u/Original_Chemical_64

Basically I'm making this post for 2 reasons. Firstly I hope someone out there who thinks they can't Do it will find this and realize that they can do it. Second I still have questions for anyone who knows their shit and takes time to read this.

So I bought a 5speed 96 s10 4cylinder 2.2l with transmission issues (it popped out of 1st and 5th gear. Also sounded like a can of loose change while driving ) after researching the process of swapping out the transmission I decided I could do it.

I bought a 300 piece ratchet set, a torque wrench, extensions, a couple breaker bars, some swivel sockets, a good jack, jack stands, a transmission jack, and I got a used transmission off of eBay. I also went ahead and got a flywheel, clutch kit, and slave cylinder. Also borrowed somestuff from my dad, like. break cleaner and pb blaster. Basically about 1500 bucks worth of stuff.

Some of you may be thinking "why not just pay a mechanic with that money"...to that I say it's only that expensive because it's the first time...next time I will have the tools since I made the investment already. Maybe I didn't save money this time ...but in the long run it will be worth it. Also I got to learn something new and do something cool with my hands ..you can't put a price on that.

Basically everything went smooth except for the exhaust. That shit was so rusted together it took me 2 days of soaking in pbblaster and slowly torqueing to get the bastard off. And putting it back in was just as hard.

Then I removed the driveshaft, then the cross member, then I finally got to pull the trans then the clutch and the flywheel. Got it all swapped and then put it back together

Which brings me to now and my question to you fine people reading. The transmission is not perfect but it's way better than the old one. Me and my dad drove it around for about 25 minutes today and I enjoyed it. Only problem is that it pops out of reverse into neutral sometimes. Also the shifter kind of wiggles in 3rd gear sometimes...Could this be from air in the clutch line? A shifter bushing? Or is that just a worn out transmission from eBay? Lol. We bled the clutch for like 30 mins with a vacuum and got lots of air out of the line. But the clutch still feels softer than before. The truck doesn't creep. And I have no trouble going into first gear. Just curious what you fellers think.

I've included some pics from the journey. It's been pretty fulfilling to learn it and do it honestly.

96 s10 2.2l 4cylindet..How hard would it be to fix this? The guy who owned the truck before me.. idk what the hell he was thinking. If it's not worth the headache then what would it run me at the mechanic?

Bought a 96 s10 4cylinder 2.2l from FB marketplace...im changing the transmission flywheel and clutch...noticed the rear main seal looked like it was leaking. So I take the rear main seal off and find these scratches.

Everything online said to take the burs off. So I sanded them and then polished them with a Dremel and red polishing compound.

The two gouges closest to the camera would not come out. But they are smooth. Everything behind them pretty much came out smooth to the finger.

Also I recessed the new seal slightly deeper to try and make sure it had smooth contact. It's slightly deeper than the picture.

Do you think this will be enough? Can I skate on this for a few months?

Also I didn't think to take a pic after polishing my bad. I just wanted to get it done.

Found this old socket wrench? Was thinking it would be cool if I could restore it. But I can't figure how to even open it. All the similar ones on YouTube videos have screws but this one doesn't. Any ideas?

Recently I bought a 96 s10 4 cylinder 2.2l. it has a 5 speed manual transmission that is pretty worn out. It makes buzzing rattling sounds and pops out of 5th gear sometimes.

My question is basically could I replace it myself or is it too risky? I have virtually no mechanic experience and no garage but I have a driveway, some tools, and around $6k to spend on the transmission and anything I may need.

Also, what are some resources you can recommend? Youtube is slightly dry on the topic.

Should I just take it to a mechanic?

Screw gas prices. Just regenerate your trucks stamina with a grass crest shield.