Broken mounting tab on transmission

[jumpshotjonny]

So I had bought I transmission on ebay and the guy just sent me a message saying he had pulled the transmission out of storage and one the mounting tabs is broken.

I assume it could be welded back on assuming he has the broken off piece and maybe something could be fabricated if he doesn't.

I don't know how to weld so I'd have to take it to someone but I'm now sure how much that would cost or even if it would be worth it.

The only reason I'm still considering it (with a reduction in price of course) is that it's a factory rebuilt Getrag 260 that was ordered from BMW and supposedly only has about 2k miles on it since it was purchased. Otherwise I'd probably just save myself the hassle and find another transmission.

Here's the picture he sent me:



How much do you think it would cost to have that fixed? And would the heat from welding it possibly damage anything inside?

[LivingLegend06]

It is fixable and shouldnt be very expensive, probably $50 to $150 depending on the shop. There is no way they will put enough heat into that one weld to damage anything in the transmission.

I have a broken tab on my trans just like that and I have been running it without any issues. I just threw a fender washer on top of the tab to spread the load out and I was able to get it plenty tight without it slipping. With that said my trans is in poor shape and I'm planning on replacing it with a ZF unit down the line sometime, otherwise I would have taken the time to fix it.

[MR E30 325is]

I just had a ZF repaired that suffered similar damage during shipping.

Guy charged me 120, due to the difficulty of welding cast aluminum.

It came out great, and like a broken bone, is stronger than it was before.

[bmwguy325is]

Huge zip tie to the cross member Ive got 100K miles on mine like that.

[bmwstudent]

easy fix, don't be afraid of that trans if the price is right.

[96Formula6spd]

Any welding shop should be fix that for like $30-40. I have a whole bolt one break on my dsm transmission years ago. Find like a old welding shop.

[spiftacu1ar]

Bringing thread back from the dead. I have a similar issue, but the entire tab broke off (not just one half). Is it safe to weld it back on? Does anybody know if that can be welded without taking the transmission out of the car?

I think it broke because PO installed urethane tranny mounts, but kept rubber motor mounts. I found the broken tab when trying to install e21 rubber mounts.

[TobyB]

Yes, it can be safely welded. But it will be a LOT easier to find someone to weld it
if you can walk into their shop with it all nice and clean on your handtruck.

And it will be cheaper.

t

[spiftacu1ar]

Thanks, I think I might make it this weekends goal to drop the tranny if I can't find someone to weld it on the car tomorrow. I was trying to avoid that on account of not being able to reach the top 3 bolts (from bellcrank housing to motor) when I was under there last.

Any tips on getting your hands there without totally dropping engine/subframe? Perhaps a way to gain a bit more space? I have plenty of extensions/joints to get a breaker bar or impact wrench on it, but just don't know how to get the socket on the bolt.

[TobyB]

Extention, swivel, extention

Dropping the trans aasmuch asyou can...

swearing a lot...

t