch! I followed your links, $1000 for a replacement tranny isnt really an option.

 

[Chumpaumpalumpa]

well what is your price range? you may have broken a $30 part or a new trans might be your only option. only way to find out is to open it up

 

[92AWDHX40]

sounds like a internal issue time for rebuild .

 

[Chumpaumpalumpa]

sounds like a internal issue time for rebuild .

Honestly your best option..... just start the car once a week in neutral and run it for around 10 minutes until you save up your money. sorry bud [DOUBLEPOST=1418061921][/DOUBLEPOST]you could take the risk of buying a used one but that can be pretty risky

 

[dfootedsm]

bud. unless you want to rebuild the tranny yourself , which is a daunting task in itself . just save yourself the headache and buy an out the box solution . it will save you alot of exhaustion

 

[husker3in4]

I have another buddy who advised me to look for a transmission rebuild kit, as he will do the rebuild for me. I looked at the mentioned link for jacks transmissions, but all I see they have is an already rebuild tranny for 1k. Can anyone advise me to a link for a rebuild kit?

 

[Chumpaumpalumpa]

Call jacks and ask, they're very friendly there. Try a local transmission place or have your buddy open it and order the appropriate parts from jacks.
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/mits-parts
Expect to be down for at least 3 weeks

 

[92AWDHX40]

Had mine done by my go to guy jon tre I was down for about the same amount of time.