Ok, I own a 2005 accord 2.4 sedan auto with 165,000 miles. the transmission took a s*** and now im considering my options: 1. sell the car as is and hope for $3000. 2. swap in a new transmission. This is where i get stuck, should i put in another used oem tranny and risk another failure. Or should I do an auto-manual swap which I think would be more reliable and cheaper. My budget for any repairs would be $2000.

Penny for your thoughts. What do you guys think is the most cost-effective/reliable alternative?

 

A swap is just not a good idea, there are too many parts, wire harnesses, computers, etc. that would have to be changed along with the transmission. A remanufactured transmission is your best bet, IMO. Is the car worth $3-4,000 for installation? If you could install it yourself, it would probably save you at least half the cost. Decision, decisions,.... Hope I never have to make that call.

 

Heres a video of what is involved.

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP-gjP8fZKI"

Im actually in the process of replacing my transmission in a 2007 2.4L same process. I picked up one at a junk yard 33k miles $400. I still have some work to do on it Im hoping to test it out this weekend. Look on "car-part.com" and see what is in your area also craigslist. A lot of the junk yards around me had pictures of the vehicles they came off of. Maybe you can find one that got rear ended theres a few on craigslist as well. Mine came off of a car that rolled over hopefully its not damaged internally from the wreck that is the risk.

I have used no special tools to do mine unless you count concrete blocks and the little crap jacks that come with hondas and jack stands and several 2*6s. Its a slow process I think I have spent between 20-30 hours I have a couple hours left. If you dont have a spare car it would be tough to do in a reasonable timeframe.

If you can find a car that got rear ended on craigslist with low miles I would take that over a re manufactured any day.

 

If you're not prepared to install AT yourself, look for a shop that specializes in AT installations (not repair!) and get a quote for installation of a used AT you supply.

You can purchase insurance from used parts shops that will cover labor replacement, if you should get a dud AT. Parts yard will make good on AT replacement if installed w/i 30-60 days.

I purchased labor insurance when I had an engine replacement performed on a dodge truck. Fortunately, engine was fine and I did not have to try to use labor insurance.

good luck