The transmission on my '89 300E acted up yesterday [revs zoomed up like the car downshifted to second] probably due to the wearing parts in the transmission failing after about 300k miles.

I'm exploring my options, they seem to be

• Replace/repair transmission [local quote of $2800]
• Sell Car for Scrap / Junkyard
• Donate car to charity [e.g. Kars4Kids] deduct from taxes
• Sell complete car for parts
• Pour some magic potion into the transmission and quickly sell to some sucker
• Part out car [no facilities or storage space, so not really a option]

At this point I'm favoring selling the complete car for parts [to private party or junkyard] if I can get $1.00 more than the scrap metal price.

Are there any additional options I should consider?

If the engine is good, can't you find a used tranny?

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+1
I've seen a lot of low mileage JY transmission go to the crusher.

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Well, if the total cost to install a low milage tranny is only $1k, then I would consider it - but for this area [Lawn Guyland^H^H^HLong Island] I suspect that the labor portion of the $2800 quote was higher than that.

I also spotted a mechanic's lein 2000 E320 at a shop [next to the railroad station] - posted price was $3800.

What's the value of the '89? - Probably less than I spent replacing the shocks and front springs.

yeah, my best suggestion would be to try to sell it to somebody on the board here. Not a real high value car at this point, but possibly a good runner with used transimssion or a good source of parts.

A used transmission can be had relatively cheap. $1k in labor alone sounds like way too much for a simple swap out. At 300k though its kind of a crapshoot, how much other maintenance have you done recently and sunk into the car? If it was a lot I'd probably hang on to it for all its worth since you will not get it back.

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Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Could be the vacuum modulator, bands or other simple fix.

Let's see....in the past 18 months
Front shocks and springs
Rear struts
tie rods
idler arm
alternator
crank position sensor

I was at the point of ordering new injectors and valve guide seals

What is a typical price [or time in flat rate hours] for a shop to install a transmission? A quick search shows used [not rebuilt] units available with about 120k miles on them [just barely broken in] for $7-800

If its only an hour or two labor it might be worthwhile

I don't know if I have a local shop that could be trusted to not inflate a 'simple fix' to the quoted $2800 price

I couldn't tell from the post if there was a diagnosis that the trans was a goner, just that there was quote to replace it. Hyperbole aside, there are a "gazillion" 722.xxx transmissions out there as potential transplants, not to mention rebuild kits.

It's currently parked by a friend's house about halfway between work and home [20 miles from either - and if I take it home, my only facility is a shady spot in the driveway]

I have not taken it / towed it to a shop for any diagnosis, I just know that 5000 rpm at 40 mph is not a usual situation for the car. This could be a failed torque converter or a gearbox/clutch failure, or something else.

The patient's history and symptoms:
For over a year, the transmission upshifted only be engine speed - seemed to ignore throttle position and pedal kickdown [swapped fuel pump relay to see if that was the problem - it was not]. Shifts were smooth, and the shift lever functions normally [e.g. downshift to third]

Yesterday, while at cruise speed the engine shot to redline. I coasted to the verge grass of a limited access highway and allowed things to cool.

The fluid level was correct [engine at idle, in park after running through all gears while stationary] was clear, and did not smell burnt. That was all I could do for roadside testing.

I re-entered the limited access highway, and the transmission shifted normally up to cruise speed [1.5 miles to next exit] - but soon exhibited the same high rpm behavior. A quarter mile past the exit was a parking lot [at Lowes, next to the BMW dealer]. After weighing my options I arranged to meet my wife at a friend's house - and there the car sits.

If I _knew_ of a competent, trustworthy shop in the area [Islip NY] I would take it there for a quick evaluation [I even have a spare filter and gasket at home to put things back together]

Does Reverse work properly?

Moderator(s) can we get a thread moved?

Yup, this is a tech discussion. I'll move it.

If you were near Wichita we could get it done for under $1000 really easy.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Yes - can shift to reverse, park, neutral and the forward gears - just fails to function correctly when driving