89 325i 3rd gear tranny problem....

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heminick - 05 Feb 2007 04:13 GMT

ok, i need help diagnosing and getting some price estimate on this.
its an 89 325i with 160k miles, straight six, 5 spd manual. shifts
fine toher gears, but accelerating and shifting into 3rd, itll pop
outta gear, it will only stay in gear if you hold it in for like 6
seconds or more, and it grinds when it pops out. what might be wrong,
how much does it cost to repair, or could i possibly buy a tranny
outta a wrecked bimmer, and have it put in for cheaper? price
estimates and a possible diagnosis would be awsome, thanks, nick.

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Scott Dorsey - 05 Feb 2007 18:45 GMT

>ok, i need help diagnosing and getting some price estimate on this.
>its an 89 325i with 160k miles, straight six, 5 spd manual. shifts
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>outta a wrecked bimmer, and have it put in for cheaper? price
>estimates and a possible diagnosis would be awsome, thanks, nick.

160k is nothing. Have you been changing fluid regularly? The manual
for the 3-series says to change every 30,000 miles. How long has the
current fluid been in there?

If it's been a while, I would consider just changing the transmission
and differential fluid first off and see if you can free the thing
up before it completely seizes and tears up.

Yes, you could get a junkyard transmission, and I would not hesitate to
get a junkyard one since these things last damn near forever unless they
are abused.
--scott

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"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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Daryl Bryant - 05 Feb 2007 23:27 GMT

synchronizer sleeve is worn out - needs R/R!!

When purchasing a used car I always perform a wet/dry compression test
before the purchase - this will determine if there is any internal issues
that might not be observed otherwise!!

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> ok, i need help diagnosing and getting some price estimate on this.
> its an 89 325i with 160k miles, straight six, 5 spd manual. shifts
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> outta a wrecked bimmer, and have it put in for cheaper? price
> estimates and a possible diagnosis would be awsome, thanks, nick.

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heminick - 06 Feb 2007 03:28 GMT

ok, so is this a part i can buy and have put in for less than, say,
$600 by an auto mechanic or should i just get a whole used tranny and
have that put in, and how much would a mechanic usually charge for a
tranny swap? thanks for the help!

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Scott Dorsey - 06 Feb 2007 19:19 GMT

>ok, so is this a part i can buy and have put in for less than, say,
>$600 by an auto mechanic or should i just get a whole used tranny and
>have that put in, and how much would a mechanic usually charge for a
>tranny swap? thanks for the help!

Well, from MY perspective, I would think that if you are having premature
transmission failure, it's probably a sign that the vehicle was not taken
care of properly by the previous owners. And that therefore you can expect
to find other exciting surprises in the future.

For the most part, swapping out the transmission with a junkyard one will
cost less than swapping it out a rebuilt. Going in and fixing the
synchronizers is silly, because it will cost about as much as a good
rebuilt anyway.
--scott

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"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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Daryl Bryant - 06 Feb 2007 19:29 GMT

Sounds like a head ache... But, if you really want the car?! Your best bet
is to find a reputable transmission shop, in your area. They'll perhaps have
the best prices!

Really, like the other poster, Scott says --> a sign that the vehicle was
not taken care of properly <--!!

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Bing Bang Boom Voila Done!

> ok, so is this a part i can buy and have put in for less than, say,
> $600 by an auto mechanic or should i just get a whole used tranny and
> have that put in, and how much would a mechanic usually charge for a
> tranny swap? thanks for the help!

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anumber1 - 06 Feb 2007 19:38 GMT

> synchronizer sleeve is worn out - needs R/R!!
>
> When purchasing a used car I always perform a wet/dry compression test
> before the purchase - this will determine if there is any internal issues
> that might not be observed otherwise!!

So exactly how would a dry and wet compression test have shown the
original poster that he had excessive bearing clearance relating to 3rd
gear and it's associated syncro rings and sleeves?

I don't get it. The complaint isn't excessive oil consumption or spark
plug fouling, in fact it sounds like the original poster is happy with
the way his BMW runs.

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