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Let me start by giving some background information. I was a aviation mechanic for four years and then a Ranger for two years, I got a injury that didn’t completely disable me, but effectively ended my career. The problem came that during my couple years of recovery I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of F.A.P.(Familial adenomatous polyposis). It makes it exceptionally hard to do any steady job when you are in the hospital for weeks at a time, at least 7 times a year, and in major pain most of the rest of the time. I don’t qualify for disability because they say that I am still able to work. I mention this to illustrate the point of a very limited income, not to make anybody feel bad for me, we all have problems. My only income comes from doing minor repairs from oil changes to clutch replacements, basicly anything that doesn’t have to have the car on a lift I do, but most of my clients are older people with limited income also, so I end up cutting most of the labor down to just what I have to have to make it another day or so until the next job comes along. This makes me friends but no real income.
The problem I am on here at the moment about is that I was without a car and helping a man do lawn care part time to make some extra money. After I worked for him about a year he had mentioned wanting to sell his 2000 Honda Accord. I talked to him about it and we agreed that he would let me work off the value of the car by making me full time and putting half my check to the car payment and when it was paid off I would take ownership. What I didn’t know was that his kids were still driving the car while I was paying for it, I found this out the day I showed up for work and the driver’s door was crushed in for an impact with a culvert pipe. I looked the car over real well again and found that it had bent the bottom of the B pillar and both driver side doors needed replacing. I had signed the title the day before, and he had let the twin boys take it out for one last drive and that is how it happened. :unsure: We agreed that when he got the insurance payment that he would have the car repaired, so I took the car and left to take it home, but after 8 miles the transmission started to slip on take off from stop signs, and by the time I got it home all it had was 3rd gear. I went back to him saying I wanted him to fix it and he blamed it on me “flooring it” and tearing up the transmission. I looked into suing him, but as all the lawyers pointed out to me he is the head magistrate in the area I live so it wouldn’t help. :sick:
I have been trying to get a transmission from Pull-a-Part, but I am beaten to it every time by a group of men that strip all the 98′ to 01′ hondas as they roll out so they can sell them online, and no other yards in the area have any. All I can find are online between $2500 for used and $3500 for new or rebuilt and I don’t clear enough after my expenses. My question for you is it possible and easy (relatively speaking) to make it a manual transmission instead of an automatic transmission, what parts list do it need, and the cost of parts without labor ballpark figure is fine? The car has been sitting for 6 months now, and other than the listed problems, it needs a rear main seal which I am planning to replace with the transmission. The engine had some junk in the VTEC solenoid screen, but after I fixed that and the distributor it runs perfect. I have experience removing and installing both auto and manual transmissions, but have never tried to swap one out for the other in a computer car. I have a lot more invested in this car than I had agreed on, and have no way to cut my losses and start over. It is the 2000 Honda Accord EX 4 door with the 2.3L F23A1 VTEC 4 cyl, and the 4 speed BAXA transmission, that he never got around to taking in for the warranty replacement.
If you have any ideas that can help me, no matter how far stretched please let me know. I am almost to the point of attempting to rebuild it myself and the last transmission I rebuilt was on an AH-64 Apache more years ago than I like to admit, but I think they may have a fundamental difference between them. 😉 I did try a transmission rebuild on a 2 speed powerglide and failed epicly there were a lot on check balls that fell out and I couldn’t find where they came from, lol, but that was before youtube and Eric the Car Guy come along.
Thank you so much for your videos and how-tos they have saved me a lot of yelling and playing hide and seek after I throw a tool. I have watched almost all your videos, mostly just so I can learn all the little tricks that you don’t even mention that you do, and even some that you do, not to mention you just have a way of not making the videos seem like you are reading maintenance manuals.
Thank you, if you read this and for wasting your valuable time on me, but I am at my wits end and really need this car before I lose everything. Very sorry for the long post!
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I’m gonna give you my honest opinion here. To swap from an auto to manual involves to
many parts. clutch pedal ecm harness ect… Either sell the car or replace the trans with
a reman unit. If you can sell it you may be able to get something in better shape not needing
a trans. Big expense.Yes it can be done. Is it something really worth doing probably not. AMK auto in Lexington has a transmission for $550 336-237-0885
there are several in the Charlotte area for $650. Honestly if the body damage were fixed, I would drop a trans in it and turn it into a flip car buy something that hasn’t been ragged on by teenagers.
Thanks for the info jonsey1886 and everybody, but I surrender and am going back to what I love. I kept the trans to hopefully learn from it, but the rest of the car I repaid a kindness. A older lady that has let me repair her 99 Accord for many moons now, she would leave a heavy tip, if she felt I didn’t charge enough, and she kept me above water through cancer treatments. Long story short, the motor finally threw a rod and she was in a rough patch and couldn’t afford a new car, but after I went over the car it had a rebuilt trans and needed everything else. I had to tell her to let it go. After some looking and budget reforms I still couldn’t afford the trans, but the rest had a refresh 6 months before the trans failed, and that was all the 99 had. So I swapped the 2 driver side doors, and the trans. After making jokes about being the only mechanic without a running car, I handed over the title, but she insists on paying for it, so has been dropping off cake and some cash occasionally. I now have my 76 fury to tinker with, if I can just get the non-manufactured, low cost parts (ICM, intake, EGR controller, ballast resistors, etc…) to wake it up after a 15 year sleep. Now we are both happier and I’m closer to my comfort zone. It’s no 68, but it will do for now, and I’m happy to see the Honda now. 😉
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