I have read several topics regarding the bearings that tend to go at around mileage of 120k on the 722.6 transmission which is right around where this car is now. I initially thought it was the torque converter bearing that is usually the culprit but after extensive reading of the forums here and other places it looks like it is a bearing on the main shaft which means an entire rebuild. I was weeks away from trading in this car but now the specter of $1000's to rebuild may just mean I keep the car another year. I would do it myself but it doesn't sound like it is as easy as a Chevy which I was usually able to drop a tranny out of in 90 minutes. Anybody experienced in a tear-down of this unit? Also, I'm not beyond parting out this car as it is only worth about $6k on trade-in.

How it came to pass:
The other day I pulled out fast from a dead stop to stay out of the way of an approaching car. I spun the engine to over 6000 rpm, I hadn't done that in years, and let up once I hit about 45mph. A day or two later I heard a ticking sound which I thought was the catalytic converter, two days later it suddenly turned into a rattling, grinding sound as I pulled into a parking garage. The transmission felt like it locked-up for a second but I was able to get into a parking space after about 200 feet of travel. I tried to put it into reverse but it bucked like the differential was locking-up. The noise and vibration goes away if spin the engine off idle to about 1200 rpm. Now I am faced with putting lots of money into a car I was only going to keep for another year. The alternative is to make it my winter project since I have other vehicles. I am going to tow it in a day or two, I would appreciate any meaningful advice on this advanced DIY project (I've done just about everything you can do on cars in the past 25 years so I am not afraid of this although this would be my first transmission rebuild if that is what it takes.) I look forward to your input or questions.

__________________
Problems while owning '99 E430
Continual ABS/BAS problems.
P.S. pre-catalytic convert rusted out at 90k
Ignition key actuation problems.
Gear shifter shift gate issue.
Bad antenna amplifier.
CD changer.
Heated seats never worked.
Biannual air conditioning failure.
Power windows and moon roof.
Leaky valve covers.
Rear power window broke.
Poor rear lamp connections due to bi-metal corrosion.
Maybe my spring perches will fail someday!
Engineered like it's not a car