Hey guys, my transmission has recently broke and i've been looking at used ones that are going for $400-700 on craigslist.I made this post in hopes of avoiding scams and buying an already broken transmission.

Is there any way to check to see if a transmission alone is working and not grinding without it being installed in the car?

Would i be able to move the gear stick in an uninstalled transmission?

 

Moving to under the hood

 

The real test is installation and use but some basic function might be determined by turning shafts in various gears.

A reputable salvage yard will often offer a replacement warranty but you still wind up covering the time and cost of installation and replacement. I might be more leery of a Craigslist offering.

I bought a replacement from a salvage yard and was fortunate that it was better the one I had in my car ever was.

 

The best source for used parts is always someone with a long history on a forum, such as this one. They are generally very reputable.

Salvage yards don't care, and if the part they sell you is ng, they just keep giving you another one, along with heavy attitude, until you go away. How many S2k trans you think your local salvage has? If the one you get is ng, how long before they can get another one to replace with? Meanwhile, how much time and labor do you have to go through to install it to find out its ng? Imagine nightmare of going through 2 or more salvage yard trans (and install and remove) to finally get a good one.

CL is a crap shoot.

Something as big as a trans you'll want to buy local. So finding one on this forum that is local might not be possible. So if going CL, in addition to thorough out-of-car inspection, judge based on the seller.

Ideally you'd want someone that has an S, has a ton of S parts that he is trying to sell, etc. Maybe someone that is rebuilding an S, bought a wrecked S for parts, doesn't need the trans. Someone that didn't leave the parts out in the rain, house doesn't look like a wrecking yard. Doesn't sound like a loser, etc.

I have found some good parts, and good cars on CL. CL is like info on the web. Some of it is priceless, some of it is crap. Just have to judge the source.

 

Actually they do care as it costs them to remove and transport parts. Many work in a network so you often have a choice of dozens of wrecks to pull it out of. The salvage yard I worked with works in a three state area and gave me a picture of the car it was coming out of, transported the part over 200 miles, and charged less than any part I found through this site.

An S2000 that takes a good hit in rear or quarter panel will cost more to fix than it is worth. A salvage yard will get it for a song from the insurance company, quickly sell of the seats and wheels, and offer good parts as needed over time.

There are reputable salvage businesses that are used by mechanics nation wide.

 

I put a drill on the output shaft and spin it in 6th gear. While spinning, you can move the shifter 5-4-3-2-1 very easily and watch the input shaft.

This will rule out anything broken.

 

Cool! But how do you connect a tiny drill chuck to the output shaft?

 

Just use a 1/2" socket adapter that is made for drills, then put a 36mm socket on it.

My simple 18v Dewalt cordless can spin it no problem.

Always start in 6th, as getting it going in first from that end is hard.