91CRXspouse

My wife has a 91 CRX and the automatic transmission needs to be replaced. It has about 265K miles and she has been the sole owner so we know the history. Honda wants $2300 and change to install a rebuilt but will give a 3yr/36K warr. I've been given an estimate of $1500 - $1800 to rebuild the current transmission and only get 1yr/12K warr. We've recently (over the pas 6 months) had the timing belt replaced, brakes done, A/C evaporator replaced, Steering gear assy, Lt/Rt tie rod boots, Tune up, radiator and about every coolant hose known to man. All told about $2400 so far. She really likes the car and we're discussing spending more on it instead of getting a used car we know nothing about. Our concern is (obviously) if we spend another $2300 on the transmission and more for new rims (she's been begging for new rims for a while. The stock ones are a bit plain) and a new paint job are we creating a money pit. Since we will be spending about $6-$7K within a year are we better off getting another used car. If not are there any suggestion on addition work we should do now while we're at it.

Thanks!

wilsel

I guess it really depends on how much she likes the car. You won't get much for trade in. My guess is around $1000 if it's working with that mileage. The tranny is not hard to change on a crx. You could get a used one for $150 and do it yourself in 1 day. If you've already replaced all that stuff, the only thing left to fail would be the engine. Those are cheap too. Actually for about $500 you could get a D16Z6 swap (engine/tranny/axles/computer) with low miles from a 92-95 civic ex/si. It's not hard to swap, and would provide 200K miles or more of driving if it was well taken care of. If you trade for a car with 20K miles on it, there is no way of knowing how long it will last. If you've maintained the car I would consider fixing it. Another option is to sell that one for $500 with the bad tranny. Someone will but it for $500 for sure. You could get another one for $1500-$2000 that runs. I would do that before paying a dealer $2000+ to replace a tranny. Before you make a decision I would buy a $15 haynes manual, and read the steps to replace the tranny. You'd be surprised how easy it is on a honda. If you don't have tools I guess that's another story.

jaje

like kai said there are lots of used parts on the market for these cars especially transmissions and engines...there are a lot of other parts from other civic models that fit with little modification besides the labor just to install it

as you described your car you are keeping it in great condition and even with the bad tranny you could probably demand more than $500 for it even with the bad tranny...if the body is in good shape it is an easy sell to those who want to get a crx (cult cars)

ED9man

Pull the whole shitbox motor and trans out and throw an Si 5 speed on a ZC motor.
Automatics are bad, convert to manual.
With that kind of budget it is completely possible.
New engine and transmission, and you'll be halfway to the rims.
http://www.hmotorsonline.com/shop/sc...age&item=30020
An Si transmission is not hard to find.
Rent an engine hoist and do it yourself, it's very straight forward.
A tune-up, seriously, involves replacing spark plugs, changing the oil, and topping off fluids. They look for obvious problems and charge you a mint. Spark plugs cost about 2 buck a piece and are unbelivably easy to replace.
I wouldn't do anything at the dealer, you get really ripped off.
It is worth it to invest in some basic tools and a helms manual, it's really worth it.

v8guy

If you find a tranny shop with good references, you may just want to have them rebuild your current transmission. 12 month warranty is pretty standard in the industry. The only real difference between that and the dealer job is that you can be pretty sure that the dealer-installed transmission was done right. Those come in a plastic tub from the rebuilder. They pull yours out, slam the new one in, and put your old one in the crate and send it back to be rebuilt for someone else. If you don't have a tranny mechanic that you KNOW you can trust, I say go with the dealer. I rebuilt a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 350 once and it was no joke. As far as auto trannys go, TH-350s are a walk in the park. There is a lot in those things that some goofball can mess up , and one spec of dirt in the valve body can hang up a valve with disasterous consequences.

If the car is in really good shape I'd just get the tranny done by the dealer. The extra $500 is worth the peace of mind in my opinion. (unless you know a top-notch tranny shop) Look at it this way, what are you going to get for $2500 in the used car market? Some piece of junk with over 100k miles and an unknown maintainence history. At least you know your car is rock solid. There is a guy out here with an old volvo P1800 that has over a MILLION miles on it. Given proper maintence, cars can last a surprisingly long time. If the engine doesn't smoke, knock, or ping and the rest of the car is tight, I'd just fix it. Good luck.

v8guy

If you do get the tranny done, you might want to think about new axles. They have to come out anyway, so might as well get new ones if your CV joints have 265k on them.


I read further down about where you were talking about dumping 6-7k into the car. When you start talking that much a decent used car becomes more of an option. You have to decide A) how much does she love the car, and B) Is this thing a money pit. At 265k a lot of stuff is going to be wearing out, but on the other hand you have already replaced a lot of those parts with new. If the car has been constantly breaking down and the inside and outside are looking kind of sad, you may want to bail. It sounds to me like it has generally been a good little car and she has kept it in good condition, which is why I say just fix it. The trap with older cars is when people throw good money after bad, spending more on a car that is on its last legs because they have already spent so much on it that they feel they HAVE to keep fixing it, because they have spent so much already. Don't fall into that trap.

91CRXspouse

Thanks for all the great advice. I'm actually contemplating doing it myself. I install, troubleshoot, and fix computers/networks for a living so I think I could upgrade to working on a CRX. So now that I'm looking at starting a new learning experience. What would be a base list of tools I should have around? I do already have a service manual since I had to replace the AC/Heater blower motor about 100,000 miles ago. Such as a torque wrench ect.. Working on computers all day I generally don't need such items. Although I wished more than a few times I had a big sledge hammer!

Thanks Again!

wilsel

It's really not hard, I'm glad your giving it a shot. Things you'll need:

Floor Jack,
Jack Stands
And a metric socket set.

You can completly disassemble a honda with a 10mm,12mm, 14mm, and 17mm. A couple bolts are 19mm.

Good luck, and if you have any problems post up we'll help you with them.

v8guy

Don't get crazy with the Torque wrench. You don't really need it as much as the manual says you do. They want you to torque like everything. Only really important stuff needs to be torqued, main bearing cap and cylinder head bolts kind of top that list. For example, the bolts that hold the engine to the transmission don't need to be torqued, they just need to be good and tight. The torque specification lets you know how tight something should be. 15 ft/lbs = snug. 40 ft/lbs = tight. 70 ft/lbs = really tight. 250 ft/lbs = tighten with impact wrench. Don't forget the most important torque spec of all, TOO TIGHT = BROKEN!!!!!!

v8guy

I'd add 13mm and 15mm to the list. Pretty sure I've had to use them on my Honda.