Ok.. It all started when my clutch's slave cylinder went out one morning. I had no idea what had happened at the time, all I knew is that my clutch would go all the way down to the floor without engaging (or any type of pressure). I had to press my clutch INTO the floor in order to barely be able to shift. I figured, I HAD to take the car in ASAP to find out what's wrong. I end up driving to a mechanic, grinding the gears ( ) every now and then. He decides that it's the slave cylinder that had a leak and needed to be replaced. He replaces it while I wait ($100) and soon after I drive it home, I notice that my car GRINDS whenever I go into second gear (up or downshifting) and will not even go into fourth! I figure it's something that I did as a result of grinding the gears and forcing into gears on the drive over.
I drive on it a little bit for about a week or so and decide that I should really get it fixed. I take it to Aamco to see if they can give me an estimate without having to take out the transmission. The guy drives it and tells me that it would be *around* $1670. I was like, HOLY CRAP! That's a TON of money! He said that it could be less and it could be more, depending upon what's wrong. Just my luck. I'm a high school student with literally $0 in the bank.
I sleep on it. I think - would it just be better to take it to a junkyard? No. Is it worth it for me to spend that much? What if the engine's next? No way to tell. I end up taking my car back to Aamco and having them take out the tranny to find out exactly what's wrong. They tell me that I have two options. I can have them get a used transmission to have put in there, or I can have them rebuild it with new parts. I decide to have them rebuild it- $2,400! HOLY CRAP! I'm a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT! These things should not be happening to me! Dang it all. After I get done kicking myself and whining about it, they take absolutely forever. They tell me it shouldn't take more than a week. I call back after a week. They say that they would need to order some parts. I call back in a week. They say that they're still working on it. I call back in another week: put the tranny back in, but still having problems. I call back in a week after that: They have it done!! Finally! I get in the car and drive home.
On my way home, I have my radio off to answer my cell phone, and as soon as I'm off of the cel phone, I hear a noise coming from my engine area. Great! I think, this is perfect, it's obviously going to have to go back in the shop. It's hard enough not having a car to drive around to school and work in.
I take my car back to Aamco. The mechanic hears it and decides that it's something internal, and that I'd need to leave my car in their shop. I leave it their for about a week or two, and they fix it. Turns out that it's a bad bearing of some sort. They fix it and everything is good to go, right? WRONG!
I take my car back yet another time, as my engine temperature guage doesn't go up beyond the very coldest mark. The mechanic looks at it and it turns out to be a wire that they didn't plug in. In addition, I looked into the engine bay to examine things and fill up my coolant, when what do I see: a DING in my new AEM Cold Air Intake! About the size of a flathead-screwdriver, I point it out to the mechanic, and he tells me to come back when the owner is there. I show up two days later (today) and the owner tells me that it's unfortunate, and he doesn't think it's that important because it doesn't affect the performance (it's cosmetic, not mechanical), but he says he won't argue with me about it. He tells me that I should just bring me a receipt of the purchase of a new intake, and he'll write me a check. Oh yeah, and when the owner looks into the engine around my intake, he finds that there are about two screws missing in their places and says that he'll have those put in when I come back.
It wouldn't have mattered so much to me with all of these things - it's just that when you spend so much money (that I don't even have), you expect things to be done extremely well and correct the first time. My parents paid for it, and I am paying them back. So I'm in the market for a new intake. I've been through a whole lot.
Oh yeah, and my water pump is leaking and needs to be replaced. Man oh man am I lucky. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my lude, I just wish it was problem free. It's starting to act like a domestic.
Damn dude, sorry to hear about your problem . To be honest with you (sorry if I sound harsh), I think Aamco screwed you over. $2k for a manual tranny rebuild??? They better be putting some custom gears or something in there for that price. I'm pretty sure a rebuild is usually around $1k or less including parts. You can buy a used tranny for around $500. Having it put in would only be about another $100-200. SI trannies aren't that hard to find. I'm not sure exactly what you should or could do, but I seriously think they screwed you over big time. I'm around the same age as you, I feel your pain. That's alot of money for some BS work. They probably saw that you were so young and took advantage of that. I know places that have tried to take advantage of me, I just walk out. Maybe you can bring your parents or something in. They screwed up your car even more. So sorry to hear man.
yeah closer to around $2800 are the prices I have seen. But you got a good point
I see them for like $2200-2400, but I guess you still gotta get it shipped and you need things like a helms, fluids, some tools, etc. . .so I guess your about right
you could have asked somebody here first and find out what's wrong and then you could have taken the appropriate actions on what to do next...dont ever go to those kind of places again...you should do a research before you take it to any shop...always do a research first....
