Hey everybody
I have a 2005 2.5i 5-speed automatic.
My mechanic told me today that my transmission has a small leak. He said it's hard to know where the leak is originating - it could be a seal, the torque converter, a pump, etc. He says it'll probably cost about $1000 to repair, but that it's possible there's transmission damage already, in which case, it's wasted money. His recommendation was to keep driving it until the transmission eventually fails which could be somewhat soon or 30,000 miles from now.
Before you give me your opinion, there are a few other details to add, some which may or may not impact this issue. But here goes:
If I'm driving at a slow rate of acceleration, esp on any incline, when the car shifts into 4th or 5th, there's a growling noise momentarily. There's a lot of torque going on at lower RPMs and going uphill. OTOH, if I drive in Sport Mode, the growling NEVER happens no matter how slowly I accelerate or if I'm on an incline.
Secondly, there's a pretty strong smell entering the cabin that starts to happen after driving for awhile, esp on the freeway. It kind of smells like oil, but I'm not 100% sure. If I'm on a road trip, after an hour or two, my eyes my get a little itchy. If I turn on the AC and blast it, the smell starts to go away. Or, if I have the top down, then of course it just wafts away.
Third, when the car is in-gear and accelerating, there's a click click click click sound happening. This only happens when the transmission is engaged. It NEVER happens if hit the gas in neutral. One mechanic said it's the belt tensioners. My regular mechanic said it could be a bunch of things, including lifters, an alternator going bad, etc, and not to worry about it until a code shows up or something fails. Somebody on one the threads here was talking about this same clicking sound on their car and said it's a bad torque converter.
Lastly, I'm not sure if the car is sluggish or normal because I bought the car several months ago and it's always driven like this, so I don't know if it's supposed to be zippier than it is or not or if the transmission isn't working optimally.
Overall, it runs really well and I've fixed all engine leaks, replaced fuel injectors, had all the fluids changed (including transmission and differential), put on new tires, etc. This is the last major issue..... (famous last words? haha)
So what I'm wondering is if all the above things might be related to the same issue and if it might be worth spending the $1000 to see. Rebuilding the tranny is about $4k according to my mechanic. It's a tough choice....
What do you think?
Thanks!!
I have a 2005 2.5i 5-speed automatic.
My mechanic told me today that my transmission has a small leak. He said it's hard to know where the leak is originating - it could be a seal, the torque converter, a pump, etc. He says it'll probably cost about $1000 to repair, but that it's possible there's transmission damage already, in which case, it's wasted money. His recommendation was to keep driving it until the transmission eventually fails which could be somewhat soon or 30,000 miles from now.
Before you give me your opinion, there are a few other details to add, some which may or may not impact this issue. But here goes:
If I'm driving at a slow rate of acceleration, esp on any incline, when the car shifts into 4th or 5th, there's a growling noise momentarily. There's a lot of torque going on at lower RPMs and going uphill. OTOH, if I drive in Sport Mode, the growling NEVER happens no matter how slowly I accelerate or if I'm on an incline.
Secondly, there's a pretty strong smell entering the cabin that starts to happen after driving for awhile, esp on the freeway. It kind of smells like oil, but I'm not 100% sure. If I'm on a road trip, after an hour or two, my eyes my get a little itchy. If I turn on the AC and blast it, the smell starts to go away. Or, if I have the top down, then of course it just wafts away.
Third, when the car is in-gear and accelerating, there's a click click click click sound happening. This only happens when the transmission is engaged. It NEVER happens if hit the gas in neutral. One mechanic said it's the belt tensioners. My regular mechanic said it could be a bunch of things, including lifters, an alternator going bad, etc, and not to worry about it until a code shows up or something fails. Somebody on one the threads here was talking about this same clicking sound on their car and said it's a bad torque converter.
Lastly, I'm not sure if the car is sluggish or normal because I bought the car several months ago and it's always driven like this, so I don't know if it's supposed to be zippier than it is or not or if the transmission isn't working optimally.
Overall, it runs really well and I've fixed all engine leaks, replaced fuel injectors, had all the fluids changed (including transmission and differential), put on new tires, etc. This is the last major issue..... (famous last words? haha)
So what I'm wondering is if all the above things might be related to the same issue and if it might be worth spending the $1000 to see. Rebuilding the tranny is about $4k according to my mechanic. It's a tough choice....
What do you think?
Thanks!!
