junk yard information.

[76CaddyHearse]

Originally Posted by swimmster

It's funny about trannies and how everyone is afraid of them.. if you can rebuild an engine, you can DEFINITLY rebuild a tranny. and yes, I'm talking about automatics. With the exception of the valve body, think of the tranny pieces as a stack of parts. the ONLY thing you need ot do is take them out and lay them out in the order they need ot go in. Everything is in a sub-assembly. so just rebuild one part at a time. Take it apart on a dirty bench and put it back together in a "clean room". that's all. 90% of the tranny parts can be washed in the dishwasher. trans fluid is more mineral oil based than petro oil. Your dishwasher won't know the difference between tranny fluid and cooking grease. except for the obvious odor. The valve body is pretty easy as well.. just do it in order. take it apart somewhere that you can lay all the pieces out and know where they go. better yet, lay them out and take a picture. cause you will want to put the valves, etc in the dishwasher too. Wash the valvebody in solvent and then the dishwasher. reassemble using clean tranny fluid or vasoline to hold in things like checkballs, etc.. For those worried about check ball placement, it's almost always very apparent where they need to go. It's really no more difficult to build a tranny than it is an engine.

hey, i'm looking for information on how to rebuild a transmission, it sounds like you know a lot. know any good books web sites?

Oh BTW, the only thing i take from junk yards is glass, body parts and nonmechanical parts.. i don't know enough to deal with replacing bad parts with other bad parts!

-Nik

[jamesmdx1]

I have all good luck with the junk yards that I use - mostly the U pull it ones.. you go in the yard with your tools and have a field day.. I pay only a few dollars for parts, and you can see what it comes out of and learn how to take the parts out - like a practice run.
They are especially good for interiors and trim parts.. stuff for your old caddy that you cannot buy anymore.
seek out the you pull it ones and make a day out of it.
I just purchased a 35,000 miles 4.5L and tranny for my 88 coupe ... from the local bone yard ... pulled my old motor and tranny - now just have to put everything in....crossing my fingers that everything will run smooth...
just my 2c

[DaveSmed]

Excellent topic! I tend to get things from other cars on the cheap and adapt them to my or my friends cars. I usually do this with electronics, as thats what i'm particularly good at. (I think you inspired me to make another thread...)

[brushwolf]

James, Can you by chance tell me what engines will swap into an 89 DeVille (4.5). I got one that is pretty decent yet, but has some kind of engine noise under load.. Thanks, Mike H

[illumina]

I just ran into some interesting information today regarding junkyard engines. Here goes:

I pulled in to a local you-pull-it yard and asked them about the pirces of their engines. They gave me several options that would factor into their prices...

Option 1.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), they pull it, as-is with no warranty, $150.00.

Option 2.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), you pull it, as-is with no warranty, $100.00.

Option 3.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), they pull it, warranty included, $200.00.

Option 4.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), you pull it, warrany included, $150.00.

Overall, I consider those pretty good deals, and if I were you, I would seek options like the ones listed above to see what you can get away with. I'm not saying that all junkyards will give options like that, but if you shop around and do your homework before you make a large purchase like that, you'll be better served with what will meet your needs. Also, please remember to factor in core charges, tax, and any other costs. Make sure that you can have at least 5 accessories added to the engine at those prices, and shop around in regards to what else you can have with the engine.

I for one would consider options 1 and 2 because of the fact that I do my own rebuilds. The only time I would consider any other options would be due to time constraints and such. If you think about it though, it would be better served to do the rebuild yourself or have someone do it for you, because at the very least, you might save some decent cash depending on where you go.

[91TexasSeville]

Originally Posted by illumina

I just ran into some interesting information today regarding junkyard engines. Here goes:

I pulled in to a local you-pull-it yard and asked them about the pirces of their engines. They gave me several options that would factor into their prices...

Option 1.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), they pull it, as-is with no warranty, $150.00.

Option 2.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), you pull it, as-is with no warranty, $100.00.

Option 3.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), they pull it, warranty included, $200.00.

Option 4.) Engine size (Cadillac V8), you pull it, warrany included, $150.00.

Overall, I consider those pretty good deals, and if I were you, I would seek options like the ones listed above to see what you can get away with. I'm not saying that all junkyards will give options like that, but if you shop around and do your homework before you make a large purchase like that, you'll be better served with what will meet your needs. Also, please remember to factor in core charges, tax, and any other costs. Make sure that you can have at least 5 accessories added to the engine at those prices, and shop around in regards to what else you can have with the engine.

I for one would consider options 1 and 2 because of the fact that I do my own rebuilds. The only time I would consider any other options would be due to time constraints and such. If you think about it though, it would be better served to do the rebuild yourself or have someone do it for you, because at the very least, you might save some decent cash depending on where you go.

All great information from the novice level to the expreienced level of bone yard shopping. Good Job!

Most of the used 4.X pushrod Cadillac engines I run across in my area have around 200K miles on them plus or minus 50K. There are no virgin low mile wrecks to pick from. Most every 88-95 Cadillac I run across has a blown tranny and little else wrong with it. I found one burned Seville and one wrecked Deville, the rest were either sitting on their rims or appeared parked in place. Many of these cars had new struts, new EGR parts, etc... but you have to buy the whole assembly i.e. rear axle, engine, etc.. There are very few pick-ur-part salvage yards in my area that have any good Cadillac parts, most have been stripped clean. The larger salvage yards sell only whole assemblies and that sucks for the DIY person, but helps the body shops and dealerships.

I found a 1993 Seville SLS that looked like it was just driven off the dealers lot. It was clean, engine deatailed, chrome rims glistening in the sunlight. I wanted the front valve cover because it was perfect. The salvage yard owner said, "sure and we'll throw in the rest of the engine for free" "$300....back up your truck over there.."