Ballpark prices on tranny rebuilds, etc.

[ratdude747]

I recently traded for a 1995 Ford ranger that seems to have cooked a tranny on the way home from the BMV (yes, I know I got taken for a ride, let’s not talk about that). I tried changing the fluid/filter and re-adjusting the bands (and trans-x) with no noticable change.

My routine mechanic (who does what I can’t do in my driveway) referred me to a tranny shop, who confirmed that my tranny is toast (slips on the 2-3 shift, they say it’s not the 4r44e’s famous separator plate issue). given the last owner drove it that way for some amount of time “it’s ovefilled and shifts hard”, which it indeed did), I concur that a rebuild wouldn’t be a bad idea but I do wonder how they could tell the bands/clutches are burnt?

They quoted me at $1489 for a rebuild.

The truck has 220K on the body/tranny and 115K on the motor… but aside from a rusty core support and oil pan (dented too 🙁 ) and stinking somewhat bad of ciggy, it’s mostly in good shape… the body has but one small dent in the rear fender an a dented rear bumper… but virtually no rust (a scratch and a few rock chips). I tend to think it’s worth fixing the right way.

So, my questions are:

1. Is $1489 a decent offer for a rebuild (removal and installation included) on said ford 4r44e tranny?
2. My buddy mentioned that these are known for bad torque converters and having a reman one put in during the job is virtually mandatory to get any life out of the rebuild. For Fords at least, how much truth is there to this?

Topic

[Erin]

Rebuilds tend to range from $800 (VERY best case) to about $3,000.
$1489 sounds about right. And the torque converter – Yeah just let them replace it. It is probably partially clogged with crap that fell apart in the bad trans.
It is kind of for the same reason you would go ahead and put on a new timing belt if you had to change head gaskets on an overhead cam engine.

[ratdude747]

It has since been done… they didn’t get the shift cable installed right so it went back, which they did fix. BTW, a reman TC was part of the deal…

[Bluesnut]

You might consider adding an aftermarket transmission fluid cooler to the truck along with a rebuilt transmission. Coolers are cheap, easy to install, and work wonders with the lifespan of a transmission.

The engine rear main seal should also be replaced while the transmission is out. One thing you don’t want is that seal leaking a few weeks after the transmission is reinstalled.
Both of the above are what I call “cheap insurance”.

[ratdude747]

on the latter: the job’s been long done so the rear main seal isn’t getting changed.

I’ve heard others elsewhere mention a tranny cooler; my temps have been OK and it does have a cooler built into the stock radiator at least. I’m of the opinion (regarding the tranny at this point) of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

This thread is kind of moot since the job’s been long done (read: tranny installed) and I honestly didn’t think anybody would have revived it this late.

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