Hi guys,
Last week I had experienced what felt like the transmission slipping on my way home from work. I had to give it more gas to keep it up to speed. Finally made it home and couldn't make it up my driveway as the car wouldn't go into gear (any gear at all). Pushed it to the curb and shut it off for a few minutes, started it back up and was able to shift it and get it up the drive into the garage. Decided to take my chances and try to get it to my mechanic with my dad following me; about a mile down the road I got a thick white smoke coming out of my exhaust that was leaving residue on my dad's windshield behind me. I got it about 5 miles further when the transmission started slipping again; coasted into a parking lot and tried to let it sit again before trying to drive it with no luck (won't shift into gear again). Towed it to the shop, then couldn't get it to go into gear either.
Shop told me the transmission is toast, or rather that there was a part within it that was forcing transmission fluid out of the transmission and into my engine/exhaust system, and that it would be cheaper to replace the tranny with a used one ($900 tranny with 67K on it, $600 labor...$1500 total cost) than it would be to get into the transmission and replace the part (I suppose labor costs to rebuilt the transmission in the repair process). I believe the part is a transmission modulator valve (does that sound right)?
I guess what I'm asking for is your advice on the matter. If it is this modulator valve, in your experience, does labor to repair it really include disassembly of the tranny (the shop I brought it to doesn't do transmissions)? And if so, would you suggest just going with the $1500 deal of putting in the used (67K miles) tranny? I guess I'm trying to determine which process would be worth the trouble, and if their diagnosis of the problem sounds right (they've been wrong from time to time, unfortunately it's my cousin that owns the shop, along with 2 others in the area, so I go to him for family discounts).
Thanks in advance,
rtwash89