Mitsubishi: transmission bearing?, cottman transmission, clutch assembly

Question
i have a problem with a manual 1996 mistubishi eclipse rs.  it makes a " clanking" or metal banging noise when i start driving the car.  it makes that sound when in 2nd, 3rd, 4th gear at 2k-3k rpm.  it also makes that noise when in neutral and revving the car.  i just came from a dealer for a major maintenance service and they sugggested that the problem could be a transmission bearing.  they estimated $1500 for the repair but also said it could be more depending on how bad the damage is done.  my question is could it be a transmission bearing problem and is it that expensive?  can i trust the dealer?  do you recommend AAMCO as an honest, reliable, cheaper alternative?

thanks

chad

Answer
Hi Chad,

Sorry to say Chad but with the info you have supplied me I’m afraid the dealer is correct. This is a bad bearing within the transmission. If it was in all gears at all speeds it could be a throw out bearing, but because it is in only 3 gears it is definitely an internal transmission bearing problem.  When a bearing comes apart it creates a huge amount of metal contamination within your transmission requiring all bearings to need replacement. Given the year of your vehicle, you will likely want to have them replace the synchros and definitely the clutch assembly. Two ways to go here... I suggest going to a national brand such as a 1) Cottman transmission shop because they offer a nation wide warranty and are generally less expensive than Aamco. (Just to give you an inside scoop, Cottman's parent company has just purchased Aamco. Your warranty will be good at either location.)Their overhaul tech can rebuild your transmission "in house" which will be much less than purchasing a transmission because they will only charge you for the parts you need and not for an entire transmission. This also keeps your warranty in house. 2) You can purchase a used transmission from your local junkyard and have the shop of your choice install it. Problem with this is that if you have your local guy install it and there is no second gear or whatever, the junkyard will give you another transmission but the shop will charge you again for installing it because the failure was not their fault. Imagine waiting 3 weeks because they had to try 4 or 5 transmissions until they found one that worked!

My suggestion is Cottman Transmission and the repair should not run over $1500 including a clutch assembly and completely rebuilt transmission.