bobwest

Hey all,

I had a 6MT transmission failure a few months back (thread). I am now in the position of deciding what to do with the car. Car is a 2012 with ~130k miles. Some body damage from city street parking, and a lovely tick from the oil consumption (tested prior to trans failure and burnt 1 qt in 1100 miles, disqualifying me for the repair -__-).
That said, my options are basically junk it, part it out (not sure if worth the time), or commit to repairing it and getting it back on the road.
I have been leaning more toward the repair route and have started to look into cost. Rough estimates put a used transmission at $2k, install at $1k, and possibly $1k for extras that will need to be done (new clutch, timing belt, etc.)

1. I couldn't find any results for similar situations here. Any suggestions or opinions on the situation? I know it comes down to whether the cost is worth it for my situation. FWIW, I have a (running) mustang that I use as a DD. If I were to get the TL running, I would most likely keep it and use it for winter. I believe that between the body damage and engine tick, fixing it just to sell may not be worthwhile.

2. Any other large cost repairs I should be considering when making this decision? I know the timing belt would be a good idea at the same time. I am not sure what to do about the flywheel, since resurfacing doesn't seem to be an option. Can I leave it as is and throw in a new clutch? Since the clutch was fine prior to the trans failure, I assume there shouldn't be any serious damage/glazing on the flywheel...?
As for the ticking, I can upload a video when I get a chance. Its quite noticeable, but how concerned should I be about this? It is a result of running low on oil thanks to the oil consumption. If I am putting on <6k miles/year, will this just be an annoyance or have there been cases where it developed into a costly repair?

Sorry, lots of questions here. I keep going back and forth on this and would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Bob

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

as far as the clutch/flywheel situation....gotta go in and assess if any damage at all...

if no damage, run it as is. you might not even have to replace clutch if no excessive wear.


the ticking is normal and not a symptom of oil consumption. the ticking noise comes from the valve train, the valves are clacking while moving.
my 2006 TL clicks/ticks at idle...

bobwest

As far as I know, it is the original clutch. And at the very least, been in since 40k when I bought it. I guess I just assume do the replacement while everything is disassembled.
My concern with the ticking comes from looking into threads and videos with similar noise. It seems that all of them were caused by cam lobe wear and required replacemtn.
The noise is basically the same as these:

csmeance

if it's the rear cam, it'll be easier to get a new/used head from a junkyard MDX/TL/ZDX/RL and do it while doing the timing belt replacement. Did you ever figure out if it was the trans or transfer case? While the motor is being worked on, look into DMSO and other chemical cleaners like BG engine cleaner to clean carbon off the rings to reduce oil consumption

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you wont know anything until you assess the damage, if any at all.

Dont replace anything unless it's damaged....your clutch could still be very well in good condition.. you wont know until you take it apart and look at it


that goes for the motor as well. right now, you are speculating...you dont know if your engine has the worn cam problem.

my 2006 TL makes the same ticking noise.


steps to take:
- Tear down.
- Assess damage if any
- order parts
- install

bobwest

I did confirm that it is the transmission. I was able to move it back and forth a few feet, so maybe not all of the internals are nuked. Though with needing a new case, a used assembly would probably be cheaper.
Essentially I am just trying to prepare for worst case and make a call based on that potential cost. Seems like this repair is uncharted territory here.

hometheaterman

As others said, you won't really know what you need until you get it apart. I just pulled my transmission this past weekend to do a clutch. I was hoping to reuse the flywheel due to the low mileage on mine and the excessive cost. Well, when I got it apart it was horrible. So there went another $1,600. The cost on these is ridiculous.

Then I also discovered a leaking transmission mount. So that also added on some in my case.

So if everything goes perfectly, you may get out of it for just the cost of a clutch and transmission, but you really won't know until you get it apart.

In these situations, I tend to do the repairs vs junking it since the car is basically worthless in the current configuration. However, it really depends on how much longer you plan to keep it. I figured on mine, $2,500 to $3,000 in repairs is about 6 months worth of payments. I plan to keep it longer than that, so it's worth it to me. If it lasts me another year without anymore major repairs, I've come out way ahead.

bobwest

Thanks for the input, guys. Transmission has been ordered, fingers have been crossed. I can post updates as the process continues, if anyone is interested.

csmeance

what will you being doing with the old trans? People may want to buy the gearsets and such so be prepared!

bobwest

I'll have to assess the condition once it's out, but thanks for the heads up. Do you see a need regularly from forum members?

csmeance

its mostly the people making a bit of power with turbo kits/supercharger that tend to break some of the gears. I've seen sets on facebook for about $400 for 1-6 gears.