Can you get the Hydra-Matic Six-Speed Automatic Transmission on the 5.3L?

Often Hard to get car in gear. .plus recent gear oil leak .... TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH ? read more details.?

• (170,000 miles on this car.) RIGHT axle going into manual transmission is a bit loose and gear oil is leaking out. Last few weeks I have some moments where it is a bit difficult to get car in gear. I also notice slight grinding sound when i idle in neutral. When I press all the way down on the clutch the sound goes away. I am thinking it may be time for clutch and maybe the bearing is bad in the transmission. I was hoping it was just a seal with the axle but with the sounds and with the axle that goes into the transmission being loose... It might be more. What do you think? Transmissions are expensive. Would you recommend i buy a used transmission or should i buy a brand new one, or should i have my current one rebuilt? How much difference in costs are we looking at for each option?

• Answer:

  After reading your question, it appears that you have a better idea of the problems and soloutions than some of the answers you've received. Lets start with the axle seal leak. You stated that the axle is loose and the seal is leaking. This is typical when the differential bearing (s) wear out. When the taper bearing wear out, the preload is lost and this will cause the diff/axle to push down on the seal and leak. So putting in a new axle and seal will only mean that you have a new axle but still have the leak. As for the noise you decribe, it sounds like you already know it has a bad bearing in the trans, possibly due to lack of oil from the leak. With your description, it will most likely be the input shaft bearing, which will stop turning once you depress the clutch, ie....noise goes away. If it's hard to go into gear, it could be the clutch or bad clutch hydraulics if equipped as such. As for what direction to take for repairs, I doubt that you can buy a BRAND NEW transmission and if so, the price will be very expensive. The best route, if your pocketbook allows, is to have your transmission repaired by a trusted/qualified transmission specialist. You may think this will be more expensive than taking it to a general repair shop, but often they will just send the car/tranny to a transmission shop anyway. If your tight on funds you can try finding a used one, but remember, it's used !!!! It could end up being in worse shape that what you have now........It's a roll of the dice