can you post a pic of the sunroof. its not that i dont believe you, i just want to see it.

 

Just try to find a used transmission, as craby said it must come from a 95. So you are looking at 17 year old transmission If it has been out of service the seals could have hardend,. If you pull the trans yourself for rebuild you can save a few bucks but it will still cost you 800-1200 for the rebuild assuming you can find someone to do it as a side job. Striaght up your transmission repair would cost $2500 at most shops. Do you have a mig welder for the floor?

Just my opinion:

Any one of the three major problems you have is enough to total the car. It is REALLY not worth fixing. If everything goes a smooth as can be you going to have 2K in it. You could buy a decent 3800 driver for that. Heck you can buy a decent Z28 with a bad transmission of $1000 (that is only a few hunfred more then you could part yours out for) and rebuild that trany. You would have a car worth $3500 when your done. You would be lucky to get $1600 for the 3.4 after you put 2k+ in it.

This is a car that has been used hard and not maintained, I have over 30 years working on cars trust me when I say you do not know everything that is wrong with the car. It will continue to have problems after you repair everything you have listed. You best bet would be to find a well cared for 96-97 that was involved is a light hit. use your parts to fix that up.

GM did not offer a sun roof in 95 so it is a aftermarket one. There are some nicer after market ones out there. Problem with a sun roof in a 4 gen is they are designed for t-top. That meant the main roof braces goes right down the middle of the roof. Needless to say a sun roof is problematic. As the car ages it will flex with out that support. Your sun roof may never seal again.

 

No 4th gen was built with a factory sun roof.

 

a few of us here on the forum will tell it like it is; not necessarily what you hope to hear. Those who have owned several homes, ran businesses, restored vehicles etc will take a no-nonsense approach.

I am one of those such people.

Allow me to point out the contradictory statements you have made

1: " i was looking for advice to my transmission problems and the gas mileage and oil pressure mainly. I know its costly and i can do the work myself"

2: "Just looking for mechanical advice"

OK, do you own a shop manual for the car? It's a whopping $50 on Amazon

if not, why not?

gm tranny's not shifting past 2nd gear is a well documented common problem and sign of a tranny needing a rebuild. How would you not be aware of that? Again, my no-nonsense approach. If you want sunshine up your XX## then stop reading

Next is the sunroof and you said you tried to caulk it? Really????

it needs new weatherstripping and also to verify that the frame isn't tweaked or sagging and if it is, good luck ever getting it to stop leaking; again, basic stuff regardless of vehicle

you've also been told that sunroofs were not from the factory

and then we have the low oil pressure. Have you put a manual gauge on it to verify in fact that the oil pressure is low and that it's not just the gauge or sending unit? If not, why not; that's basic stuff and based on your claim of being able to do the stuff you should know it.

If you can't really do any of the things yourself then you are looking at well north of $3,000, and I mean well north, and no guarantee as to how long the car will last because who else knows what is wrong with the $650 car??

If you can do the things yourself, then you are looking at the vehicle on jack stands for an extended period of time as you drop the tranny, take it for a rebuild or find a decent used one (how will you know for sure) and address the other issues.

At the end off the day, the decision is yours and if you do not want to base it on cost/benefit then that is your choice.

I do welcome you to the forum and hope you stick around. If you want to only read what you hope to hear then I will make it a point not to reply to your posts.

 

Camaro girl, believe it or not, t.i.g. slightly sugar coated what would have been his normal kick in the pants response.

 

I am a little slow this week, Center support in the roof cut to add a sun roof and floor area with rust. What is keeping this car together, the doors? A unibody does not have a full frame it relies on the roof and the stamped floor, these form a tube like shape for its structure. Right now your car is like a wet noodle. Next you will crack your windshield. Forget all the mechanical issues to get your car SAFE floor would need repaired and frame connectors added. If you where in a bad accident at the right angle your car could fold in half.

This was an issue in the early 2nd gen Camaro T-tops because the bracing did not go thru the center of the roof. GM redesigned the floors in the mid 70's so T-tops could be safley used.

 

After you have decided if the oil pressure is ok in your car I think you should most likely address the rear end situation. If not this will be a big problem and one that will leave you walking very soon. Hopefully there is no real damage but it sounds by what you are saying there will be. Depending on where the leak is; it can be an easy fix. There should be a bolt in the rear of the axle. Remove this bolt which is a little over half way up the back of the axle in the gear plate. You can then stick your little finger inside the hole and if you pull it out wet with gear oil the oil is fine. If not you can add the oil here. If you have damage to the gears you will need to replace them. This can cause many problematic symptoms with an engine since essentially the rear end is trying to lock up.

 

the leak will be either the diff cover (less likely) or the pinion seal (most likely)

either way, the cover should be pulled to inspect the rear and change the gear oil and also put on a new pinion seal

but, the structural integrity of the vehicle must be confirmed first and foremost.

It's kind of like worrying about what color to pain the kitchen when all of your 2x12 floor joists have 4 inch notches in them.

 

Well maybe she will come back, maybe not.

 

Some people don't like the truth.