I'm recently ...in the market for a used transmission for a 97' SC2 Auto Transmission, since mine decided to let go and throw something threw the side during one of the biggest snowstorm this year we've had - great timing!
Had you gotten struck and spun the wheels a lot to get out? If so you likely threw the differentail spider gears cross shaft out and the pieces from the spiders broke the case too.
I did earlier this week. How often does this occur in Saturn trannies? I have a friend who had something throw a hole in his manual about 5 months ago...
It is not that rare in a Saturn actually.Kinda a design weakness or flaw if you want. If you spin the wheels a lot it can happen. (you have to get pretty agressive about it and heat things up) The "fix" that some use is to weld the pin to the carrier on one side so it cannot come out. If you have a stick and drive hard (trying to or actually doing burn outs) it is basically a question of time before it happens
Since it is now winter this is a timely subject. The differential side gears are used to adjust for the slight variations in distance traveled by the inside and outside wheels in a turn. In a turn, the speed of the side gear of the inside axle is slowed slightly and the speed of the gear on the outside is increased slightly. Since the speed of the differential gears is (normally) very low they are not usually equipped with bearings or bushings and tend to have poor oil supply. Since the outside gear speed increases by the same amount as the inner gear slows, when one drive wheel is on solid ground and one is on ice, the wheel with the good traction will be stopped but the wheel on ice will be turning at twice the indicated speed and the differential gears will be spinning much much faster than their design allows. Failure is usually from accumulated & progressive damage but could be caused by one severe occurrence. This is a very expensive failure that can be avoided by NEVER allowing one wheel to spin while the other is stopped. Rocking a vehicle gently where both wheels are spinning slowly seldom causes damage but YMMV. This problem may occur in manual or automatic transmission vehicles, and is most likely when trying to start up on a slight upslope. Rapidly spinning wheels can also place very large impact loads on drivelines if the wheels suddenly spin off the ice onto a surface with good traction.
This is a nice explanation. For some reason though due to design, Saturns tend to loose the cross pin the spiders ride on fairly easily at times with excessive spinning moreso than any other model car it seems. You do not want to burn the tires of the rims spining in snow and ice with one of them if you are stuck because you may have bigger problems yet if you do as the original poster did.
IIRC the problem is with the differential cross pin retainer. I have also read several reports of a large nut that can loosen and contact the case. Both are expensive. Proper application of torque to the wheels in order to prevent asymmetric spinning is simply good standard practice and proper operation in any vehicle. Allowing any wheel to spin rapidly or for an extended period is detrimental to any vehicle with a differential gear set including 4WD vehicles (especially full time 4WD) or tandem axle trucks, as they have differential gear sets in both front and rear axles and may also have another differential gear set in the transfer case or power divider. Spinning of wheels on low traction surfaces is a mark of an inexperienced operator. In addition to the possible differential damage, it can cause excessive (and expensive) shock loads on the entire driveline. The slip then grab cycle is the worst especially if wearing chains or if the vehicle starts a bouncing cycle. Differential damage can also happen if one wheel is spun while on a jack or blocking. If it is necessary to spin the wheels for diagnostic purposes, the vehicle should be raised on SECURE blocking (not jacks) and excessive speeds and duration should be avoided, spin the wheels by hand first to test for any drag which could cause unequal wheel speeds and USE EXTREME CAUTION. YMMV
I got a good offer from: 6th Planet Auto Parts PO Box 1482 Arcadia, FL 34265-1482 Telephone: (239) 336-7100 www.6thplanetusedparts.com But upon looking them up on BBB, they seem to have a "few" complaints. Any experiences you guys have? Other suggestions for a used Saturn engine?
Are you looking for an engine or a transmission? or both? How 'used' is the rest of the car? Salvage value? This vehicle may be beyond economic repair. The good news is that these cars are available very inexpensively used and you can probably buy another car for the cost to repair yours. If you buy another car with the same driveline and similar year you should be able to just use the parts and keep the best vehicle on the road. Good luck
