I've been told I need to replace my transmission tailshaft bushing on
my '89 240, and have been quoted ~$250 to do so. What is this? Thanks a
lot.
Bill
Well, your transmission has a shaft coming out it's...tail, and it has to
rotate on some kind of bushing or bearing. By what you've been told, I'll
assume its a bushing this time (dang, I'm brilliant <g>). If that bushing
gets worn, there will be slop in the shaft, which could cause strange
shuddering (especially on acceleration), ominous howling at any speed,
clunks, bumps and/or whines, and possible fluid leakage (assuming the
accompanying seal is as worn as the bushing). If your mechanic is
trustworthy, I'd go ahead and have the work done. You don't want to let
something like this go too long, or it will begin to damage much more
expensive parts.
If you're interested in confirming the problem, you can easily do the same
thing that the mechanic surely did to diagnose it in the first place. Put
the front of the car up on ramps, put the transmission in neutral, and set
the E-brake good and tight. For good measure, block the back wheels. Slide
under the car, and look for the drive shaft. It's a steel pipe about 2 1/2"
across, running right down the middle of the car, from the transmission to
the rear axle. If the car is warm, beware of the exhaust pipe; it will be
HOT. Don't mistake the exhaust pipe (which has bends in it, and is probably
rust colored) for the driveshaft (which is painted black). Grab the drive
shaft right before it reaches the transmission, and shake it. If it feels
loose or clunks, your mechanic is right.
Another problem that can have similar symptoms is a worn or broken
transmission mount. If when you jiggle the driveshaft the whole
transmission moves a lot (but the driveshaft and the transmission feel tight
to each other), then that's probably the problem. However, any mechanic
worth a bean would immediately be able to tell the difference between the
two. Of course, you might have both problems, in which case you'll get both
kinds of movement. Worn tranny mounts are fairly common on older cars. Ask
your mechanic about replacing it while he's down there. He'll be able to
tell you if it needs doing. Tranny mounts for the 240 are dirt cheap, and
it won't take him that much longer to do the work.
Cheers,
Walt
