Blew the tranny

[MikePav]

GRRRRRR, i am so mad. im driving down the freeway, normal speed and the car like jumps, i hear something weird and it drops about 15mph with the same throttle force, so i give it more throttle to get it back up to speed. it still is running normal besides that little part, so im not worried. about 5 miles later when i am getting to my exit, i get to the offramp, push in the clutch and pull it out of gear to slow down and take it to the light, *** i take it out of gear i hear this grind and a little pop. anyway, you know how it goes, the shifter becomes hard to move, etc. the car wont engage any gears etc. i get the car towed to the shop, the guy quotes me $3500 to get it back on the road with a like new transmission.

i dont thinks that is gona work for my budget right now, i guess i will be saying goodbye to my saab. anyway, is it worth much without a tranny? im thinking of putting it on craigslist, to see if anyone specific is looking to buy one.

it still need that back window replaced. what do you think i should ask for the car? do you think i should try to find somewhere to store it and keep it myself for a time when i might want to get it fixed. i love the car, and the classic 900 is becoming more rare every day. it has 202,000 miles on it.

ideas, advice, anything.

[DeLorean]

$3500 is quite high, that's about what the dealer would charge if you look around or take it to your independant saab shop, you can get it done for a lot less. don't expect this to be under $1000 ANYWHERE, even for a used box, labor will be around $800 to install it.

I would say your best bet is getting it fixed with a quality rebuilt box. It should last another 100,000 miles in a 900-S if it's treated right

[MikePav]

the guy at the independent tranny shop said dealers were about $5000 or so.

he said 14 hours labor, and i guess he figures in arizona it would be pretty hard to find a tranny for a saab.

and i dont think he can rebuild the one i have, he said the pieces kinda tore apart. not entirely sure on the status of the vehicle. i will call around, but if it runs over 1500, i cant do it. my parents said they would put 1500 for me to buy a beater.

the problem is, i dont want i beater. i drove a saab, and i have an addiction.

[DeLorean]

well $5000 for a transmission is a load of crap

this is what $1300 will get ya -

http://www.saablink.net/TSL/saabforu...pic.php?t=5459

now granted, you will still need someone to install it unless you are crazy like me and will just pop it in in your driveway! also, 14 hours for a C-900 trans. no... 10 hours is much more realistic. you can get one of those transmissions here- http://www.erikssonindustries.com/

at $70 per hour, you should be able to get one of these transmissions INSTALLED for WELL under $2500. the guy who told you $3500 you should not walk, RUN away from.

[Black Beauty]

I put a rebuilt tranny into my '89 900t convertible, 5 speed, for about $1200 at the independent I use in Minneapolis.

I had a lot of other stuff done while the engine was out, but the tranny component of the bill was about $1200. Had I only been doing the tranny, I suspect the bill might have been 200-300 higher. (I got the quantity discount).

In terms of what the car is worth, I bought another '89 900t convertible on eBay, it has some rust, a leaky top, and a number of other small-to-medium issues, but it runs like a top, 157k miles, and I paid $1000. I bought it as a parts car for the other one, but I'm still on the fence about what to do with it -- on one hand, it feels like a crime to part out a car that drives that nice; on the other, if you add up the cost of fixing all the small issues, it gets pretty hefty. I may just park it and work on it myself as a hobby.

For a non-running 900 convertible, with 200k+ miles, I'd imagine you'd be hard-pressed to get $750. It's worth more than that if you part it out yourself, but that's pretty time-consuming. Your time is worth something, too.

If it were me, and if I had intended to keep the car for awhile before the tranny blew up, I'd replace the tranny.

[philbert]

Mr. B. Beauty (boy, it sounds weird saying that)....what indy shop do you use?

[NewBoySaab]

I appreciate that your continent is considerably larger than our little island, and as such transport costs are much higher, but here in the UK you can buy a recon 5 speed box for £350, which, according to XE.com is $621.93, but I guess it's driven by the demand / supply of the American market. I suppose the European car market in the States will be more expensive because of importing parts etc.

