2007 Chevy Monte Carlo

The long answer — and the short answer is — uggh! Without the fluid, the transmission will put its gears up and head for the scrapheap. I have to tell you that up front. I am honestly surprised that you even have reverse at this point because the chances are good that if you were to pull the tranny apart you would likely find that the planetary gears have fused due to the heat and the lack of lubrication. You will also find that the bands and clutches have become a somewhat formless mass of metallic goo. And, we won’t talk about what may have happened to the valve body; input shaft, and output shaft. Suffice to say, the outlook for your transmission is not good.

There are several steps you can take to try to remedy the problem. The first is to get your Monte to a trained technician on a ramp truck. The second step happens once it’s there, of course, the tech will crack the case and take a look inside. As the tech drills down through the various pieces of the transmission, there may be pieces that can be saved and recycled. Indeed, it is possible that there may be enough left in good shape the at you can get away with replacing only the seriously damaged parts. Which parts might those be? I can’t honestly say at this point which parts might be in good shape, that’s up to your technician to find. The third step is easy, the technician gives you a report on what is good and those parts that have been damaged beyond repair. The fourth step is for you to make a decision on what you might do.

You may find that you will be able to replace parts and keep the cost below $2,000, which is the plateau I use to say whether it’s worth replacing parts or replacing the transmission with a rebuilt. I know that figure sounds high, but when you think of just how quickly the costs rise in transmission work you will see why I set a rather arbitrary figure. As to what goes into the figure, it varies from job to job as you can’t say whether replacing the torque converter and a set of clutches will make up the cost or whether replacing the planetary gears and clutches/bands will make up the cost. Or, whether replacing the TCU, sensors and solenoid packs will make up the cost.

Here’s is my take on your whole issue: replace the tranny with a rebuilt. I know the cost will be about $3,200 or so, but it will be worth it. Here’s what usually — not always — happens if you try to do the piece-by-piece replacement. Any parts that are still in the “good” category and are reused will have probably been weakened by their sojourn in the transmission without fluid. They may appear good but the high heat in the transmission will likely have cost them their flexibility, making them rigid and prone to failure. It won’t take long until the parts you think are good to show their true colors by failing. That failure could even have bigger consequences as the shards will spread throughout the transmission causing even further damage to the point that the transmission will be a total loss.

By the time you have finished paying for damages that may have been caused by failing parts, you will quite likely have passed the $3,200 cost for the replacement rebuilt that should have been installed in the first place.

So, please take this recommendation: replace the transmission with a rebuilt. It may seem like a high cost to pay, but the price that you will pay after you eventually replace the tranny anyway, will be far more than cost for a rebuilt now. Let me know what you think and what your plans are.