well, since I will being getting a new tranny, I figure I will also get my rear engine seal changed. today this shop told me that it will be $100 extra for that work because he will have to remove the flywheel or something to get at the rear seal. is this BS? I thought while the tranny is out (the labor cost is part of the tranny swap), the seal replacement can just take place luike that.

also, my car is a 1989 245DL automatic with O/D. most shops say they can put in any tranny for my model. does the O/D play any part in a tranny swap? what if a shop puts in a tranny from a car without O/D? sorry for all these questions, but I feel if I ask a shop they will think I am ignorant and take advantage of me. today I went to another volvo shop and got a quote of $1200 for transmission swap, timing belt (worst-case scenario, change all seals and stuff), and rear engine seal. he might do it for $1000 out the door when I asked him for a deal. the shop is another one of those hole-in-the-wall types and seemed pretty quiet. he did bring up a good point when I asked him about warranty on the tranny swap. he said there is a 3 months warranty, but he cannot verify if the mileage is correct because the source where he got it from might say it's 50k, yet he won't know for sure. he said the way he does it, someone brings in a few used transmissions to his shop, and he picks from the lot to put in the customer's car. so, he was saying that he uses his professional judgement to pick a used tranny instead of relying on the mileage.

Yes, the Japanese Overdrive tranny is a good one. It comes in Toyota mini trucks etc etc. When I replace rear seals on 240's I also replace the front transmission seal, transmission mount, shifter bushings, and driveshaft bearing and rubber donut. You can also replace the rear trans seal at the same time, that way you won't have to deal with that stuff for a while. Check your u joints and make sure whoever the mechanic is lines up the two arrows on the driveshaft so they point at each other. If you get your timing belt replaced, also replace the tensioner, cam, main and intermediate seals. Clean your flame trap and check it periodically to avoid oil leaks.

The overdrive trans is far better than the BW55 three speed. Stick with the OD trans as it is Japanese built and far better in every way. The OD trans is longer, and the front driveshaft is shorter on those cars with them.
Once the trans is out, the rear main seal is accessed by removing the eight bolts that hold the convertor drive plate on the back of the crank. That takes about two minutes. Pry out the old seal, install the new, maybe ten minutes if you are fussy. Then re-install the plate, with an air gun two minutes, torquing by hand five. Tops twenty minutes. Maybe $30.00 labour in a big shop. No reputable trans shop would install a trans over an unknown rear seal - it just isn't worth the agro when the seal leaks down the road and the customer thinks the leak is related to the previous work. $100.00 labour is too much. The seal is about $10-$15.00 max by the way.

thanks for the info! yeah, I figure while the trans is out, the shop should find it easy to change the seal. however, if I were just getting the seal changed, then the $100 would be cheap!

$100 extra for the seal replacement is not too bad.

90 day warranty on a used trans is also reasonable.

For that much money I would go to pick-a-part and pull a trans for $100 and install myself - it's not hard. My son and I pulled an engine a few months ago at our local PAP and left the auto trans just sitting there on the ground. Maybe you can find one like that!

thanks for the input! I did call a volvo junkyard and they charge $400 for a used tranny with 90 days warr. most shops said they prefer getting the trans for me, saying that if something goes wrong then they won't have to charge me again to take out the trans another time blah blah blah.