I finally got my tax return money (yeah, I filed late) and decided it'* time to get my tranny fixed. Back when I had the stock motor mount in I was experiencing what I believe to be "chuggle" right around that 1500 rpm range (most noticeable when travelling between 40 and 70 mph). After I replaced my now busted stock motor mount with a solid one, the "chuggle" went away but was replaced by a growling vibration at the same rpm range. It'* been getting gradually worse so today I dropped it off at the dealer to get it fixed. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Funnily enough (3 hours sleep people!) the tech that will be working on it says to me, almost the first words out of his mouth, "transmission parts are expensive." I guess he was wanting to prepare me for the possibility that a repair might be cost prohibitive. Ican handle the cost of a new tranny, but I sure would like it if it'* an easy and cheap fix.

I'm expecting to get a call late this afternoon with the verdict! I'll let you guys how when I hear something.

A reputable transmission shop would probably be 1/2 the cost of the local dealership. If the dealer does the work, hope they replace it as a unit. Most mechanics (except Dodge) do not work inside transmissions day in and day out.

I agree. Get a diagnosis ONLY from the dealer, then go to a reputable trans shop for a second opinion.

Most trans shops will rebuild your trans to better specs than OEM with more updated parts. They have far more knowledge than a dealership mechanic will have.

Boosty and Will, I thought about that too, but the shops I talked to near me were all giving me "worst cases", which is fine, but thier worst case cost more than just having a new (remanufactured) tranny put in at the dealer. I convinced one place to give me an "average" repair cost on the 65E and it was only $800 less than what an installed replacement from the dealer would be. All the shops I've talked to said they wouldn't/couldn't give me even a rough estimate until they actually got inside of it, which costs $$ for removal and tear-down. It all may be a moot point anyhow.

I just got off the phone with the dealer and they want to do some additional diagnosis before they tear into the tranny. It is the tech'* belief that my problem may be the result of something wonky with the engine.

With it being the weekend (still wondering WHY I did this on a weekend) I'm in limbo until Monday.

Happy Easter everyone!