Friend (no, really ) has this 1996 car. Not garaged, defintely not well-maintained (175K) on anything, transmission about dead. Plans on ordering used transmission (1992 Accord), $400, to be delivered to “shade tree mechanic” who will install for $200, with any needed add’l. parts extra. Sounds like bad decision to me. Your thoughts?
Yes, bad decision. Good money after bad. Unknown transmission is a $600 gamble. What happens if, it too, is bad? $600 gone, 26 year old car is still broken.
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I don’t think an OBDI transmission will work in an OBDII vehicle.
Tester
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To me it depends on if a replacement car if financially feasible. If not my first thought would be to have your guy look over the car and make sure there are no other big issues that need to be dealt with. suspension issues, see if your engine has a timing belt that may need replacement. Were oil changes kept up with? If oil changes were good, and mechanic sees no other issues you don’t mind keeping driving it, I would consider it. Figure if it only lasts 2 months you ar breaking even for 2 months of car payments and everything after that is gravy. The choice is yours of course and no one has a crystal ball that works.
Edit +1 to Testers comment. Get the right transmission if you go the replacement route!
Yes, my thoughts too. TY.
| Mustangman
April 3 |
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Yes, bad decision. Good money after bad. Unknown transmission is a $600 gamble. What happens if, it too, is bad? $600 gone, 26 year old car is still broken.
Also, anyone charging $200 to remove and replace a transmission is not qualified for that job.
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I would not buy a used engine or transmission from a junkyard unless I was planning to disassemble it and replace seals, gaskets, etc. at a minimum. I would not attempt to install and use it as-is, because the probability of leaks (or worse) is just too great.
On some cars, it might not be too difficult to remove and replace the transmission. And someone with skill and experience might be able to do it quickly enough to make a profit for such little money.
Case in point: I have never pulled a motor or transmission until I decided to remove the motor and transmission from my Sundance back in 2019. It took me several weekends of work to get them pulled. I was at a junkyard buying parts for this car, and a man came over to a PT Cruiser which was in the adjacent row, pulled the motor and transmission, separated the two, and left with just the motor in the span of less than 3 hours. I was genuinely impressed.
You’re wrong.
A used engine transmission/engine from a junkyard is an economical alternative to a new/remanufactured component.
I’ve installed many.
What matters is,where you buy them from.
Tester
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My only thought is that if you say it is a bad idea or it is a good idea you will still be wrong .
I wouldn’t recommend that idea if it is an automatic transmission. If it is a manual transmission, it might well work out ok. Common sense says to get a written agreement who’s responsible for what, if the process doesn’t end as intended.
I have only changed 4 engines, two transmissions and two rear ends but never got a bad one. Some came from cars destined for the junkyard and some from the junkyard, but the junkyard ones were from cars that I could see and all were guaranteed.
Most of our cars get junked because of rust.
$600 sounds like a reasonable charity, I have given more to a friend (no, really) in need.
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Even old cars sometimes appreciate.
I’d be a little scared of a used transmission from 1992… I wouldn’t shy away from a used part from a more modern car that was in a wreck, but 1992 was a pretty long time ago.
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Like @Tester said, that '92 tranny won’t work. The car-parts.com site only lists '96 and '97 transmissions when I search for compatible replacements.
It’s automatic.
| George_San_Jose1
April 3 |
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I wouldn’t recommend that idea if it is an automatic transmission. If it is a manual transmission, it might well work out ok. Common sense says to get a written agreement who’s responsible for what, if the process doesn’t end as intended.
Thanks to all for losta info. I am not sure my feriend will heed any of it.
| texases
April 4 |
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Like @Tester said, that '92 tranny won’t work. The car-parts.com site only lists '96 and '97 transmissions when I search for compatible replacements.
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If there’s any question, auto-parts compatibility issues like this can be verified at most auto-recyling businesses.
That’s why I use car-parts.com. It’s a site that accesses a large number of auto recyclers, and uses a database of compatible parts for a particular car.