Where is the best place to go for manual transmission problems?

Question

What have you experienced when this happeneded?

Answer 1

I talked to a local mechanic I have dealt with occasionally (I tend to do most of my own repairs) and they highly recommended a local transmission repair shop. They did a great job on my automatic transmission (did take a few days longer than expected, but the results were worth it).

I don't know if all AAMCO's are the same, but I had a bad experience with them. I had the engine mount bolt shear (the one right near the transmission actually) and couldn't get into 2, 4, and R. At the time, I didn't have any free time to work on the vehicle and asked them to look into it. I even told them that it seems as though the engine shifted forward. AAMCO assured me that it was a problem in the transmission and they couldn't tell me how much it would cost until they opened it up. I'm pretty sure they would have seen the mount was sheared off if they really checked for a problem. (This was the AAMCO in Altoona PA for anyone interested).

I guess after all that rambling, I should have checked if this is a clutch related problem or the actual transmission. If it is clutch related, most shops will handle replacing the clutch disc, throw out bearing, and clutch plate (might as well replace all three components as they don't cost much (less than $120 in most cases) and most of the cost is labor for removal).

Answer 2

Not much can happen with a manual transmission. They're usually pretty durable. Occasionally you'll get worn out synchronizers or maybe a chipped tooth on a gear. Maybe some leaky gaskets. What problems are you having? Any reputable transmission shop should be able to fix it. They don't do just automatics.