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by Black Beauty

it feels like a crime to part out a car that drives that nice

It is... don't do it!

[ShadowWorks]

You do know you can have parts pulled from lots of cars in any online salvage yard in the US and have it UPS;s too your front door.
Pulling parts a small cost, its still only say $50 to get a salvage yard guys stooly to yank the box as its a big part to be fair, they have all the tools and time in the world, posting would cost $150, the gear box may cost $250 too $500 depending on its condition and there is no warranty and no core discount in your case, but the labour is the only real issue in my eyes.

Ditching the car is a mistake IMHO, replace the box and you will save in the long run.

Good luck as well.

[spg1]

This is great that your parents are willing to put up $1500.00 to help you out. But to put it in a used car that may cost $1500.00 there are other things to consider like the extra cost of putting the car on the road. Eather way you would have to find a car for $1000 and the other $500 to put it on the road. It's better just to find another trany and do the work your self. Get a manual and go step by step. As for lifting the engine and trany out, rent a puller for the day or the week end for maybe $45.00. If you have never done anything like this before it may take 4 hours to pull it out. I have done a NA 8v 900 in about 2 hours to get the motor and trany out. Fine a good wood palit to work off of if your doing this in your drive way. You can do all the work your self and with the cost of the trany for no more than the $1500. Just call as may junk yards as you can and find a low milage trany or a rebuild, (price shop)

[900t]

Originally Posted by DeLorean

the guy who told you $3500 you should not walk, RUN away from.

Exactly. Because your car is broken and you can't drive it

Indeed, repair the car.

[912 fanatic]

i don't see why it would be that much but i bet a lot went wroung inside so you would need preaty much all new parts and that would be pricey. i would try to find a parts car they are dirt cheap now. and if you find one that is worn that would be the trany to rebuild. could be less then 150 dollars in parts but then maybe 10 or less hours labor. if a trained tec does it. be carfull thier are loads of smucks out thier

[Rich3Saabs]

Didn't read all the posts, but just want to encourage you to keep the car by installing a good used transmission. Shouldn't be that hard for you to do it since there is plenty of help on this site. I have improved the instructions of Jeter (transmission conversion article you might be familiar with) so I'll share if interested.
ALso have a rear windor for a hatchback sitting on my air hockey table for a 1986. Dont know if it will fit your car or not.
Good luck

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by Rich3Saabs

I have improved the instructions of Jeter (transmission conversion article you might be familiar with) so I'll share if interested.

Definitely interested!

[oliversexpedition]

I was quoted a price of $2700 to replace the 5-speed in my 88 SPG and decided to get an used one and install it with help from local WASSAAB members and S&S.

It is doable if you can locate a good used transmission or refurb a bad one. I would plan on a couple of weekends to do it, and rent/borrow/purchase the right tools like a engine hoist, metric socket set, etc.

I choose the pull the engine out route, since I ended up redoing the crankcase and oil seal, plus anything else that you can do when the engine iis out of the car.

As far as having someone do it, a well-known labor guide for saab 92 C900 Turbo transmission R&I and OH has it at 15.4 hours and I've heard up to 22 hours, depending on the shop. Yes I know that estimates and labor times don't always match what it takes to do it, but many shops charge by the "book"

There should be Saab fans in the Phoenix area that can help/advise.

--Oliversexpedition

[Rich3Saabs]

Agree that there benefits to pulling the engine.
I replaced water pump, installed urethane alternator mount bushings, pulled the head of the 16V to check for pitted head, installed new head gasket, checked main bearings, installed new clutch 7 piece kit which includes the slave servo , seal, bearings, rebuilt clutch mc for $6. etc etc.
I bought an engine hoist (shop crane) from Harbor freight for $115, also check Pep Boys as they have a good one for around same price which folds up when not in use. Good tool to have. Strongly advise to use robust stands or cinder blocks with lots of 2x6 wood shims plus blocked rear tires. Be ultra conservative and use back up supports like stacking your front tires under the car when working under car unless your last name is 'Kent.'
Regarding Engine hoist. The low cost hoists use a hydraulic cylinder with less than optimal o ring and seal set up. If they blow a seal you will be greatly inconvenienced. Preventative measure is to minimize the time that the hoist sees the full weight of the power unit. This means never hang the engine overnight but rather block underneath engine and use a 4x4 crutch under the boom to take the static load , even with the engine sort of sitting on the cinderblocks. Drain the block by removing packed core sand from the block drain hole. Easy to do with the engine hanging on stand. Easy to check reverse gears with tranny out, plus install new side gasket.
Don't forget to install the clutch spacer tool BEFORE you disconnect clutch hydraulic lines. Sounds like a no brainer but I made this annoying little mistake in my haste to get the job done.
Hope this helps.

