Fair labor rate for Trans swap..

96_Lincoln_LSC

96_Lincoln_LSC

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What would you pay for labor to swap out a transmission in a 96 Mk8?
I am going to upgrade the trans to the 98, which is on its way.
I have been given 300.00 at a local shop and another member has offered to do it for 200.00 if I assist him (no problem there) at first everyone was telling me that I need to remove the hard harness inside and reuse mine from the 96 which was requiring more labor and time, thus increasing the labor involved, now I understand that I really only need to do a repin as my 96 already has the updated solenoids in it and the resistance rating is the same as in the 98 and newer trans. this is good as I was also expecting to replace all internal solenoids.

I am looking into the J-mod at this time and want to know how much more I can expect to jack up the labor to have this done at the time of the swap.

What would you pay?
Bill
 
they told me a rebuilt costs about $1500-1700.

Most shops wont do any modifications to the transmissions, too much of a liability.
 
Bill, you can re-pin the wiring harness but make sure you or who ever is doing it, does it right. It's easier just swapping the solenoids and wiring harness from the 96 over to the 98 and then that's it. You could do that yourself with 10% of common sense. I gave you the pictured and detailed instructions on how to do it.

You can even do the J-Mod yourself within 30 to 45 min using two drill bits, a ratchet and a couple or sockets and wrenches. Your question should be how much would one pay someone else to help you do a trans swap.

Get help pulling out the 96 and have it setting in the floor. Let them go back home if they need to and you do your swap and J-Mod. Next day, do the install and get the 98 put in. If you are having it done at a garage, get the 96 pulled, load onto truck, take home, do the swap and J-Mod at home and then take back to the shop the next day and install the 98.
 
k9t8m said:
Most shops wont do any modifications to the transmissions, too much of a liability.
Click to expand...

This is true too. Finding a shop to do what you can do in less than an hour is going to be difficult. Removing the valve body is easy to do and drilling about 7 holes with only one being a different size takes about 2 minutes. Remove the burr from the holes you drilled. Use some old fluid and smear around on the new gaskets and put the valve body back together. If I was up your way, I would do it for you for nothing. Removing and replacing is the hard part.
 
NoLimit95 said:
Bill, you can re-pin the wiring harness but make sure you or who ever is doing it, does it right. It's easier just swapping the solenoids and wiring harness from the 96 over to the 98 and then that's it. You could do that yourself with 10% of common sense. I gave you the pictured and detailed instructions on how to do it.

You can even do the J-Mod yourself within 30 to 45 min using two drill bits, a ratchet and a couple or sockets and wrenches. Your question should be how much would one pay someone else to help you do a trans swap.

Get help pulling out the 96 and have it setting in the floor. Let them go back home if they need to and you do your swap and J-Mod. Next day, do the install and get the 98 put in. If you are having it done at a garage, get the 96 pulled, load onto truck, take home, do the swap and J-Mod at home and then take back to the shop the next day and install the 98.
Click to expand...

Hey, Thanks for the reply, I'm not having any real issues with the information Provided, I am just hunting to find someone local, that may offer up a fair labor rate. I have one person who is willing to to the labor on the trans but if I ask to do additional work like any shop the price goes up. I'm needing to find the cheapest labor that can also allow me to get this and the Re-Pin accomplished while its being done.
I have already paid for the trans and its on its way, I have also picked up 3 gallons of Castrol Merc V, new tail shaft seal, TC input Shaft seal, and Gear selector seal. Still need new O-ring for Dipstick tube. I have printed out the diagrams and have already written down which pin goes where, so its just a amatter of labor at this point. and oh yea, Already hooked u with a fella on Tccoa.com and he's sending me out the Plate and gaskets for the J-mod..

Still not 100% sure, Does the VB have to be drilled for the J-mod, he claims that he's sending the plate and gaskets, I am not sure if that means the VB plate thats already drilled to just above Stock.
Anyway Thanks for all the Spoon feeding! Way to cluttered a mess this search feature is when trying to find specific info about the 96!

Bill

Happy New Year All!
 
