Scruffy Rides Again!!!

It's been a long time coming, but she's back!!!

Found out that even with the drop, she'll still do OK on a wheel lift type tow truck. You know that transmission I got from the junkyard??? Turned out to be every bit as junky as the vendor's name would have you believe, as well as just a junky as the one I started with in there. Before I swapped transmissions, I tried the valve body from the junkyard unit in the one in the car. I pretty much knew it wasn't going to work when I pulled the pan off. I've heard of the burnt clutches smell from automatics before, but now I know what it is. So, put the junkyard transmission in (as well as a new motor mount, transmission mount, one axle and the cooler lines, not to mention fluids. Once I got that back together and it didn't work, I tried the original valve body in the junkyard transmission. So, a lot of practice pulling all the stuff that goes over the transmission pan (mainly the battery tray and air intake), with no good to come of it. Ah well. Having grown weary of doing such things, I called up a transmission shop I've dealt with before and had them come get it.

Ended up costing more than either of the last two Saturns I've purchased, but hey, it comes with something none of them did, a two year warranty!!! I'll take it. In the meantime, I've sanded down the door and rear quarter panels, and put a coat of rattle can black on the doors. The transmission seems to be doing well, but the four months or so of sitting doesn't seem to have done the battery any favors. It is cranking a bit slow every time now. I'll check the connections before I get another one, but I have a feeling that's coming, too. Oh yeah, that air conditioning recharge I had done back before the transmission debacle doesn't seem to have taken, so I'm looking at having to do SOMETHING with that, too.

In for a penny, in for a pound.