[MikePav]

Originally Posted by Rich3Saabs

ALso have a rear windor for a hatchback sitting on my air hockey table for a 1986. Dont know if it will fit your car or not.
Good luck

i wish it could, bit i need the convertible rear window unit.

On another note, I contacted Valet Auto in Tucson, and the guy seemed really great, ad i read some good reviews of the shop online. Anyway, he has an 87 hatch with a bad engine, it still runs, but with bad compression, so he decided he is gonna part it out for me. $1500 out the door and running, which is right in my ballpark.

he also said that he was going to check with someone to look into the window for me, and if he can get me a deal, hes gonna set me up with that. i was quoted about $600 from just about everyone i talked to in Phoenix, big city, big prices .

now the chore is getting the car towed the 100 mile trip on my day off. my neighbor has an f150, and said if i went through with this, he would help me out. better get online and search for tow trailers to hook up to the truck.

all i can think of is UHAUL, if anyone has any other ideas, let me know.

[cdaly]

Originally Posted by MikePav

i wish it could, bit i need the convertible rear window unit.

You could have somebody make up a carrier for your existing glass. It's pretty much just a rectangle of vinyl with the glass bonded in. If you never unzipped your rear window, you could get away with not using that bit or, you could have your existing zip sewn into the new vinyl section. Have a look at Tom Townsend's side http://townsendimports.com/Web/body_...r_tech_doc.htm and have a look at the "Rear Screen Replacement" section. Not too tough of a DIY job if you get the proper vinyl. In fact, you could get the sheet of vinyl yourself and do the lot...

[MikePav]

Originally Posted by cdaly

You could have somebody make up a carrier for your existing glass. It's pretty much just a rectangle of vinyl with the glass bonded in. If you never unzipped your rear window, you could get away with not using that bit or, you could have your existing zip sewn into the new vinyl section. Have a look at Tom Townsend's side http://townsendimports.com/Web/body_...r_tech_doc.htm and have a look at the "Rear Screen Replacement" section. Not too tough of a DIY job if you get the proper vinyl. In fact, you could get the sheet of vinyl yourself and do the lot...

heh, i remember you helping me earlier, since then the glass has become broken, so i have no glass in there anymore, just some plastic to somewhat protect it from the element, and to keep people from pessing with the car too much.

[13thknight]

ABout 2 weeks ago the gearbox on my 900 lpt started popping out of gear in 5th only.

this has degenerated into no 5th at all, while all other 4 forward and 1 reverse engage fine !

What am i looking at here ? will this car run ok on 4 speeds, with the loss in economy ? Or is it likely that the box will self destruct of generally deteriorate ?

Any opinions are very welcome, the box had a partial rebuild a few years ago and the car on 145k is very reliable and as the air con and all the other toys work i am reluctant to get rid of it, it also has had a few well hosen tweaks to get it up the 180 ish bhp and is fairly rapid, just ask the bloke in the 9-3 who couldnt overtake on the Midhurst road last saturday.....


SO come on give us an opinion......


Cheers Knighty

Merged:

I`m in a quandry myself, i have a 92` LPT with 4 speeds rhather than 5 the 5th speed went the other day, a used box is under a 1000 £ to have fitted etc, but is the car goinf to eat another one ?

i can buy a cheap 90` model to pull the box from but who knows when that ones going to go. Saab factory boxes are no longer available so its hard to know whats right.