96_Lincoln_LSC said:
Hey, Thanks for the reply, I'm not having any real issues with the information Provided, I am just hunting to find someone local, that may offer up a fair labor rate. I have one person who is willing to to the labor on the trans but if I ask to do additional work like any shop the price goes up. I'm needing to find the cheapest labor that can also allow me to get this and the Re-Pin accomplished while its being done.
I have already paid for the trans and its on its way, I have also picked up 3 gallons of Castrol Merc V, new tail shaft seal, TC input Shaft seal, and Gear selector seal. Still need new O-ring for Dipstick tube. I have printed out the diagrams and have already written down which pin goes where, so its just a amatter of labor at this point. and oh yea, Already hooked u with a fella on Tccoa.com and he's sending me out the Plate and gaskets for the J-mod..

Still not 100% sure, Does the VB have to be drilled for the J-mod, he claims that he's sending the plate and gaskets, I am not sure if that means the VB plate thats already drilled to just above Stock.
Anyway Thanks for all the Spoon feeding! Way to cluttered a mess this search feature is when trying to find specific info about the 96!

Bill

Happy New Year All!
Click to expand...

If you bought the plate kit from RobertP as I suggested, then it's coming pre-drilled to your requested specs. Don't forget the TC nuts in addition to the dipstick tube o-ring.
 
DLF said:
If you bought the plate kit from RobertP as I suggested, then it's coming pre-drilled to your requested specs. Don't forget the TC nuts in addition to the dipstick tube o-ring.
Click to expand...

Doug,
Yea, I am having the kit from RobertP. he had a little discount on the Kit, 20.00 off for Tccoa members. anyway, I am just waiting for him to get back to me. So far it looks as if I WILL be taking the drive out for ya.. Anyway Still hunting for the 4 TC nuts, and o-ring...
Hope to have this all ready very soon so we can get this completed.
Thanks
Bill
 
96_Lincoln_LSC said:
Already hooked u with a fella on Tccoa.com and he's sending me out the Plate and gaskets for the J-mod..

Still not 100% sure, Does the VB have to be drilled for the J-mod, he claims that he's sending the plate and gaskets, I am not sure if that means the VB plate thats already drilled to just above Stock.
Anyway Thanks for all the Spoon feeding! Way to cluttered a mess this search feature is when trying to find specific info about the 96!

Bill

Happy New Year All!
Click to expand...

Bill, I'm not sure what you ordered but all you needed were the gaskets from Maxx and they come ready to go. All you would have to do is get a 7/64 bit and a 3/32 bit and drill the holes in the plate yourself. Just the plate only. The valve body does not get drilled. All holes are already in the plate. You would only be making them bigger. The 3/32 hole is for the reverse and that's the only hole that requires that bit.

Just make sure that who ever is re-pinning the harness knows what they're doing. It's very easy to end up having 1st and 2nd gear only by improperly re-pinning the harness. Some of that tccoa re-pinning crap ain't exactly dead on. Some pics are backwards. This is why I chose to just swap out the electrical internals (solenoids) and complete wiring harness and then it was a done deal. It worked perfectly. I can't speak for the re-pin personally because I have never done it. Some on here have and some have just swapped out solenoids and wire harness. Tommy that used to be on here tried the re-pin and it didn't work out too well for him. He drove all the way home in 2nd gear. Him and his helper also went by the tccoa re-pin instructions. KK might know more about that story if he reads this. He wasn't the helper but he would know more about it.

Like DLF mentioned. Getting a plate pre-drilled for the J-Mod would have been easier but I know you're trying to save some dollars, as I was when I done mine. If you have both transmissions laid out, side by side, upside down, the electrical swap and J-Mod can be done within an hour to an hour 1/2. I'm just trying to save you money for crazy simple work that another might try to call complicated and charge you stupid money for. All your helper would be paid for is removing and replacing. The trans would be plug and play. I done the solenoid swap and J-Mod in my garage while setting on a concrete block for under $30.00 and that was for 2 new gaskets and two new seals shipped to me from Maxx. Then I paid someone $100 to help remove and replace while the car was up on stands and blocks.

TransSwap003.jpg


TransSwap001.jpg


That's how high I had the car. Just enough room to get a trans under there and then get it onto a hydraulic jack once the other one was pulled out and out of the way. I done the exhaust removal, fuel tank removal, DS removal myself. Once the trans was in, I replaced everything myself. The helper did help me hold the tank up for a minute while I got one strap bolted back on but then he was gone after that. It was all easy, just time consuming. I promise, if I can do this, you can do it. It's all about how much money you want to spend but remember, you only want to do this one time, not twice.
 
