This thread was a hit once before let's see if it can help anyone else out.

Got a car problem? Describe it in detail here and there is a group of knowledgeable people here that may be able to give you some good advice!

You've got nothing to lose and money to possibly save so give it a shot!

Both my keychain "door-clickers" suck, and I have to be about 6 inches from the car, and then aim it directly at the thingy in the car to get them to work. With Baby M. and her accesories in arms, they're useless, actually. Would new clickers help? Is that the '95 technology limit? Can they be improved in any way? Upgraded? Unit (or clickers) replaced at a reasonable cost?

I know, it's a dumb, piddly question.

(How did you get out anyway?)

Uh, have you tried replacing the little battery inside the remote control "keys?"

Andrew

Heck yes, too many times!
Well, Mr. Merkin did.
(Hey, maybe THAT'S the problem!)

Were they always that way?

Anybody ever rebuilt an automatic transmission?

I'm starting on the one from my Land Cruiser in the next week or so.

Never done it before. Should be an adventure!

I'm a radio technician, not a car mechanic! but I'm going to give it a shot. It can't work any worse than it does now! Tranny fluid pours out of the front pump in a stream as big around as your thumb.

rebuilt a chevy powerglide back in the 70's for a shop class. it was only a 2 speed. know this, there are 2 million tiny springs and other pieces inside the case, and forget one or install it backwards, the trans may shift at 6,000 rpms instead of the normal 3,000.

moral: you may find yourself pricing land cruiser engine prices next week.

Reminds me of that commercial were the one dorky looking dude says:

"Let me fix er boss, I always wanted ta work on one o them transmission thingys"

Tons of balls and springs and small parts!

That's one of the MANY reasons why I so much prefer manual transmissions. Those gears only go on one way! Hard to screw it up!

If you stay away from the control valve assembly you can avoid most of those little ball and spring thingys. On the one automatic that I been through I worked my way in from the bell housing, so if your problem is with the front pump you may not have to go too deep into the tranny to fix the problem.

First, get yourself a good manual with a good procedure and study it well. Then if you want to tackle the teardown get yourself a good big workspace and take it very slowly. I'll bet you can get it fixed. If some of the flunkies I've seen in the shops can do it, you can.

One caveat - I have found that with some Toyota components, they seem to be complicated just for the sake of being complicated. I had rebuilt a few carbs before I tried to do the one on my sister's '75 Corolla. In the exploded diagram of the carbs I had been through there were maybe 40-50 components. For the Toyota carb there were 130+. It was a real struggle to keep all those little pieces straight, and even then I somehow lost a little check spring. A ballpoint pen gave up its life to replace that part, and danged if the car actually ran when I was done. But I wouldn't do a Toyota carb again.

Only ever had two things happen with automatic's. One day I went around a really sharp corner and when I started to accelerate the transmission shifted from 2nd into......nothing! 3rd and 4th clutch pack gone...rpm just spiked when it shifted but I went nowhere. Was 40 miles from home and driving home in 2nd with 4:11 gears was slow going! Have had two GM rigs were the valve bodies have worn causing it to slam into the next gear when shifting. That is usually about a $500.00 doallar fix parts and labor. I just don't do automatic transmission. Aside from the number of parts you will also possibly need some special snap ring pliers and some other special teardown tools as well.

Best advice as Edselehr said "Go slow and take your time....maybe even take notes or digital pictures could also be an aid when you get to the put back together point!

Anyone got a clue how tough it is to replace a lock motor for a '99 Honda Accord? When I use the key fob to lock the door, it makes a loud grinding sound.

Should not be to bad. Usually just gotta take off the door panel and then there are cutouts on the door that should allow someone with small arms to get inside and change it out. Will probably need to purchase new door panel plastic clips that hold it in. they are usually a push in clip that almost always get destroyed when you take the door panel off. Not very expensive though. Be careful not to break the plastic on the back of the door pad were the clips are located. I usually pull out on it and slide my arm up inside to support it when I pull out on it. this was on GM vehicles so Honda's may attach a little different. You may find that the motor is fine and that there is a problem with the linkage itself.

Thanks for the tips.

Right now my plan is to rebuild the whole thing as it's got 287,000 miles on it. It's already out so I figure now is as good a time as any.

I have the factory manual and on the other board I post on, ih8mud.com there is a guy who did his and wrote an excellent thread as he progressed with pictures and all. Here's the link if anybody is interested; http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=65907

I'm going to take lots of digital pictures and the parts from each assembly are going to go into zip lock bags.

I'm not going to rebuild the valve body. I'm going to buy a rebuilt one that has been modified for better performance.

From what I have read in several other places, the main thing to do is to keep everything extremely clean when re assembling it.

I'm going to take my time. I figure that it will take me 30 - 45 days to finish it. The valve body is coming from Australia so there will probably be a several week wait for it.

Wish me luck!

If you have any problems I highly recommend Clark county transmission out towards Hazel Dell. you gonna put in the HD spring kit (shift kit) as well? I know they offer that for GM vehicles but not sure on yours. Changes the shift points slightly and is a real bonus if you trailer anything!

I think the valve body that I'm going to buy has all that done to it. I know it has been modified so it shifts quicker, not the long (long being a relative term, about a second or two) lag between gears.

It also provides for torque converter lock-up in 3rd and 4th gear where the original one only locks up in 4th gear.

I'll probably have to use a transmission shop for a couple of things such as pressing the bearings in and there is a sleeve in front pump that I'm going to replace and would rather have a shop install it than do it my self and put a scratch in it!

Thanks for the recommendation.

"I think the valve body that I'm going to buy has all that done to it. I know it has been modified so it shifts quicker, not the long (long being a relative term, about a second or two) lag between gears."

A second or two? My gawd, that's an eternity! Good luck on the rebuild - sounds like that tranny is screaming for it.

Literally! and WHINING also! LOL

How can I get blood and moustache hair off of my right front fender? How about driver's seat poop removal services? Do you know any discreet body shops?

You can do what I do with my 1973 GMC pickup, which has a "finish" that adds new meaning to the word. To bring back any semblance of shine, I use SOS pads. Literally. Brightens her right up.

For driver's seat poop: soil all remaining belted positions so it looks like a factory pattern.

re: the low-range door clickers: your problem is probably not enough antenna on the reciever side (hey, it's radio-related content!)

Depends on the car, but I know on my VW there is a little wire hanging out of the computer that serves as the antenna. If you lengthen the wire, the reception improves dramatically.

Of course this would require taking the dash apart.

What car? Factory alarm?

They are designed that way so as to not have accidental long range unlocks! I have many times had the horn go off or unlocked my doors when the button hits against others keys in my pocket as I was walking away!

...so it looks like a factory pattern.

YES! That's hilarious.

I once was working on the manufacture of some covers for a medical device. Somehow they all got an extra electrical cutout. We bought rubber plugs and silkscreened "EXPANSION" above them! No problem.