Transmission = Kaboom!... Need some advice

[SteveNJ94MTX]

Hi everyone,

The car: 94 opal frost MTX w/ a competition level SQ stereo - good overall condition

Last week I was pulling onto the highway as usual, and when I shifted to 3rd, I heard a loud BANG from the transmission territory, followed by a sound that can be best described as if someone dropped a bag of marbles in my transmission case. Luckly I drifted to safety, and saw that I left a trail of transmission fluid. Perfect.

The car has 126,000 miles, and I'm trying to decide what to do to it. I love the car dearly, and it runs great other then the tranny, but I'm not sure if the expense of having another transmission/rebuild is going to be personally worth it. My weekend car has taken over my daily duties just fine (98 Mark VIII LSC w/25,000 miles).

Should I fix it & sell it? Sell it as is? Or part it out? What do you think will get the best return? Thanks in advance for your advice...

 

[93superSHO]

Keep it and fix it. IIRC, opal frost is a 1994 only color and is hard to find.FYI in the last 2 months my wife and I have purchased 3 mtx trannies for under 400 bucks for all three combined. I would say you can get one and install it for under $500(including other thing in the price) rather easily. You don't have to remove the sub-frame to do this either, I have done it as well as JEDHEAD does it this way along with others I'm sure. The trannies are cheap if you look around. Just remember, when you get one to pull the cases apart and check the internals out and install NEW roll pins in the diff.

 

[SteveNJ94MTX]

True...

That sounds like a good option for a person who's mechanically inclined, but I unfortunately don't have the skill, tools, or time. Unless there's someone around me who can offer their services for a reasonable rate... Anyone around South Jersey?Philly looking for a little side work?

 

[BobC]

Steve, I've seen blue, red, silver, black, white, the rare green, but I haven't seen another Opal Frost (including SLO's) aside from the one I have so I'm hoping you'll either get a new tranny or sell it to someone that will. Although mtx parts are getting harder to come by they're still around. Having said that if you do decide to part it out I'd give my left leg for a drivers side rear door in that color.

 

[SolidState]

fix it. No doubt.

 

[SteveNJ94MTX]

It's true, Opal Frost is the lowest production color for any MTX of any year. Thats one of the reasons I'm hesitant to part it out. However, keeping it is not an option. Whether I fix it or not, I still don't have the space to keep two cars on the road right now. Plus my (practically) new Mark VIII LSC CE gets a lot of attention, and was a steal, so thats not going anywhere .

The main question is how can I get the best value out of the car... new tranny and sell, or sell it as is? I think I've talked myself out of parting it, it would be tough to sleep at night knowing I took my SHO out of circulation. Maybe I'll start a 'for sale' thread in a couple of days to check for interest.