To rebuild or buy new???

[sw21]

I have been thinking this over and would like some opinions on what you guys would do. The current mileage on the transmission is 233k on the non turbo tranny. Right now I am debating between a rebuild or just installing a new one. At this point the transmission is just leaking very little so any thoughts would be helpful.

[328FTW]

I'd be tempted to just throw in new seals or sealant if its the housing and carry on but for a butter smooth shift you could pull it apart and do the syncros then put it back together. They have a tendency to not blow up these boxes unless they have been severely abused. Apart from syncros even my abused gearboxes never give trouble. Toyota makes good gearboxes and diffs.

[sw21]

So even with the high mileage on so far. You think I can still get at least another 150k after a rebuild?

[328FTW]

You should but that's no guarantee. Unless you owned it from factory you don't know if someone forgot to put oil in it at some point or had a few burnout sessions. When you open it you will be able to inspect the shafts and gears plus the diff for chipped teeth and wear. That goes for anything though. If you get a new one you could keep your current one as a spare which you'll probably never land up using

Toyota driveline components are used for everything, the celica rwd box is put behind v8 monsters, the diffs are used in countless offroaders and rally cars. They are known for being reliable.

[countyboy3188]

well mine has 307K on in and all it does is crunch 3rd every now and then.

You should be safe for a lot more miles if it is still shifting smooth.

[TomsMR2]

215k and its smooth as a new car.

if its just leaking, seal it up and keep going.

[sw21]

Well its not only a leak but it feels like i am losing alot of power at the transmission. Slipping is happening aat times, as well as reverse sometimes doesn't go in properly.
Wow 300k + are you the original owner as well ( if so great job maintaining it hope mine makes it that far). How much would I be looking at for a mild rebuild? I was thinking about AAmco for the job until my coworker told me his nightmare of the tranny falling out after they worked on it.

[328FTW]

Sounds like your clutch may be on the way out if its slipping, that is separate from the gearbox. Reverse being tricky is common all manuals all do that, if you can't get reverse let the clutch out in neutral and try again or put it in first and try reverse again. The gates on reverse are harder to line up than other gears its a normal thing that is misses sometimes.

No idea how much for a rebuild, I do mine myself using the bits I have laying around.

[countyboy3188]

+1 on the clutch slipping. i think you should put a new clutch in and resurface the flywheel and she will be good as new.

Nope im actually the second owner. My dad is a Toyota mastertech and had been doing service work on the car for just about as long as the guy had it. so when it came up for sale i bought it cause i always loved the car.

Also the motor has never been rebuilt. The only major thing it has had is timing belt and water pump a few times and a couple of clutches.

[sw21]

Ok then guys thanks for all the help. The clutch could probably use replacing anyways cause I don't beleive the previous owner had done that. Today I another problem occured as I got off work. My power steering had gone out. The fluid is fine and up to level. I also checked the fuses everywere. I am now stuck with this too on top of the tranny leaking. Just my luck...

[TomsMR2]

once a clutch starts slipping under the power of the engine, you have about a day before its piss dead.. clutches usually slip when you're taking off from a stop, and that gets progressively worse until it slips under power and then you need to get home because you're a few miles away from a dead car.

your powersteering relay is dead too.. easy fix.

[sw21]

Originally Posted by TomsMR2

once a clutch starts slipping under the power of the engine, you have about a day before its piss dead.. clutches usually slip when you're taking off from a stop, and that gets progressively worse until it slips under power and then you need to get home because you're a few miles away from a dead car.

your powersteering relay is dead too.. easy fix.

Any ideas on the price for this? And should I still get it done at a shop? I'm not too confident I can fix the power steering unless you prove me otherwise.