Transmission had filings in it ?

Question

I HAVE A 92 FORD LASER AND TOOK IT IN FOR A TRANS SERVICE AS IT WAS HOLDING ON TO CHANGE FROM FIRST TO SECOND WHILE IN THERE THE MECHANIC SAID IT HAD FILINGS IN THE SUMP AND FILTER WAS BLOCKED!! NOW HES SAYING I NEED A NEW GEARBOX I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ITS NOT SLIPPING AND NOW ITS HAD THE SERVICE ITS CHANGING PERFECT AND THE TRANS FLUID HAS ALWAYS BEEN A RED/BROWN WITH NO ODOR CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THIS MECHANIC IS TELLING ME I NEED A NEW GEARBOX IS HE JUST TRYING TO GET MONEY OUT OF ME????

Answer 1

With the transmission, it is always good to be proactive. Filings in the pump and filter are not always a bad sign but rather, a sign of things to come. That it is not slipping and changes well is only means that the trans is responding well to the fluid change.

If you can afford a new gearbox, AND want to keep the car, get the work done. It is not about if the trans will go out but when.

trans/gearbox used to mean the same thing

Good luck.

Answer 2

First... find the "caps lock" button, and turn off the caps lock.

Thank you.

I don't know where the filings came from. If the mechanic showed them to you - and he should have - it might tell you what's worn. Different parts of the transmission are made of different metals, and the metals that he found could give a clue about what's coming apart.

And something IS coming apart. If the filter was blocked, that means a fair amount of material was ground off somewhere.

I don't know if the mechanic is trying to get more money or not from you. Did you see a machine labeled "Wallet Vacuum" in the shop? You might find out what other people thought about in your area by going to the Cartalk website, and looking them up. Go to the "mechanics files" section on the page below, and plug in your zip code. Maybe they're listed, maybe not.

You have several options, though.

1) Do nothing, and drive it until the transmission fails. It's a 15 year old car. It probably has given you a fair number of miles by now, and doesn't owe you anything. You can drive it 'til it dies, and get another one with little guilt. This is the cheapest option for this car.

2) Get a used transmission. You can buy a transmission from another 92 Laser from a junk yard - excuse me, an auto parts recycling center. You probably should let the mechanic that does the repair do this, as they'll hopefully be able to find one that's still in decent shape and has few miles. Well, fewer miles. It's 15 years old, after all.

3) get this transmission rebuilt. This would probably be the most expensive option, but it will get the most miles out of the car. My guess is that it would cost you between $1000 and $2000, but that's just a guess. And you have to decide if it's worth putting that much cash into the car, or if you choose one of the other options.