You could always go with a junkyard transmission and probably get a 30 day warranty at best. However, you really have no idea what you are getting there, and you have to do the work yourself.

 

Thanx Tajohns

A good 2-$300 solution. Just outside of my skill set though.

 

Still in the game .....

But the Dark one is still down. The best, fastest and cheapest suggestion I have gotten so far was to cannibalize the tranny from the 02 Astro Van I have been picking at (on blocks); and add on the bigger tail end [output for 4WD]. I ran this suggestion by my mechanic neighbor friend [now rebuilding transmissions for a local wholesale shop. He said that would require swapping the output shaft and it runs deep into the transmission [held in place with lots of clips]. So to do it right; they would have to take the 4WD and 2WD trannys apart to swap the shafts anyway. The difference with a rebuild is replacing all the seals, gaskets and check valves in there. So why pay someone to dismember a tranny and put it back together if you are not going to replace the perishable parts?

In the meanwhile, I'm not gonna let her become yard furniture. I want to get to the bottom of the rear window lock-out mystery. At least I can do the "Big 3."

 

She's finally on the road again! Although I was sure my trouble was electrical; opening it up manually was the only way to prove it. I just had to access the actuator motor and peripherals. I could pop the back window on two cars through the little rectangle; but I could never do it on my own car - until now. I found a U-Tube video that makes it easy to pop with your little finger here:
Once I got in, I disassembled the covers and unplugged a perfectly good actuator. All I know for sure right now is that there are no volts at the chassis side of the plug.

The saga continues.

 

Before having the Dark One towed to the trans shop; I cleared out all my gear and took out the "Dome Light" fuse to keep from killing the battery. While waiting for the big day I took out the battery & tray to get some measurements to the tow hook for the BIG 3.

I read back through this thread and found where I actually noted the dome/endgate connection It wasn't until I found no power to the actuator that I looked for it.

I popped the fuse in and the actuator worked. The key actually locked & unlocked all doors from that button again. It has been a real long time since I had that luxury :-P

Nothing was wrong with it mechanically. It wasn't the fuse either. I think now that taking the battery out for awhile allowed the electronics (somewhere) to just reset.

I think I will ad some kind of a "fix" to disable the dome lights from the open door sensors. Once again, the 95/96 wiring prevent me from swapping the switch with a later model

This morning I put the scanner on it again:
KWP 2000
ISO 9141
P0700 P - STILL

It is sputtering and puttering all over town and I can't find the OBD 2 Can book !

Now that the tranny has been completely rebuilt that code should not even be there. I'm thinkin' that maybe I should use a more expensive scanner (Like at the Dealer).

 

I have had my '96 for 9 months. I bought it from a guy that had it in his family over 12yrs. While looking the engine over he told me he used 50/50 regular coolant (not Dextron). OK. The truck also has a fancy remote starter that I can't figure out (Code Alarm 433 / "Sure Start"). He said his Grandma in TN used it to warm up the truck and get the heater going in the winter, I assumed the heater worked. He started up with A/C on Max every time.

Later I found 50/50 was now water (probably tap water) and it has a little black crud crumbs in it. I flushed it good with a garden hose; ran the engine a few minutes and flushed again. I then filled it with the garden hose and drove it for 2 days. I was gonna go three but the water pump blew with a couple of Hi-RPM 4WD "4-Lo" test drives. New water pump (10 times easier than a Ford or Jeep). Then I repeated the process until no crud was visible at all. then drove it another day to prove it was clean. Then I did a 100% fill of Prestone - concentrate. Many folks say NEVER go 100%. I say what can it harm? Anyway all went well. My only complaint was the fan motor control was shot. I pulled an entire climate control panel from a (95) but have not yet put it in.

When it finally got cold enough down here (FL), to want heat; it did not work or the vacuum/electronic controls were too messed up to switch the coolant through. Anyway it only matters a few days of the year. I figured when I could understand the owner/installer manual for the Code Alarm 433 / "Sure Start;" I would sort out the other features like car alarm (not working) and find out why the entire climate control selections start so slowly using it.

Now none of the controls (floor - floor/defrost- vent/floor-dash vent or just defrost) are working correctly. I am currently doing what the P O did-started up with A/C on Max every time and leave it there. But now it blows out the defrost and floor lol

I can (and have) lived with worse. Now that I'm driving it again it seems to run just as cool as before (+or- halfway point) around town for short runs and on the Hi-way. When I put my foot into it and get past all the sputtering and puttering it runs great. but starts to get up around 3/4 on the Temp gauge fast. It often smells like it is running rich. I want answers but I am still recovering from the cost of the Tranny

 

I had a heck of a time with coolant after I replaced my engine. The used engine had Dexcool in it. I flushed it with water when it was replaced. Even after that it overheated when it was -4 out because the green had mixed with whatever hidden dexcool was left. I ran it with water and drained it every day and refilled with water and flush solution every few days until the water started coming out clear. Even after 3 flushes it was still coming out brown. I finally got it to where the coolant is green and it has been fine for over a year now.

 

I dunno where my coolant is going. I see no leakage anywhere I park or idle but about once a week I open the radiator cap and try to top it up. Last week I ran out of Prestone and started adding distilled water. Never really above halfway now. I mean to hot rod it a little this holiday W/E and see what she does.

Found My ODB II / Can book. The only issue seems to be "Cat Not Ready" related.

That may explain the rich fuel smell and the sputtering. When I gutted the exhaust for something better I was told that they can put a little spacer between the sensor and the pipe to tell the OBD that the cat was blowin' clean. My sensor was stuck/stripped so we opted to replace it with a new one at N/C. I have it now I just gotta get down to Ft Lauderdale on a weekday to have it put in.

 

One of the things I luv about this forum is finding a lot of "been there - Done that" kinds of project tips.

I want to install Back-Up lights. I love my "Privacy Glass" but have a hard time not running into my hedge while backing up my driveway at night. I would prefer a separate switch from up front but tapping into the wire for the reverse lights would be OK too. The key for me is to make as few connections as possible outside (in the weather) to keep corrosion a minimum.

I'm looking for ideas.

 

The new Tranny gave the Dark One a "new lease on life." Shift handle on the column is a little loose but it shifts real positive. Time to stop the sputtering and puttering all over town. The only real code is "Cat Not Ready." I had bought a new Bosh 02 sensor before loosing the tranny. My muffler guy said he would put in a "Bong & Spacer" in where the Cat used to be - to fool the computer into thinking the cat was working "Optimally" with clean air passing by. It worked so well that not only did she run smoother; but the "rich" fuel smell is gone too.
On my first long drive after the rebuild I noticed a shake. I passed it off as maybe the tires were a little flat on one side for sitting so many weeks in extreme heat. A 120 round trip did not really smooth out any flat areas as I had hoped. I couldn't find the air fitting to my compressor but made a good search for it. Driving back home from the muffler shop yesterday [60 miles], I noticed a shake at speeds over 60. The faster I go, the worse it gets. At 80 it feels like driving over a poorly patched stretch of hi-way. I was beginning to think "U-Joints" or a poorly balance drive shaft. It was about time to let the Tranny shop do the 10 day inspection; so I went there. The manager tried to tell me that both the loose shifter and the shake were imaginary; and besides, It's got almost 200k and 21 yrs old.
Either way, the problems (real or imaginary), would have nothing to do with the rebuild of the tranny. I was shocked that this guy would talk to me like some housewife that doesn't know a screwdriver from a torque wrench. I think its time for a second opinion.
I'll check the tire pressures first.