Chrysler Repair: transmission, 1996 chrysler concorde, chrysler concorde

Question
Well, my local garage guy says the transmission needs a rebuild ($3500 in these parts) and a new
air conditioner compressor) ($1100)
Of course the car isn't worth as much as the repairs he claims
the car needs.
Thanks
WL
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Followup To
Question -
i inherited a 1996 chrysler concorde 6cyl  from my recently
deceased dad. He kept it well-serviced. a few days ago I noticed
a loud, broken bearing like noise and speculated that it was
coming from the compressor (since I also couldn't get the air
conditioner to function). I scheduled a check up with my fairly
trustworthy local garage and we snipped the belt to the
compressor. Car ran fine. I checked transmission fluid level and
there is plenty, fairly clean looking fluid. Today after driving a
while the transmission disengaged at a stop light. After sitting
for a while it engaged enough to let me limp home, disengaging
and engaging. What--if anything--did I do wrong? What course of
action should I take?
Answer -
Hello Werner,
I too inherited my Dad's Chrysler, an '89 LeBaron which we still drive with great pleasure. The
trans has probably recognized a problem, either hyraulic, electrical, or mechanical and to help
prevent further damage has entered into "limp-in" mode which means it only uses second gear.
The trans has an electronic controller with a memory that records problems as fault codes that
can be readout by a trans shop or dealer using a reader that plugs into a port on the left end of
the dash. Here is a brief essay on how I look at such a situation:
The reasons for the problem are several ranging from very simply being low on transmission
fluid (but that seems o.k.), to minor adjustment of the gear shift mechanism, to minor
maintenance such as changing the transmission fluid filter, to repairs that don't require removing
the trans (fluid pump replaced, valve body cleaned), to serious internal damage requiring a
removal and disasembly (could cost $1,500). These transmissions are sophisticated electronically
controlled units that need to be maintained to avoid unnecessary maintenance costs.   You might
then do well to go to a dealer or an independent trans shop (but not a franchise type) with a
good reputation to discuss changing the fluid filter and checking for any debris in the drain pans
(which is a bad sign of internal damage) and checking the adjustment of the shift lever.
An alternative is to have the trans's electronic controller read out for any fault codes it may have
stored after recognizing a malfunction in the unit. That is a simple task (but ask how much they
charge before authorizing it, and verify that the shop has a unit for reading the trans codes as all
shops may not be so-equipped) done with a diagnostic readout box, and the codes, if any, are
clues as to why you have this problem. If you do that, ask for the code numbers, and for a
diagnosis and estimate of repair costs. I have a manual that we can check this information
against to verify that the proposal is appropriate.
Take it step-by-step and don't panic into having a full rebuild until the other possibilities are
checked out.
Roland  

Answer
Hi Werner,
That is unfortunate. Where are you located, in Europe? Was the mechanics opinion based upon either a code readout or an inspection for debris in the 3 pans that one would remove to change the fluid? If neither, I would wonder if you might look a bit further and have one or the other of those procedures performed so as to definitively know that it isn't something with the hydraulic pressures (which also can be read out via a gauge attached to one of several ports). Maybe there might be another local expert who could give it a try.
Roland