Tranny check up?

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01 Echo, 188K miles, AT, fluid level good. I think I might be slipping a bit going into 1st gear. Is there any way for a tranny shop to give the tranny a check up and tell me the state of the thing? Or is it a case of you just have to wait until it breaks?
Thanks
 
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Slip is essential to the smooth engagement of first, if it just banged in you'd stall or smoke the tyres.
Will it pull away with the handbrake on? Will it accelerate up a hill from a dead stop?
I don't know how much it'd cost to test/repair/replace your auto, but it'd be cheaper just to fit a used manual.
 
I'm not seeing how recommending putting in a manual trans. would be cheaper or correct? Considering fitting a manual trans in a car that didn't come with one and whether or not it would require serious fabrication for the manual trans doesn't seem very cost effective to me.

Start with basics, Have a shop drive it, see if its possible to pull codes and data on a scan tool first and go from there. Then maybe change fluid/filter if not done recently.
 
FWIW, I saw the title of the left and wondered if this would be in Humor or in Mech/Maint Forum
smile.gif
 
If you take it to a shop 99% of them will recommend a full rebuild. Good luck finding an honest transmission shop.

I'd start with the easy stuff, check fluid level and change fluid and filter if they are serviceable
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If you take it to a shop 99% of them will recommend a full rebuild. Good luck finding an honest transmission shop.

I'd start with the easy stuff, check fluid level and change fluid and filter if they are serviceable
Yup, of course any shop will tell you you need a new transmission, which you probably do.

Drop the pan, change the filter and change the fluid. Do several drain and refills afterwards for a little while and see what happens.

It probably needs another transmission though. Call up some shops and ask for the labor of it, and if they'll accept a transmission you provide. Then call up some salvage yards that already have transmissions removed and purchase one. You might be able to get one for $150.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If you take it to a shop 99% of them will recommend a full rebuild. Good luck finding an honest transmission shop.

I'd start with the easy stuff, check fluid level and change fluid and filter if they are serviceable
Yup, of course any shop will tell you you need a new transmission, which you probably do.

Drop the pan, change the filter and change the fluid. Do several drain and refills afterwards for a little while and see what happens.

It probably needs another transmission though. Call up some shops and ask for the labor of it, and if they'll accept a transmission you provide. Then call up some salvage yards that already have transmissions removed and purchase one. You might be able to get one for $150.



I'm not a big fan of used transmissions too much of a gamble when the labor costs are so high you could really get screwed.

There might be some reputable transmission shops out there that rebuild for decent prices but it's still going to be expensive and hard to find a good shop.

If you do look for a rebuilder, one of the easiest ways to gauge quality is by the warranty. Avoid any shop that offers the 12 month 12k mile warranty. One of the decent shops around here have 3 years 36k mile warranty on rebuilds, some offer lifetime if you come in once a year. That's the sign of a good shop.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
FWIW, I saw the title of the left and wondered if this would be in Humor or in Mech/Maint Forum
smile.gif


Oh that's bad.
crackmeup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
Originally Posted By: javacontour
FWIW, I saw the title of the left and wondered if this would be in Humor or in Mech/Maint Forum
smile.gif


Oh that's bad.
crackmeup2.gif



These days it is more true than ever!
grin.gif
 
Fluid/filter change and keep driving it, keep fluid level correct.

I'd drive until something goes and needs a tranny doc
 
What's the service history? Being a Toyota, it probably has a drain plug that would make it easy to drain and replace about 3 quarts of fluid.

If that helps any, drain again or move on to a pan drop/filter change.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If you take it to a shop 99% of them will recommend a full rebuild. Good luck finding an honest transmission shop.

I'd start with the easy stuff, check fluid level and change fluid and filter if they are serviceable
Yup, of course any shop will tell you you need a new transmission, which you probably do.

Drop the pan, change the filter and change the fluid. Do several drain and refills afterwards for a little while and see what happens.

It probably needs another transmission though. Call up some shops and ask for the labor of it, and if they'll accept a transmission you provide. Then call up some salvage yards that already have transmissions removed and purchase one. You might be able to get one for $150.



I'm not a big fan of used transmissions too much of a gamble when the labor costs are so high you could really get screwed.

There might be some reputable transmission shops out there that rebuild for decent prices but it's still going to be expensive and hard to find a good shop.

If you do look for a rebuilder, one of the easiest ways to gauge quality is by the warranty. Avoid any shop that offers the 12 month 12k mile warranty. One of the decent shops around here have 3 years 36k mile warranty on rebuilds, some offer lifetime if you come in once a year. That's the sign of a good shop.
I think it depends on the situation. If one drives a beater that's old with high miles and the owner doesn't have the big bucks to put a new transmission in then I think it's worth throwing a used one in that may last 50k miles. I don't believe the transmissions in the Echo are known to be bad transmissions, so a used one probably wouldn't be too bad. Now if it's a car that it's known to have bad transmissions then I wouldn't put a used one in.

If my Camry's transmission died tomorrow I'd be putting a used one in, I don't have thousands of dollars to put a new one in.
 
Does anyone know what the filler plug refers to? I thought you added the oil through the dipstick. The little balloon in the drawing mentions .02" of oil which is minuscule compared to the 2.0qt capacity.
Thanks
filler%20plug.png
 
The diagram above is for a manual transaxle. I don't know this specific car, but I assume there's an equivalent for the automatic transaxle. It should have an oil pan on the bottom, possibly with a drain plug in it.
 
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