97 needs new tranny..advice?

[907camry]

so, next up on my list of things to change on my recently purchased camry is the tranny.

It tends to "pulse" slip going up hills sometimes, and once i stop and get out, the tranny smells terrible.. my first thought was the clutch but since its an automatic and i know nothing about them..i asked around. Im told its my bands burning that creates the smell..

Either way, i need a new transmission apparently.

I have found a 01 68k used transmission from a local dealer for 365 dollars..

what i need to know is, is it better to buy an 01 transmission?

are there any years specifically that i should avoid when looking for a used one?

Should i only go with a rebuilt?

give me any info/opinions u can come up with i need to know everything lol

[Chris Crash]

97-01 will be a direct swap. I would checkout junkyard prices and go right ahead on it.

[907camry]

yeah, i know it will be a direct swap im more wondering if any of the transmissions were modified in those years and if any one particular year is better to buy..

Im reading a lot that 02 transmissions are junk..

so maybe the 01 is also junk?

[Chris Crash]

02 and 01 are different.

97-01 are all the same, as far as I know..

[carsrus]

How many miles?

You might wanna drop the pan and then fill it up with Lucas Transmission fix. Ive heard good stuff. Add a big bottle of that and you could probably get some more time.

Rebuilt stuff in general is flakey. Its a crapshoot, especially with transmissions since most of the time they just replace the minimum stuff. Used is definitely better, but watch for mileage. Might be better to pull yourself from a car which you could check odometer on. Plus you would get some idea on how to remove it.

[JohnGD]

IMO, 01 is the last year for the older, more reliable Aisin A-series transmissions (A-140E) for the Camry. 02+ gets the U-series clunkers that bolt to 2.4L engines and have a lot of shift problems and valve body defects. Ford uses the 6-speed junk from Aisin on some of their cars and doing reprogramming and expensive valve body replacements don't seem to help much. Ford should ramp up the 6F Le Pelletier design more quickly to get away from Aisin.

Check out this transmission replacement DIY:
Transmission Swap Write-Up and Photos

You can price out Marshall rebuilt transmissions or Jasper rebuilts. These should come with 3-year/100K mile warranty. Call them for the proper application. Use a rebuilt torque converter as well if you choose this route.

But there are plenty of junkyard transmission with 3-4 month warranties on the cheap. If you can pull your own, you may still come out ahead like in the DIY.

http://www.marshallengines.com/transmissions.htm
http://www.jasperengines.com/transmissions.php

Originally Posted by 907camry

yeah, i know it will be a direct swap im more wondering if any of the transmissions were modified in those years and if any one particular year is better to buy..

Im reading a lot that 02 transmissions are junk..

so maybe the 01 is also junk?