Dilemma

Well, this 3.2L V6 is brilliant in everyway except for the fact that the gearbox is slipping. Now my mechanic friend has just text him to ask him if he'll drop the price. So my dilemma is, do I buy it really cheap and my mate will put a new gearbox in for me or do I pay a hell of a lot more for one with a sound box??? Can anyone tell me how much roughly that I'm looking at for a secondhand gearbox???

http://theautomaticgearboxcompany.co.uk ... uxhall.htm
Just dug this out which might help give you some guidance - doesn't actually list the Frontera, but does list Montary 3.2 V6 which might help as a guide price.
Didn't look to see if that was fitted or just supply - one word sums it up - 'Ouch'
Have you had a look through to see is anybody is breaking a 3.2 with autobox - either on here or ebay

Have you checked the fluid level?

Yeah, my mechanic friend checked everything (I used to work with him so know he's good). Cos my laptop is broken, it's really hard to find specific things on eBay (and u can't send messages) from an I-phone app, so if anyone is browsing eBay later, would they have a check to see if any are being broken and try to discover a rough price guide pleeeease.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-FRONTERA ... sh=item27b
Can you see the link? If not below is the contact details:
MJM 4X4 SPARES HULL 01482 355110 / 07921 900147
Breaking a 1999 3.2 V6 FRONTERA AUTO.
Best of luck

newnham car spares are braeking a 3.2
phone no is 01752 345326 or
426906

hope this helps dave

I've just read the link and I agree, ouch lol. Will phone that other one in the morning, and the other one, thanks for that. At least I have a couple of numbers to start to get an idea and see if it's worth doing.

Yep, I've just checked and you're right, you can send a message via the app (it doesn't help that my screen is badly smashed and can't see it lol), thanks for that. People on here are great

iPhone parts can be seen here, theres also loads of videos on Youtube to replace if you get stuck.

http://www.appleipodparts.com

I've got to do it soon, the only thing stopping the fragments of glass falling out is the screen protector. I made the mistake of peeling it back a tiny bit and the glass was stuck to it underneath lol.
Is it a difficult job? As I was told you need a special tool and there's a million screws involved (slight over exaggeration)

The £ouch still has 20% vat to be added :roll:

Unless he was taking a huge chunk of cash off it, i would be giving it a miss. Even from a breakers, i would imagine your going to be £150/200. Then you will want it serviced before putting it into car....Its starting to mount up already, keep lookin, I dont know what rover you have, but you could try advertising for a swap or px. There will be a few v6 drivers out there, struggling with the fuel costs, looking to run something cheaper.Heres one in Loughborough [linkurl=] http://www.swapz.co.uk/swapz/1736552/of ... ra_3_2_v6/[/linkurl]

i fitted a recon auto box to mine cost me 400 and took me us about 4 hours ,i would give it a mis plenty good ones out there to be honest

hi sam

if it is a auto then the slipping is nothing to worried about get your mate to change the fluid in it and it will sort it out it is slipping due to a loss of fluid.

i had the same in my one last week after changing the engine.

just need to drain the flid completely to get rid of the old fluid. there is 2 nuts on the gearbox sump the bottom to drain the one to right is to top it up.

give a half hout to drain as it needs to drain the troqu convertor of the old fluid and this taks a while,

when it come to fill it then you will need to put the bottom bolt back in and remov e the top nut. get a piece of garden hose or thinner tube about a 1-2 meter and poke one end into the hole about 4-6 inch then poke a hole in the top of a big coke bottle large enough to put the tube through tight so it is right to the bottom. and then fill the bottle of the near the top with fluid and poke another hole near the lid and poke a tyre compressor into the hole and turn it on the air pressure will pump the fliud in faster. one the fluid is going in put a keep checking till the fluid is coming back out the hole. this means the sump is full wack the nut back in and then run the engine and cycel through the gears with it in nuetral rev the enigne to about 3000rpm to force the fluid back into the torque convertor and then turn it off.

undo the nt and repat the process to fill more oil into the the sump as it will be empty again. do this till it is full and then bolt back in and cycle through the gears and rev the lump and then nut back out and do it again.

the book says the gearbox holds 4.5 liter so you should keep going till you have done this 3 times as you will not be sure how much drained out the gearbox so check how much you got out and put it back in and tyr and get half a liter more.

most people say to jack it flat when you do it i find if you jack the drivers side you can stick a little more as it is the fluid that is used to transfer drive from the engine in an auto box.

biggdazz has a jerk between first and second and he folld this guide and found it now works seemsly with a lot more fluid in. as the book doesnt say to run the enigne to cirulate the fuild out of the sump. as these are big gearboxs and take a lot stick

for the sack of an hour and £20 on fuild it is a definatly the first thing i would try.

Auto box fault = nightmare!

just not worth the hassle, there are so many frontys out there working why buy one with a known expensive fault? Had to put a box in my brothers Freelander a month ago, £1300 cash and it took a week to do. Auto boxes are sort of a series of mini clutches so if it slips it may just be fluid but may well be much more terminal. Changeing the fluid is not so simple as most of them only drain a portion of the fluid not all so you will never get a full change without removeing it anyway.

i have run prodominatly auto since 1991 because i prefer the lazy driving it promote and 99% of faults are due to people beliveing the fable you dont change the fuild.

a fluid flush and new filter will help clear the rubbish out. this means not just draining it but draining it most of it then filling ti with cheap fluid to flush the rubish out and sysle through the bgears and putting hi revs through the boq to flood the torgque convertor with fluid and to clear the debris that gets centrafugled to its ou edge then sink to the bottom on standing.

once a half flush has been done. then jack the front and drop the sump to allow all the fluid out and bolt the sump back on and pump the fluild in in stages like i said cyclein gthe gears to ensure the fluid is back up to within half a pint of what the box will take and then go for a quick drive to allow it all to flush through and proppelry pump and build up hat and pressure if the box is still slipping or jerky between first and second this is a sign you need more fluid. follow the cycling procedure and then once you know the box has about the 4 and half litre it should take then your going to be ok.

just have the garge do it before you buy it

Thanks everyone, still thinking about it, my mechanic friend has all the facilities (it's a big workshop with 4 ramps, mot testing etc etc) it's the garage I used to run. After speaking to him properly today, he reckons someone has already tried the fluid change, so looks like it'll be a box change, he's a good mate and won't charge me for the labour. The bloke who's got the v6 is considering my offer and getting back to us on Wednesday, so that gives us a couple of days to find prices for a secondhand box, cheapest I've found so far was a 4x4 breakers at £400 (but they always charge more than private sellers, so we'll see, let me know anyone sees one for sale please

did you try gary at mjm 4x4 up in hull?