'94 Jackaroo auto trans concern/question

Submitted: Sunday, Oct 19, 2003 at 17:00

ThreadID: 7925 Views:2530 Replies:4 FollowUps:1

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dogart

Have finally decided on the 2nd hand 4WD that's replacing the 84 LS Jack.
Found a '94 Jackaroo Monterey Auto Petrol with 150 000km for $17500.
Going to spend the other $7000 that was going to go into getting a 98/99 Jack,
on a nice 4.45 Stacer Alum Dinghy. All up a great fun package for $24500 that will give us years of enjoyment.

Anyway, the car is at a wholesale yard and I managed to contact the previous owner
to ask him some questions about it's history. He's the second owner.
A concern I have is regarding the Auto Trans. This is what he said had happened....

The A/Trans was checked during a service by their holden yard before they went down south for holidays. When they were on the beach he noticed what looked like "red dust sorta stuff" flying up (I'm sure he said he was going in reverse) but he soon relised it was A/Trans fluid, as well as the A/Trans light come on, he stopped immediately. The Auto trans hose had come off and all the oil had pumped out onto the beach. Being a Truckie he is in the habit of carrying a bag of brake fluid/engine oil/trans fluid etc. and was able top put 2L back in. There was one sandy hill that they needed to go back up but couldn't. Not sure if they light was off after putting 2L of oil back in the case and then it came on whilst on the incline. However he didn't proceed and walked back to the caravan park and got more A/Tran oil. Filled it up to capacity (5L) and kept on going. Says he hasn't had any troubles since.
He did return it to the holden yard for some answers but didn't get very much help. In the end they apparently did check it out and said no problems found.

What are the diff scenarios as to what damage could have happened. Can it be properly check with a pre purchase RAC inspection or is this a speciality job.
Cause for concern?

I drove the car for about 10/15min yesterday and didn't notice any prob's.
Drove it on Hwy was sitting on 100km/h at about 2800rpm smooth & quiet, very responsive and good off the lights.
The prev owner also noticed on very few occasions a couple of coolant drops on the floor and suspects it could be water pump seal/gasket. Will check.
I've notice some oil build up and runs from around the passenger side of the cyl/head/gask area and will have this looked at too.

The previous owner was very helpfull in giving me the run down of his history with the vehicle. He's had it for 12 months, and under warranty has had the following done.
April this year
- new power steering pump and new brass seals
- new aircon condensor etc $1000
after holden regassed and that didn't fix prob with poor cooling
- CV boots replaced
- new belts (timing belt at 109000km's by 1st owner)

overall the car has everything we want is powerfull and in good nik and the large elec sunroof absolutely rocks! colour is white great for our hot perth summers.

Any reply will be greatly appreciated.

PS
This forum is the best,
I have posted numerous questions regarding diff types of 4wd's to help me narrow down the possibilities and get some good grounding before parting with the moola.
thanks to all those replys over the last 4/5 months.

cheers
wolf

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Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Sunday, Oct 19, 2003 at 23:05

Sunday, Oct 19, 2003 at 23:05

I would look elsewhere..

Any issues are hassles.

Then again any second hand car, you are usually buying someone elses problems.
but who can afford new

AnswerID: 34407

Reply By: Member - Bradley- Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 12:19

Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 12:19

Hi Wolf, first i would be wary of the ks on the car as none of the jacks i have worked on had these problems at those ks. Particularly ps pump etc. Oil leak is probably because they didn't fit new rocker cover gaskets when they did the timing belt, The belt tensioner should have also been changed at this time but probably wasn't ( they lose pressure over time and generate a loud knocking sound at cold idle ) The water pump is internal and doesn't usually give trouble, but dealers usually just drop the lower radiator hose to change coolant so it may just be a leak in this area. If possible get a sample of the trans fluid and check the colour, it should be bright red and clean ie. no signs of fine metal etc.

If you like the car and the price is right, get a full inspection carried out and keep some cash aside to get the trans serviced and the cooler flushed and new lines fitted. if the trans only lost fluid and therefore lost drive pressure then it should not have done any damage.

The interior will give you the best indication of condition, and don't forget that the auto jacks love a drink !! as with any auto vehicle.
Sounds like a nice machine with all the goodies, look after it and she will repay you with many good times. Good luck Brad.Life is short- but there's always time for a yarda.

AnswerID: 34447

Reply By: Savvas - Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 17:30

Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 17:30

I'd look elsewhere.

While it may seem to be ok now, the problem with the trans on the beach has definitely impacted its longevity.

AnswerID: 34482

Reply By: dogart - Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 22:37

Monday, Oct 20, 2003 at 22:37

Bradley

thanks for the detailed reply.

The Montie is in good no excellent condition in and out.
I'm getting it checked by a specialist 4wd centre here in Perth (Robson Bros.)
I figure that the p'steering & air-con is no longer something I should have to possibly fix later having already been done.
The auto I'll get sused no matter what, under statutory warranty, the dealer WILL by law have to get it properly checked if I say there is a prob.
I'm going to hagle hard for the allstates warranty to be thrown in. With this warranty I can take it to "who I like" and get the service done every 6 months or 10000kms which I would do anyway.

What sort of $'s are we looking at for a Auto/Trans service/overhaul for the Montie?

The previous owner was certain that the auto only lost fluid due to the hose coming off (prob a human error by holden service shop). He seems pretty cluey and was onto it quick smart. Not the scenario of someone noticing a problem and keeping on driving till some nasty sounds started happening. The allstates warranty covers trans up to $2000. if needed at a later date.

At the end of the day if I can get the car for $17K, have some peace of mind with the warranty, I feel it's a good buy. As I said the rig looks like it's been looked after especially for an almost 10 year old car.
And if bleep starts to happen I can always sell it with a transferable warranty!

cheers
wolf

AnswerID: 34535

Follow Up By: Savvas - Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 at 11:13

Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 at 11:13

Hi wolf,

If it's the same transmission as in the current Monterey (the 4L30 Hydramatic?), you might be looking at $3k to $5k.

Not being there at the time it lost fluid, it's just too hard to tell whether any damage was done, which is why I said look elsewhere earlier. At the end of the day though, the trannies are fairly reliable when maintained correctly.

You only know about the issue with the hose because you found it out for yourself. If you couldn't find the previous owner, you never would have known. If it is the trannie with the dipstick (unlike the current ones), then it will be relatively easy to keep track of the condition of the trannie by observing the condition of the fluid.

$17,500 is a good price at a dealers (http://www.redbook.com.au/Vehiclesearch/price.asp?key=HOLD94CZ) , it's a bit less than the top-end private sale price. And knowing the history is a bonus.

The usual statement is "buyer beware". You've done your research, you are aware, you have an idea what it would cost to fix if it failed and left you out of pocket. If you can live with that, then by all means grab it.

Cheers,
Savvas

FollowupID: 25141