Went to change the transmission fluid in my new/used truck and look at what is not a Cracker Jack prize at the bottom of the pan. I realize this is a really bad indication that my tranny is about to fail, and that nobody has a crystal ball, but am asking the question if I continue to drive it (as there is no obvious problems currently) till the it fails, am I compounding my soon to be $2000 repair bill? I am told it is a "center snap ring" and failure is inevitable, this is coming from the guy that quoted the repair so I get that he wants the business but asking the question here is free! FYI.. I don't tow with it, drive 30 miles a day in light city traffic and will have my 86 road ready in a week.

 

Well the good news is that the plastic piece in the pan is normal (just a plug used during assembly that they push into pan when installing the dipstick/filler tube) - so that's one less piece you need to worry about.

 

More news, you are the first one in there since the truck has been built. Don't know about the other "snap ring" piece.

 

Get a price and warranty from the local guy.
When I worked for city - we bought remanufactured transmissions from Jasper (they will have a shop in about every major city). They were good quality rebuilds and have a 3-year 100,000 mile warranty. Remanufactured Transmissions | The Jasper Process

Your AOD is not much for performance - maybe you don't need it beefed up. But if you were to pay the $2000 you mentioned (which is twice what a Jasper tranny will cost you) you could get a "built" transmission from Broader Transmission AOD - Broader Performance

 

I found if you do the R&R and they do the rebuilding it is a lot cheaper.


I would try and get your other ride working asap then get this fixed when you want.
I don't think I would drive it more than I had to because if more gets broken inside or the case it's self could run more $$ than he gave you.
Just my .02
Dave ----

 

2000? that's cheap!

 

Looks like a snap ring. The plastic piece or normal, dipstick plug the just push into the pan when installing the dipstick. I would plan to pull and rebuild soon. Get your other vehicle working and then do this. $2000 is insane, a rebuild kit is $200-$400 and it ain't rocket surgery.

 

Judging by the size I'm guessing its the snap ring above the center support, number 883 in the diagram:

 

Based upon rowdyredneck's diagram posting, and knowing my limitations, me, myself and I am not up to the challenge of a repair/rebuild. If your in Wisconsin next week, I'll supply the pizza and beer..........

 

Part # 883 looks correct, the other 2/3rd's is hanging on my what I don't know, so I'm gonna get on getting my other truck running ASAP. I can tackle these decisions without the pressures of how I am going to get to work, thanks for the info.

 

The Jasper idea may be just the ticket, I gotta look into the complexity of an R R.
Thanks for the input

 

Talk about differences of opinion, "2000 is cheap" verses for that money I could get a "built" unit. I know my mechanical abilities, so there is something to be said about letting the guys that do this for a living take care of this. It would be about a 5 to 7 hundred dollar savings, which is clearly a lot of money but making a mistake could be just as costly. Gonna do some more research, thanks for your input.

 

Judging by the size I'm guessing its the snap ring above the center support, number 883 in the diagram:

That snap ring is not needed during normal use. It just holds the center support in place during the assembly of the transmission.

 

So there is hope it'll hold for longer than expected ?! Not planning any long trips or towing, so this may be great news.

 

I asked about this at my local tranny shop. It would only save me $100 and they would not warranty the trans. I asked why and they said there was no guarantee that I would get the radiator cooler clean enough, and any dirt in there would ruin the rebuilt trans. They had special cleaner stuff and a certain method they used to clean it out.