*Grump grump grump!*

[freshtiva]

Disclaimer : Shipping weight may vary.

[GenevaDirt]

thats just UPS's way of over charging.....lol

[Kitty]

Well we dropped Marvin off at a mechanic on Friday. Discovered he will go into reverse with no problem (oh, except for the screaming and grinding noises) and will occasionally go into first if you hold your face just right (also screaming and grinding violently). Mechanic isn't entirely sure it is the clutch. He suspects maybe the transmission but he'll call me after he throws him up on a lift. I decided to go ahead and pay someone else to fix it since it would take me too bloody long to get it done and I really need him for work asap.

Only good thing to come out of this is the mechanic introduced me to a guy that has a running Festiva that he was using as a yard car at his junk yard that he will sell me for $350 complete. I'm hoping to get my hands on it for a Marvin parts car.

At the moment I'm driving Granpa's 94 Chevy Caravan.....

.....

.....

After driving Marvin its like being in a big, red Sherman Tank.

[solatare]

so the tranny weighs 50 lbs, i was going by feel when i was lifting and moving it around, sorry for the misinfo, hope that the repairs go easy.

[Kitty]

And the verdict is.......

Both.

The clutch and the transmission decided to plunk out at the same time.

*sigh*

[Gforcefd]

No offense, but do you trust the mechanic, you may want a second opinion. Get an aspire tranny since they are easier to find if you do need one.

[neanderpaul]

I can get you a good 4 speed for $200 shipped.

[Kitty]

Yeah. I trust the mechanic. Much more than I trust the last guy that worked on my Marvin.

Thanks for the offer Carbon but I think I'm going to try to get a 5-spd again. I do too much highway driving to give it up. He's going to check out the parts car today and if he thinks its worth it he'll call me to come look at it after work. Honestly, I do need a parts car. Around here there are maybe 3 Festivas in all the junkyards within a 100 mile radius and they've been pretty stripped clean. I need something that I can tuck into storage to donate organs to Marvin when he needs them.

[nonamekid]

It would be hard for me to believe that both the clutch and the transmission failed at the same time, unless parts from one broke and went through the other. If that were the case there would be transmission fluid on the ground. If the transmission is bad, you should replace the clutch since you are going to be doing the transmission swap. I would recommend that you have him change the output shaft seals on the transmission that he puts into your festiva. Best to do that while you have it apart than try to do it later.

[Kitty]

Okay so I got to go poke around in Marvin last night. Yes. Clutch and Tranny are being replaced. When he pulled the transmission he discovered there was NO grease in it. None. It had either leaked out or when the CV axles were replaced the other mechanic didn't put any back in. I'm more inclined to believe something happened and it leaked since the axles were done over a year ago. It is possible when that was done something was not done right or it was damaged causing a slow leak.

The clutch plate isn't damaged. It is the bearing thing in the center (I'm an idiot and can't remember what it is called). Either it was going bad already or the transmission going to pot and shaking it for who knows how long knocked it off balance and knocked it loose. It now slides around it's little hole like a baby rattle.

However, some good is coming out of this mess. I found a running parts car for $350. Yes, I said running. I even drove it around the yard. '93 Festiva with a good transmission and dang fine motor. Not a leak anywhere. The guys in the scrap yard were looking at me awful funny crawling under it in my office clothes to inspect it. If the body weren't mashed all to blazes I could have driven it home. I decided to go with a whole car because the only place we could find within 100 miles with a transmission wanted $300 for it. I even asked for Aspires. There weren't any. I just started considering all the other parts under that hood that were still good, including that engine. I am getting more than $350 worth of parts out of the deal.

So here's the plan. We're going to replace the clutch. Going to get the transmission out of Organ Donor and use that. (I also intend to swipe the tires, interior door panels, headlight and taillight socket, and then pick over it carefully and see if there is anything else that I need for Marvin right away, but that will wait until I get them both home.) Mechanic said he will also replace the timing belt, main seal and front seal while he has the tranny out at no extra cost if I supply the parts. I think valve cover was included in that too but I'll have to talk to him again. Marvin's been leaking oil for a long time and it seems now is a good time to get that fixed.

It all comes down to time. I could eventually do all this myself if I had a place to set up and tools to work with. But I don't have either. What I am also lacking is time. I need it done as fast as possible and doing it myself I can't do that. I can't afford to keep driving the van to my day job and I can't afford to stop doing the home business work at night and on weekends. And honestly, I'm not as mechanically inclined as you guys are. I can do the work if I have to but when I do something I don't go in knowing what I am doing. I have to learn how to do it as I do it and that takes more time than I can invest right now. So please don't think I'm a doofus for not doing this myself.

I trust this guy. He's not just a mechanic but a friend of other members of the family. My brother-in-law called in a favor for this. That's why he's doing so much extra. I'm hoping that this will get Marvin back into pretty good shape for a while.

[m715]

What about having him prep the engine/transaxle from "donor car", and then do the swap of the assembly all at once, saving time and effort and giving him the chance to go through the gaskets, timing belt etc on the stand before you take Marvin to him?
That is what I have done before, and it really cuts the time in shop doing the swap.
Just a suggestion....

Michael

Oh, and we had a 91 festiva that had a transaxle case damaged that we ran deliveries with here at the shop that we ran for a couple of years that would not hold ANY fluid. They WILL run for a long distance with NO lubrication before they totally detonate. They are actually VERY tough!

[Kitty]

I will probably talk with him when we get Organ Donor dropped off and find out how he would like to do it. I've been looking at Marvin's engine covered in oil for so long that I had forgotten what a clean one was supposed to look like until I looked into OD. But if it would be easier to put in the whole caboodle then I'd be willing. I just want my baby back.

[m715]

The Curmudgeon,Shtinky,Rasta,and Smurffy send their "get well soon"s to Marvin.

Michael

[Kitty]

Awww. I'm sure Marvin will appreciate it. I'll be sure to pass it along.

[FB71]

^^^as do Uncle Fester, and Hula. Snot would, but he's currently in a coma, undergoing reconstructive surgery...