Hi All,
I was gonna bite the bullet & exchange my tranny for a MotorMeister rebuild - but I just tried their website & I can't link. I tried www.motormeister.com - I think that's it...? Then I tried a "search", still won't link.
Anyway, it's a stock trans, 1st synchro is shot & it leaks from somewhere near the aft end. It's been in the car '99 since I bought the car so... why not?
Are there other "local" shops to me that have 901 experience? Prices?
Thanks, Gary

Skip that Motor MotherMeister! Ship it to someone you know and trust...Redbeard comes to mind...B the A-Host. I'm sure there are others in our area.

As noted, red-beard (on this board and the Bird board) is in SoCal, and does 901 rebuilds. Motor Meister has a very uneven reputation.

I would definitely bypass MM as although they apparently "can" do good work, their quality, timeliness and pricing/business practices are shakey. Do a search on the Pelican Parts BBS and you will have fun reading for hours...l

In SoCal I can 100% recommend Ottos in Venice as an expert trans builder and in fact the 901 trans is one of his specialty areas. Keep in mind however that a true rebuild by Otto or any top notch shop will not be "cheap". You get what you pay for...are you looking to replace all of the wear parts that measure out of spec and/or are damaged, or just a quickie 1st/2nd gear synchro change, or something in between?

The range between a somewhat superficial job and a full build with performance mods is huge, like $1000-6000.

For that kind of dough you can easily find a good servicable used tranny that you can run for a while until it blows up...and then buy another. That option is fine for some folks, esp. if you are not racing the car or using it for daily transportation where reliability and performance are critical factors.

It all depends on what you want. I do it to help out others in the community. If you want a "perfect" tranny, it's not labor, it's the parts. $3000 for a perfect tranny,and $500 of that is labor.

I use good used parts so that someone can have a decent tranny without having to spend too much.

James

We started calling around to ALL the shops that rebuild those 3-6k 901 boxes and EVERY SINGLE F-ING SHOP.. said they "peen" the pinion bearing race when it is loose. Now: a NEW 901 case is somewhere in the 625$ range. Which would you prefer ? A complete rebuild with new case or a tranny that will blow up the R+P within a few 1000 miles.

We had a person bring in a MM rebuild box a few weeks back. I quoted him 2500$ to actually rebuild it. Pinion race was loose. We went through over 20 901 cores we had and did not find ONE that wasnt loose.

You get what you pay for. From now on out (until we find a cheaper solution) I will only quote "rebuilds" with a new case. It isnt worth having a pissed off customer when he has to yank the tranny a few 1000 miles later (which is what is happening)

B

Do the new cases have serial numbers stamped in them?

-Rusty

I agree Brad, you get what you pay for, except at Motormeister....There you just get F'd!

James

Holy crappola batman, maybe I should just keep my tranny the way it is??? What's a little leak compared to spending big $$$ on a rebuild. It only leaks when it has oil in it anyway.

If the leak is far aft, then it's probably out the rear cover, which has to be removed to fix the first gear synchro (and can be done in the car). See James' (red-beard's) site. He covers it pretty well. Just doing first gear and sealing up the tail cover is pretty easy.

Actually, my rebuild article is how to yank the entire stack and fix it completely without removing the tranny case from the car.

James

Gary,

There is another Gary, here on the right coast, who has been doing these 901 rebuilds for about 20 years...Gary Fairbanks.. I believe he advertises 3 day turnaround. I have been in his shop a few times, and he has all the factory tools, and some self made tools, and knows the tricks..

If your tranny needs a serious refreshing... that 3 day turnaround is gone

Why not pull it and fix it yourself?

I need to start charging for my tech article...

Years ago I tried to rebuild the tranny in my bug. Didn't work out to well. Lotsa special tools required. Is a 901 easier to disassemble than a bug? Tools required?
I'll check out the tech article. Thanks, Gary

I'll add the article to my tag again...

Pacific Beach 914