1987 Supercharged AW11 - Broken Auto Gearbox

Hey guys,

My auto transmission in my SC AW11 has seriously carked it today. It started making slipping noises today after i accidentally put it into reverse whilst driving at approx 20km/h and it locked the wheels slightly and stalled. I put it into neutral and started it. Within driving 2kms the car was dropping its revs when in drive and then began to stall. Now it is practically undriveable. As soon as i put it into drive it lurches forward and then stalls, i managed to get it to the mechanic on the street i broke down on by revving it and switching between neutral and drive constantly to stop it from stalling. But they have quoted me $1300 to take the gearbox and engine out just to take a look at it.
I was under the impression that the box could be dropped out of the bottom of the car after first dropping the exhaust off. Is that right? Does anyone know reputable mechanics in Brisbane who know how to work on these cars? Cause it sounds like these guys don't know what they're doing, or are chucking it in the too hard basket and quoting some ridiculous price.

They said it could be thousands to have the box fixed, at this point should i try and source a replacement auto gearbox? Or should i try to source parts for a manual conversion? Have any of you guys done the conversion? Or should i be looking to have the current auto box looked at a transmission mechanic?

Thanks guys.

Ben

The A241E is a hard transmission to find a replacement for and even harder to get someone who knows how to rebuild them. The specific A241E gearbox in the AW11 only came out in the AW11, despite there being a A241E for the SW20 and RAV4, neither seem to share more then a few internals with the AW11 specific version.
 
You can remove the gearbox from the car while leaving the motor in, but it is just as easy to drop the whole lot. If you want to just drop the motor and box then take it to an automatic transmission place, I suggest you give Scope a PM/Call (He's located Lowood/Fervale region) and see if he can help you out at his workshop.
 
PS: If you do go for a manual conversion, I'll take the A241E off your hands for some $$ :)

the mechanic with the car has already called me and I believe them to be competent persons who try to do the jobs properly. i have a complete conversion kit.
 
comments above correct. the box can be fixed, but no local car has an identical box. its a case of bits from this and bits from that, to fix one if its really rooted. the last one i did was over $3500 just for the auto
 
they are relatively simple to get out if you have all the gear, but not a 5 minute job no matter who does them. they dont jsut fall out the bottom. the best way is to take them out with the engine as a power train.  whislt out, do all the other maintenance jobs on the engine

What did the mechanic say today....are you fixing the auto or going manual??
       IF you choose to go manual,I may be able to help you out......with everything!
           Local at Dinmore 4300
  You mentioned you got quoted $1300 just to remove motor and gearbox...How much do they expect to charge to re-fit it? 
         

That's a lot of money just to do a manual conversion.
 
Wouldn't you be better off selling the auto car with crook transmission and putting the sale price together with the $5300 and buy another manual AW11.  Mind you I understand how one gets attached to these cars.

as i said to you on the phone, the AW11 s/c will be the MR2 to own in the future. clean tidy ones are getting real hard to find. everytime i get a wreck, i'm hounded by owners/restorers for the same handful of parts as they want to get them back to mint condition. the closer to original they are, the more valuable they will be in the future. 
 
so, whats the plan??

Here is a link to a MR2 manual gearbox on ebay for $550
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-AW11-MR2-Mk1-4AGE-gearbox-/231044807345?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35cb57fab1
 
another one for just under $1400
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/JDM-AW11-MR2-4AGZE-Transmission-Supercharged-Gearbox-Toyota-MR-2-4AGE-/380706941809?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58a3e6eb71
 
Not sure if its the right one for yur car but if you are not in a rush to get the car done I'd hunt around and take a bit of time first. Maybe get a list of all the parts your need for the conversion like pedals, linkages etc...

Hey guys.

So i've decided to the take the car off the road and manage without a car for 9-12 months. I have access to my girlfriends car, to get to work and around a bit. I'll look around for parts while it's off the road, but i'm not in any rush to fix the car or get another car.
It will be stored in a carport, if i move places i'll buy a car cover for it to keep it out of the sun and rain. If i decide that fixing it is not an option financially then i will just have to sell it.