I still don't know why the tranny needed to be rebuilt, sounds like a clutch related problem. You should always get a second opinion when you're quoted that kind of money. And yes, if you asked here it probably would have saved you a lot of money.
Well hind sight is always 20/20, but hey everyone does dumber things. I would never take my car into one of those pick-me-up franchised car places. They are corrupt as all hell. Like I went to Monroe Muffler to have my headers welded to (long story) anyhow he comes out and is like $75 so I hand him a credit card and he goes, oh, well now were are out from under the table -- ends up costing me like $130. Anyhow those shops suck! I took my Jeep into another one cuz my car was making a funny sound, the mechanics said I need new tires first and then they can work on the car. What is that? Anyhow sorry about your luck.
Find the most expensive intake on the market print out the page and get a check for that. Then go to groupbuycenter and pay less for it.
__________________
Murphy
'93 Prelude VTEC
Polished AEM CAI
DC Sports ceramic header
NOS 60 shot dry kit
Fidanza Flywheel
ACT Clutch HDSS
Brembo Rotors & AEM Pads
Neuspeed Short Shifter
8.5 mm MSD Wires
Denso Iridium Plugs
Koni Yellows
Eibach Prokit
AEM Fuel Rail
Performance dents and dings
Thing is, that you really can't get a second opinion for it to be worthwhile. Because Aamco took out the transmisson. the labor for that alone is $500 bucks. So if you wanted to take it to another place, you'd have to have Aamco put it back together, pay them, then take it to another place and risk having them tell you the same price for the entire deal. Then you're screwed 500 dollars. I called another local transmission place around here and they said that the price sounded about right for a rebuild.
For those who said for me to ask on the boards about my problems - I always do.. And I did. I asked for the price on getting engine swaps, and where I could find new JDM h22A's online, etc. But this definetely seemed like the best option. Especially with the warranty. Remember <B>I live in Idaho</B>, and there's not a large variety of places willing to do the work I need done. I looked in the phone book for places who would even be able to do my transmission work, and they all originally said about the same price.
And I even called practically EVERY mechanic in the entire Boise valley, and NO ONE was willing to do a SOHC to a DOHC swap because of the labor involved. There was one place that was willing to give it a shot, but had never done something like that before, and they said that they were unsure of the labor amount that would go into it, and that it could run me a whole lot of dough. Next time I have anything done, I frickin driving to Cali.
no what we're saying is that you can tell us the problem first like what the engine is doing when it first started...i'm pretty sure that alot of people have the same problem as you have...there's enough people here with the same experience and they can tell you what you need to look out for...just think of this site as your guardian angel..we'll all be watching your back and let you know what you need to fix....
Oh I did. I asked with no avail. Whether it was this site, the other, or both.... I asked. Not much legit response, which now, is unfortunate. I ALWAYS ask people here first.
i know how u feel...yeah sometimes it might be more worthwhile to drive all the way to kali just to get a decent service ova there...it would help to have some friends that pretty much knows the engine inside and out too or some friends that knows a mechanic that can hook you up...its pretty hard i guess if you live in a place that doesnt have alot of import enthusiasts as yourself....good luck...buy a helms and start doing everything yourself...
Originally posted by Swordfish NO ONE was willing to do a SOHC to a DOHC swap because of the labor involved. There was one place that was willing to give it a shot, but had never done something like that before, and they said that they were unsure of the labor amount that would go into it, and that it could run me a whole lot of doughS/F
Originally posted by Swordfish red92s,
yeah. Every place around here was scared to do it.
S/F
I dont see why. . .It's not any different than replacing an H23 with an H22. You have to add a few wires, but other than that, it should bolt up and plug right in!
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) every now and then. He decides that it's the slave cylinder that had a leak and needed to be replaced. He replaces it while I wait ($100) and soon after I drive it home, I notice that my car GRINDS whenever I go into second gear (up or downshifting) and will not even go into fourth! I figure it's something that I did as a result of grinding the gears and forcing into gears on the drive over.
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