DIY auto transmission rebuild?

So my creampuff RX300 that I just bought with 180k miles has a pretty knarly transmission whine. It sounds almost exactly like an old ford power steering pump (yeah, I should've checked this thing out better before buying) and is dependent on engine RPM and gets a bit quieter after everything warms up. The trans still shifts pretty well with the occasional sloppy shift into second and sometimes fourth. Fluid looks and smells normal and nothing slips or does anything scary.

I had planned on doing a transmission service (fluid/filter/clean magnets and whatnot) this weekend when I do the timing belt and brakes and all the other fluids. Is it worth a shot or would I just be speeding the failure process up? My experience with cars, while quite extensive, is limited almost exclusively to road racing cars with manual transmissions. I've never owned a car with an auto long enough to do any sort of trans service at all.

So, is an auto trans rebuild a realistic task for a guy that's done just about everything else there is to do to a car? I've assembled motors and know all about measuring stuff and following a procedure in a manual. Any uber $$ special tools/equipment I'd need? Seems the worst that would happen is I get to take an auto apart and then buy a trans anyway.

Manual swap FTW

The basic transmission is fairly easy. You probably will need a press. It's the valve body and controls that get scary.

4cylndrfury wrote: Manual swap FTW

This was my first thought as well, but there isn't a manual transmission for any version of this chassis.

You can easily bolt up any toyota S or E-series manual transmissions to that motor.... linkage and sitting the shifter up to where it's useable may be a slightly different undertaking.

Is this a front driver or awd?

AWD. I'm not so much worried about bolting a trans to the motor as I am finding a suitable pedal cluster, a computer that'll be happy in this chassis with a manual, getting a shifter up into the dash, etc...

I'm really more interested in hearing about people rebuilding autos in their garage. I have trouble believing that we don't have an auto expert somewhere around here.

Noone knows how an auto tranny works. It is a case filled with mythical bits of metal and secret passage ways. Automatic Transmissions are the mechanical equivlant of women. They require a bit more maintance, anyone who says they understand them is lying, and they are much harder to put back together than they are to take apart.

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

I've done a Chrysler 727. It worked well when I was done.

After that experience I just farm everything out to my transmission guy.

Shawn

Wally wrote: Noone knows how an auto tranny works. It is a case filled with mythical bits of metal and secret passage ways. Automatic Transmissions are the mechanical equivlant of women. They require a bit more maintance, anyone who says they understand them is lying, and they are much harder to put back together than they are to take apart.

Still laughing.

So auto transmissions are the rotary engines of the transmission world?

Instead of tracking down a young priest and an old priest maybe I'll just bite the bullet and spend the $3k to have someone else do it.

I wouldn't even rebuild it....

You could probably score one out of the junkyard for way cheaper even if it's not a U-Pull-It, figure maybe $500 or less, then pay someone $1000 or less to install it.

I'm certainly not paying someone else to do the easy "jam it back in there and tighten the bolts" part, just the bit with the voodoo and whatnot. I'll probably not buy one from a junkyard either as it seems that the failure rate is pretty high on the u140f until 02' when they were updated. I've been sitting here at work googling my butt of trying to figure out why these have such a high failure rate and all I've come up with so far is the 4-gear planetary set was replaced with a better 6-gear version at some unknown point and the later trannys are just "better". I'm also going to assume that heat has something to do with it since everyone seems to advocate changing the fluid at ridiculously short intervals (15k lolz). No one seems to know what happens that makes them fail just that a rebuild makes them work again.

Most of what I'm finding online is people being pissed that lexus doesn't offer free lifetime transmission replacement. When they break with 140k miles people are freaking outraged and it's just hilarious to read.

I do realize that the internets exaggerate these sort of things since very few people will pop onto a forum to tell everyone their transmission works perfectly.

I also found this site to have a bit more realistic pricing, although it's still more than I'd like to spend. They also claim to perform the updates, but I need to call and find out what that entails.

skruffy wrote: I'm certainly not paying someone else to do the easy "jam it back in there and tighten the bolts" part, just the bit with the voodoo and whatnot. I'll probably not buy one from a junkyard either as it seems that the failure rate is pretty high on the u140f until 02' when they were updated. I've been sitting here at work googling my butt of trying to figure out why these have such a high failure rate and all I've come up with so far is the 4-gear planetary set was replaced with a better 6-gear version at some unknown point and the later trannys are just "better". I'm also going to assume that heat has something to do with it since everyone seems to advocate changing the fluid at ridiculously short intervals (15k lolz). No one seems to know what happens that makes them fail just that a rebuild makes them work again. Most of what I'm finding online is people being pissed that lexus doesn't offer free lifetime transmission replacement. When they break with 140k miles people are freaking outraged and it's just hilarious to read. I do realize that the internets exaggerate these sort of things since very few people will pop onto a forum to tell everyone their transmission works perfectly.

True, got me there. I just would personally have a hard time justifying someone rebuidling a tranny to the tune of $3k.... especially on a car with miles as high as yours.

I laugh every time i see someone with my car talk about rebuilding their tranny, when i can get them at $75 a pop.

I would still call around to see if you can find a later year tranny used somewhere. Even if it's expensive, it'll be cheaper than a rebuild.

I'd feel bad about spending that much too but we got it for a decent price and it's damn near cosmetically perfect. Aside from some normal maintenance stuff needing to be done (brakes/timing belt) and this trans whine it's mechanically perfect as well. Maybe that silly whine will go away after I do the trans service lol delusions.

I'll have to call around and see if I can find a low mile later model unit from somewhere.

FOIG it.

(Hit it with a field operated impact generator)

Wally wrote: Noone knows how an auto tranny works. It is a case filled with mythical bits of metal and secret passage ways. Automatic Transmissions are the mechanical equivlant of women. They require a bit more maintance, anyone who says they understand them is lying, and they are much harder to put back together than they are to take apart.

If that doesnt make the magazine I dont know what will. Of course Margie may not agree, my wife didnt see it as funny as I did.

WRT to the proposed fluid/filter change, I'd be inclined to let it ride. your thought about hastening a failure could be right on. if the fluid isn't roached, leave it alone; the whine you describe may be wear that new fluid and filter won't help. besides tranny fluid isn't exactly cheap anymore...

Just had to drive the wife to work. Exactly 30 days from the day we got it, almost to the hour. Reverse slips and catches, drive takes a long time to engage, shifts are jerky. The whine has changed a bit too. It's still there but has pauses now.

Also, car-part.com shows used trannys around $2000, just like freshly rebuilt ones.

...sorry 'bout you luck. Sounds like the seller knew it was on the way out...

Started pulling it apart. Engine and trans must be removed together, from below. I'm pretty sure with an engine hoist I can get the front end high enough to get it out.

The procedure is basically to disconnect everything you can see from the engine and then remove the rest of the car lolz.

I'm gonna send it out to that place in NJ that I linked to above. They were the only ones who seemed to have any knowledge at all about these trannys. The guy on the phone even knew about all the applicable upgrade and common failure components. He was also the only one who would entertain the idea of me doing the R&R myself.

It's gonna be a lot easier to do the timing belt, waterpump, and plugs with the motor out too.