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  #1  
Old 08-23-2010, 12:24 AM
Jays90ranger Jays90ranger is offline
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Question Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

I have a 90 Ranger XLT that was given to me by my dad when he passed away. So It has some sentimental attachment but not overly. Last Thursday the manual transmission went south. Truck has 155K miles, fresh pain, just put on a new exhaust, replaced some rusty leaf springs for inspection and also before that had to replace the fuel filler neck. So just this year I put about $1000 into it. The engine leaks oil through the oil pan and valve cover gaskets, but doesn't seem to burn too much oil. Neither me nor the garage who I whole heartily trust knows if it will also need a clutch kit. To replace the Transmission with a used one with 70K miles on it will cost $1100. Add another $250 for a clutch kit. I asked the garages opinion on what they would do. They said you can go ahead and do the Tranny and maybe the clutch, but they wouldn't go as far as also putting in a used engine. They said the return on investment is overboard for such an old truck unless I Really love it. Unfortunately I have to admit I like it, but I don't really love it. I have a very bad back, 3 back surgeries and 1 neck surgery so the ride and especially the very worn drivers seat is of little comfort. Also the cab is small. I'm 6'0 average build, not a huge guy, but it's real cramped when there are two of us in the cab.

So I'm collecting opinions from the experts. Would you put another $1300 into it? That would make $2300 this past 3 months alone. Or cut me losses and look for something else. Issues are I REALLY don't want car payments so I'd be looking for a $3-4000 Max vehicle. Well thanks to Cash for clunkers there are now 2 types of used vehicles out there. Low cost with real high mileage for $2-3K or then it jumps right up to $10K plus. The engines still pulls strong but I get bathed in oil smell everytime I drive. The AC is cold. I took all of the repairs that I've had since 2002 when I got it. Most repairs have been in the past 2 years. The average cost per year if I take all the repairs and divide by 8 years is $85 a month, much less than a car payment. How long do the 2.9L V-6's generally last. My Dad took real good care of her, but he was the 2nd owner. I keep up with all repairs and oil change and I'm not an aggressive driver. Well that's plenty of info maybe too much. One last thing that the garage used to weight their decision is they said some of the frame components and other substructure are starting to rust which can be an inspection issue here in PA land of the salt truck. Please give me as many opinions as possible so I can make an informed decision. Thanks, Dave
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Old 08-23-2010, 02:26 AM
More_Cowbell More_Cowbell is offline
Chrome Dont Get You Home
 
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

personally i think you should get the transmission changed or see if you can rebuild it since its a manual they are not too hard to rebuild compared to an automatic and as far as the oil leak thats an easy fix all you have to do is replace that 20 year old cork gasket with a rubber one on the valve covers thats where most the oil will be leaking from the pan on mine has a really really small leak aswell but my valve covers where the main source of that burnt oil smell everytime i got out of the truck
oh and a garage is alway going to make the problem worse then it is just to try and squeeze that much more money out of yah (had a garage try and tell my mom she needed a new transmission when all she needed was some wheel bearings) so i would take it to a few places and have them check the truck out it might just be you need a new clutch

but if maintained you could easily get well over 300k plus miles out of a ranger which is like the life of 2 vehicles
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1990 Ranger Extended Cab
2.9L V6 5 Speed Transmission
Planning to put a 347 and a T-5 in it eventually

Quote:
Originally Posted by FireRanger View Post
It looks like someone attacked the front of the truck with a bedazzler.
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  #3  
Old 08-23-2010, 04:39 AM
Coleosis Coleosis is offline
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

Whats your transmission doing? might just need syncros and a clutch plate. If you wanna drop that much money, I suggest keeping it, getting a newer car and fixing up your truck in rememberance of your dad. I know you said you have a bad back, but if you have another car, you can take your time and just do a little at a time. You dont know how to work on cars? Go get a Chilton/haynes manual...Once you see how easy a manual trans is to change, you will want to spit in your mechanic's face for charging $1000+
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Old 08-23-2010, 10:04 AM
Jays90ranger Jays90ranger is offline
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

This is what it's doing. I drove to the grocery store and then tried to back out of a space. The truck moved about 3 feet and stopped with a loud bang. I thought I hit something. Got out looked around, didn't hit anything. Tried again to back up, same thing. Finally got it to backup and was able to pull out. Had to double-triple clutch to get it in gear. Gears ground like a coffee grinder and the truck shook like a motor mount was broken. Then the clutch smelled like it was burning up. I limped it home and then had it towed to the garage.

I really trust my mechanic. He knows I'm poor and on disability. He lets me buy parts off E-bay and he installs them. He always tries to save me money. Tells me he could get a cheaper used tranny but it would have more mileage on than mine. The one he found has 70K on it. My truck has 155K. With my back I could never replace the transmission on my own. 15 years ago, no problem, but not today. He told me today he can check the clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing while it's apart and can replace it if needed for no additional labor.

He told me the issue with replacing the cork / seals on the valve covers is that one of the covers requires removing the intake manifold to get the valve cover off. Real pita job. And says you can't replace the oil pan gasket without partially jacking up the engine. more pita.

I'm leaning towards repairing the transmission. It comes down to the devil you know is better than buying someone else's headache. I know how my dad and I treated it and I know all of the parts that have been replaced. Thanks for the replies so far. Dave
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  #5  
Old 08-23-2010, 06:32 PM
crowdpleazer crowdpleazer is offline
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

when you work in a garage/shop, you get a mentality of just replacing entire parts/units to fix your problems. it usually saves on labor (just drop the old tranny and put a new one in and problem fixed) and it makes the mechanics life easier. im not trying to say that he is trying to screw you, im just letting you in on what i believe is going on (i may be wrong).

it is possible that your old tranny can be rebuilt but if your gonna pay a mechanic by the hour its gonna cost you a good bit. same with the engine oil leaks. i dont know much about the 2.9L v6 so i wont say how long they usually last and if you should replace it.
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1998 ranger extended cab, 2wd, 4.0 ohv, 5 speed, sony xploid 52 4 way watt radio, 2 pair of pioneer 240 watt speakers, Cobra 29 LX LCD CB radio pushing 100 watts, k&n air filter, 15 inch exploder wheels, dual exhaust with 4 inch stainless tips, 2 12 inch subs with a 1000 watt amp just for the hell of it!

new project: dirt track modified racing at the local saturday night track.
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  #6  
Old 08-23-2010, 07:28 PM
Magnus Magnus is offline
2009 Ranger Sport 4X4
 
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

Double post by accident lol

Last edited by Magnus; 08-23-2010 at 07:31 PM.
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  #7  
Old 08-23-2010, 07:30 PM
Magnus Magnus is offline
2009 Ranger Sport 4X4
 
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Default Re: Transmission blew what would you do ? Need opinions FAST please

I would say try and find a cheaper model of your truck buy it and pick the parts off of that one. If not I would say if there is no big rush in getting the truck fixed let it sit for a bit until you get the cash to get a used tranny then try and fix it. If not I would run it through the auction ring and cut my loses. The way I see it if you fix the tranny and then fix the engine something else could go wrong and cost you more money.
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1990, 2.9 v6, failure, manual, transmission

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