Houpty

Does anyone have a used auto tranny that works? It is the 3 speed with code KAU.
Can any other auto be used instead?
Has anyone rebuilt their auto tranny?

What I believed happened is the torque converter seal started to leak and ran the autotranny fluid low. 1st gear ended up slipping really bad especially when warmed up.
The car has 253,000 miles on it and is not worth much at all. However it was running very reliably.
I just finished my Mechanical Engineering degree and I will need a car so I can get a job and can afford to buy another car.
I have been looking for a used transmission and have found one for $500 so far. This is a very expensive repair for a car that is not worth very much.
The Tranny was rebuilt once before and that was $1500 which is out of the question.
I have considered doing a manual swap but would probally need to get a parts car to make it finacially acceptable.
I am considering rebuilding the tranny myself but am concerned about being able to get all the parte even though the rebuilds are able to get them somehow and also special tools that might be needed.
I also am going to look into getting a cheap car that could hold me over and this would mean that I would attempt to fix my car anyway.

Does anyone have a used auto tranny that works? It is the 3 speed with code KAU.
Can any other auto be used instead?
Has anyone rebuilt their auto tranny?


Dave
CostelloME@gmail.com
1990 Audi 80
Columbia, SC

MikTip

1-find another "used" autobox, and hope its years and mileage have not effected it(rare)

2-Find a rebuilt autobox($$$$), one which come with a guarentee...

3-Install a manual gearbox...

4-rebuild yours($$$$ parts)...

Not bad for a 16 year old Audi. ;O)

CrazyCab

the M1 Truck and SUV, fingers crossed.

Also got a M301 filter.

YucatanAudi

If you do a search of the forum, you can find some links to businesses that sell rebuilt Audi transmissions. You can order one and either swap it yourself or have someone do it. Could be as little as $600 for a rebuilt tranny for your car!

You say it is a lot of money for a car that isn't worth much. However, if everything else has been maintained well and it is running well, then you should have pretty reliable transportation. And where can you buy a car for the cost of a tranny swap that you know will get you to work.

The truth is, owning a car is never a winning situation. You can't ever get back what you put into the car. But the value of good transportation and no monthly payment is hard to beat, especially when you are just getting started on a job.

Let's say you spend $1500. That's only 3-4 months payments on a new car - and not a fancy one either. You'll be ahead of the game in a few months and you can't buy any decent car for $1500. And I bet, you can get it done for much less, if you know what you are doing.

Oh, BTW, I found a couple links:

http://www.gtainc.biz/index.htm

"<b>German Transaxle of America</b> stocks about 200 units, so 90% of orders are shipped the day of the order. Don't be shy, if you are on the other side of the country; almost half of German Transaxle's sales are east of the Mississippi. In most cases, GTAINC can probably deliver what you need tomorrow morning. Several shipping options are available."

http://www.europeantransmission.com

"<b>Europeantransmissions.com</b> was formed to provide reasonable priced parts, tools and rebuilt transmissions to shops and dealers all over the world. We are specialists in remanufacturing and rebuilding German transmissions. Our team of specialists in the areas of automotive transmissions, electronic transmissions, computers and measuring technology has been working in the areas of the new generation transmissions with soft and hardware and is always up to date. We have one of the strongest warrantees in the industry - <b>12 months</b> - and this tells all about our Quality. Many vehicle owners are asking the question" can a remanufactured transmission perform better than the original ?" Yes, it can! The remanufactured transmission is assembled to perform as well - or even better - than the original transmission. Because, our technicians upgrade and install only upgraded components to eliminate known problems that may exist in the original transmission version.

call us at: 770-888-1499
2430 Oak Street East
Cummings GA 30041

Houpty

I am either going to sell it a POS/junk car, part it out, or put it aside temporarily and determine if I am going to fix it anytime soon. ($.40 a pound for scrap aluminum)

The Honda is worth a couple thousand if I can fix the oil consumption problem. I got it for $400. The cheapest transmission is $425 and is supposedly rebuilt. The Audi would be pretty reliable with a new tranny or rebuilt but it would still only be worth $500 in its condition.

Depending on what needs to be done with the Honda and if I can find a really cheap transmission will affect whether I keep the car or not. I do not need 2 cars at this point in time.

I would like to try to fix the tranny as an experience builder but I would only like to try this if I can find someone who has done it,( I was told to check out VWVortex.com). The parts to rebuild the tranny would be like $225.

Dave
CostelloME@gmail.com
1990 Audi 80 (dead transmission)
1994 Honda Civic