Transmission dead?

[1989Sho30]

I was driving down the road the other day, and there was a person doing 30mph in a 40, so i got into the slow lane to get around them, barely gave it any gas... and all of the sudden, i heard a loud banging noise, grinding and than alot of smoke.. so i pushed the clutch in, turned, but got caught at a light, and the damned clutch wouldn't let up! so I managed to get it up, but damned was it slipping like MAD! It was pouring out some kind of fluid.. So I baby'd it home... upon inspection, I saw no holes, or cracks, i couldn't tell where the fluid was coming from either. it drove fine, clutched felt a little weak, but nothing bad. it even stopped slipping.


Drove it for a little bit, noticed the transmission was whinning (5th gear) pretty loudly.. kept going. (it had a little whine to it in 2nd gear, driving slow, and 3rd gear, but not real loud) on the way home tonight, i heard some popping, and abit of jerking, and 3rd gear got REALLY loud, and 4th, and 5th as well. it drove fine, shifted fine, it's just loud. at low RPMs in any gear, it sounds almost like theres a loose bearing, but it goes away once it gets away from the low RPMs, it's just the gears that are loud.


question is, did my tranny go? whappened to it? Father thinks a pad came off the clutch.. but I don't know. it's a 89 mtx, 120k miles, never driven hard (maybe the previous owner)

 

[shoshirtsandhat]

sounds to me like the pressure plate and beyond is bad..

 

[Racer X]

Diff pin into the dry side of the transmission. You'll need to drop the transmission to verify that, but from the sounds of it, with the fluid loss and all, you threw a diff pin through the case.

Sorry mate.

 

[Bizzy]

Either diff pin thru the case (could have exited the case into the bell housing area) or pressure plate straps broke and ate through the bell housing into the wet side of the trans. My bet is on the diff pin though.

Check your fluid level before driving it again. If it's low then the whining you heard is probably a bearing or bearings getting angry.

Until you figure out what the problem is, it is inadvisable to drive the car anymore. Continued driving will further decimate the internals.

Edit: Doug Lewis with FPS is from Georgia, you might check with him to see if he can check your car out for you. I'd be willing to bet that they have another trans as well.

 

[AREA 91]

Sounds like we lost 1 more MTX.:cry:

 

[1989Sho30]

I checked the fluid level it was fine, I couldn't see where the exit hole was..and there was no sign of metal shavings / chunks anywhere

also, when I first got the car, it already had a whine in the tranny, low RPMs in second (like cruising through a wal-mart parking lot) and 3rd had a whine, as well as 5th. very light, but was there. i've always checked / topped off the fluid levels each oil change.

 

[1989Sho30]

I had an emergency today, and I had no other way to get around. so I had to take the SHO.

it's dead now.

I'm debating if I should keep the car.

Bad AC compressor.
Tach, Gas gauge and temp gauge don't work
headlights suck.
Interior is horrible.
The Blend door thingy is busted. heat all the time
Back windows don't work
back doors only open from inside
Suspension is rubbish
gear box. Obviously dead
Engine smokes.
It's ugly.
and falling apart.

no matter what I do, it just seems to gradually get worse. Is It a lost cause? Should I just part it out, or sale as a project car?

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

Mileage???

Depending on that I would probably part out what's good.

 

[Bizzy]

Well, the one thing you have going for you is it's a southern car. Personally, I'd take a little time and give it a lot of TLC that it obviously needs. Of course, on the flip side of that token, for what you will sink into it to get it back on the road and take care of the maintenance items it needs you could probably buy another one that you might like better. It's a personal call and since it's your car, only you can make that call.

 

[1989Sho30]

Mileage???

Depending on that I would probably part out what's good.

about 120k.

it just seems like alot of work and money for a student such as myself.

 

[pjtoledo]

IS THE BODY SHELL RUSTY???????????

Rust free SHOs are getting hard to find. Suspensions and drivetrains can be rebuilt, but a rusty unibody is almost impossible to repair properly

 

[1989Sho30]

IS THE BODY SHELL RUSTY???????????

Rust free SHOs are getting hard to find. Suspensions and drivetrains can be rebuilt, but a rusty unibody is almost impossible to repair properly

It's rust free, except one or two spots on the body itself. everything else, underbody and all are rust free.

 

[mosho89]

hey 1989sho30. If you end up needing a trans or parts for one i have a 5 speed trans out of an 89. let me know. May be selling my 93atx SHO also it needs a trans.

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

Well, the one thing you have going for you is it's a southern car. Personally, I'd take a little time and give it a lot of TLC that it obviously needs. Of course, on the flip side of that token, for what you will sink into it to get it back on the road and take care of the maintenance items it needs you could probably buy another one that you might like better. It's a personal call and since it's your car, only you can make that call.

This advice is the best anyone can probably give you. In the end it's your decision and only you know what your financial situation is.

If you do end up wanting someone to rebuild you a transmission though, I will tell you Beth's the best in the business.