transmission seals, etc.

[Yoda]

I've had a considerable transmission leak for a while now. My transmission guy wants about $600 to pull the transmission, replace the rear seal on the engine (some oil is leaking too), replace the seals on the transmission, and replace my U-Joint. Since he has to pull the pipes to get the transmission out, he said he could bring it down the street with the pipes off and have the manifold gaskets replaced for another $50-$100.

1. do these prices sound about right (seem reasonable to me and I have no intention of pulling the transmission myself)?
2. is there anything else I should be doing in the process while the drivetrain is torn down?

[tbird5866]

I would certainly beware of any shop that would replace exhaust manifold gaskets for $100.. UNLESS, they are only replacing the exhaust flange gaskets.. Gaskets between the manifolds and cylinder heads is much more work than $100.

[Yoda]

Even if the pipes are already off and you have fairly clear access to things from underneath?

[tbird5866]

I would still say $100 is a hell-of-a deal.. The bolts at the top are the difficult ones.. And the manifolds should be surfaced if you want the job to last.. Can you get two manifolds resurfaced for $100? (Not where I live!)

[Yoda]

Well, I spoke to my transmission guy again today. He seemed to think the repairs could wait. I asked him about additive to stop the leak and he had a good point - he said that the additives swell all of the seals, etc. in and out of the transmission. He said they might well stop the leak, but were only a short term solution and might eventually provide cause for a full rebuild. I hadn't heard that take before, but we're in a small town and I know him well enough to believe he was giving me an honest opinion.

I agree that the leak is quite tolerable for now and I'd rather see how the car holds up after a few months of steady driving before pulling the transmission in case it has to come out for bigger issues. Same goes for the manifold leak. Only makes a slight tick when I accelerate hard and it needs to get a lot worse before I'll be motivated enough to tackle that.

U-joints are fine for now and it turns out the ding/clang I heard was coming from my speedometer (see other post).

Thanks for all the feedback.