These 4 TC nuts that y'all are speaking of should already be on the TC unless you have been told they aren't. I didn't need any nuts for the TC for mine and I'm not sure why you do but maybe you know something about your TC that I don't. Honestly it seems like I used the same nuts out of the 94 trans and used those to bolt the TC to the fly wheel. Can't really remember. That's been a year and an explosion ago.
 
NoLimit95 said:
These 4 TC nuts that y'all are speaking of should already be on the TC unless you have been told they aren't. I didn't need any nuts for the TC for mine and I'm not sure why you do but maybe you know something about your TC that I don't. Honestly it seems like I used the same nuts out of the 94 trans and used those to bolt the TC to the fly wheel. Can't really remember. That's been a year and an explosion ago.
Click to expand...

Terry,
I would not even have a problem doing this on my back in my driveway, its like 20 to 30 degree's out and on your back dropping the exhaust and fuel tank in this weather and then trying to reach all the little odds and ends stuff, well lets just say if you had a garage and possibly a lift things would be a hell of a lot different.. This is why I have to pay someone to help and or Do the Job. If it were like my bronco, or my old TA when I owned them, I could have done them on my back no problem there relatively simple, I know because I have had to do them hell I can even tell you what and how many bolts are involved, Anyway, I am hoping that DLF will be able to squeeze me in sometime in the upcoming week if it all plays out properly.. and as far as the TC nuts, I was told that they are a 1 time use Item only.. should be replaced if you take them off of the TC. they will be with the new TC(used from M-Maker) but again should be replaced to be safe.
Thats where that came from.
Bill

Happy New Year.!!!:D
 
NoLimit95 said:
Bill, I'm not sure what you ordered but all you needed were the gaskets from Maxx and they come ready to go. All you would have to do is get a 7/64 bit and a 3/32 bit and drill the holes in the plate yourself. Just the plate only. The valve body does not get drilled. All holes are already in the plate. You would only be making them bigger. The 3/32 hole is for the reverse and that's the only hole that requires that bit.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for clearing that up for me, I wasnt completely sure how that worked the j-mod, Figured it was just the plate but wasntsure if the VB plate had to be modified... I was a bit confused...
Anyway.
Thanks
Bill
 
96_Lincoln_LSC said:
Terry,
I would not even have a problem doing this on my back in my driveway, its like 20 to 30 degree's out and on your back dropping the exhaust and fuel tank in this weather and then trying to reach all the little odds and ends stuff, well lets just say if you had a garage and possibly a lift things would be a hell of a lot different.. This is why I have to pay someone to help and or Do the Job. If it were like my bronco, or my old TA when I owned them, I could have done them on my back no problem there relatively simple, I know because I have had to do them hell I can even tell you what and how many bolts are involved, Anyway, I am hoping that DLF will be able to squeeze me in sometime in the upcoming week if it all plays out properly.. and as far as the TC nuts, I was told that they are a 1 time use Item only.. should be replaced if you take them off of the TC. they will be with the new TC(used from M-Maker) but again should be replaced to be safe.
Thats where that came from.



Happy New Year.!!!:D
Bill
Click to expand...

No garage makes perfect sense now and DLF's garage makes even more sense lol. As for the bolts, I never heard of them being a one time use thing. They looked like normal nuts to me but maybe something is different about them. Either way, DLF is involved so you're in good hands with the whole thing. I wouldn't lay outside either in those temps. That's one thing I can't stand is being out in the cold and working on a car. In the pics above, it was very cold out but the garage was heated at around 70 degrees in there. Seems like it was around 30 outside here then too. Anyway, when all of your swapping is said and done, you'll fall in love with the car again. Take some pics if possible.
 
This was some good information, because I am in the same situation right now and I haven't found a 98 or later transmission yet. I do have a question about he TC. Since I had TC shutter do I have to replace the TC? Is there a better one out there and more reliable than the stock one?

Seth
 
It's either that or you'll find yourself not moving one day. Mine got so bad I had to manual shift it and sometimes as I was coming to a stop sign, it wouldn't come out of 3rd gear and the car would die but you can't be dropping the gears on these transmissions so you have to manually do it as you're coming to a stop and press the gas at the same time. You'll know when it's about ready to go out on you. Some lose 3rd and 4th, some lose reverse. They all go out in different ways but it all starts with shudder. Some say flush with fresh Mercon V and it fixes it and some say if the fluid is burnt, to drain maybe the pan and add some fresh to it but none of that fixed mine. Swapping to a 98 worked. (My experience)

As for recommending a TC for your transmission, someone else would have to step in on that one. A good TC can cost as much as a whole 98-99 trans with upgraded TC and would I put it in a pre-98 trans? No.
 
OK, I get your view on the upgraded TC. Now I understand that the 98 and newer transmissions have a shift kit in them? I have found a 99 transmission out of a mustang and the seller said that it had a shift kit in it. Guess I should ask what kind but I am trying to get the price down and not enhanced his selling point. LOL.
 
mistermaclincoln said:
OK, I get your view on the upgraded TC. Now I understand that the 98 and newer transmissions have a shift kit in them? I have found a 99 transmission out of a mustang and the seller said that it had a shift kit in it. Guess I should ask what kind but I am trying to get the price down and not enhanced his selling point. LOL.
Click to expand...

98 and up does not have a shift kit in them unless it was installed or the j-mod was done to it. j-mod allows more fluid flow for quicker shifts and no hesitation when reverse is engaged. The trans can be had for $250 to $600, depending on mileage and how much money someone is trying to make. I paid $250 for mine delivered to my door step but I got lucky and it had 68K on it. You can do the j-mod yourself for under $10.00 if all you replace are the two gaskets but if you're going to swap, go ahead and replace the front and rear seals and then you're looking at around $30. Seals run around $10 each and then shipping for everything. Get the parts from Maxx. Check ad on the right side of the screen.
 
Have you or do you know what a DTR sensor is? This is what is on this transmission. He has a flex plate for a 4-valve motor. I guess he is offering this plate because this transmission came out of a 2-valve. I shouldn't need his flex plate?
 
mistermaclincoln said:
Have you or do you know what a DTR sensor is? This is what is on this transmission. He has a flex plate for a 4-valve motor. I guess he is offering this plate because this transmission came out of a 2-valve. I shouldn't need his flex plate?
Click to expand...

You shouldn't but you need to make sure the bolt pattern is the same for that trans to bolt up to your motor. The DTR sounds more like the MLPS. (Manual Lever Position Sensor) and the DTR is (Digital Trans Sensor)

If it bolts up the same, you would be swapping out all the electrical stuff anyway, unless you have it re-pinned to work with your car.
 
No, I am going to do the electrical swap, I hate pins. MLPS sound like shift position sensor. I am starting to get all of this.
 
Really you need to get the numbers off the trans an post them on here and a few pics of it. I had a guy offering me a trans out of a Mustang and the bolt pattern wasn't the same. It was a 99 or 00

The electrical swap IMO is the way to go. It's simple to do if you have both setting right there beside you upside down. The swap can be done in 30 min or less.
 
Terry,
I am doing the repin as I'm trying to get everything done and ready for DLF or whoever is going to do the trans. the problem is, if I have to swap out the harness, then I have to as well as anyone else has to, umm purchase aditional solenoids because the 98 + trans uses that circuit board and the 97 and olders have wires with different connectors, now I know you can make the older solenoids work by trimming the connector on the solenoid side but I also know if your having problems now with shudder, do you really want to take the chance of putting in those same solenoids during your swap? I dont and honestly repin will save me 150.00 in new stuff. Unless someone out there can show me or give me a really good reason NOT to REPIN, then its the way I will go.


Also for anyone reading this Keep this in mind, if your 96,97 trans then the TCC solenoid is a high resistance and will work with a repin, Thus no need to swap it out. if your trans is prior to 96 then you have a 3-5 ohm resistance and YOU MUST SWAP TCC SOLENOID and WIRES for proper connection.. repin wont work as the SOLENOID MUST BE from that year car.. 96+ is ODB2 and 95 and down are ODB1 controls the trans differently.
Oh I'm definatly getting the J-mod done as well, I have a kit on order now from RobertP from TCCoA.com



Good Luck and hope my info is accurate as I have been doing a lot of reading.
Bill
 
You want to swap everything over from the inside of the trans... plugs, wiring, everything... trust me...
 
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