Yes, I know they are charging me dealer price, but this is the situation I have: I really don't know a good and reliable mechanic around here with knowledge in this kind of vehicles. The operations manager at the dealer is an elder at my church and a good friend of mine. At least I can trust him and know that he's not going to say that the problems is something different or inflate it to charge me more, something I'm not sure about other places. He said he was going to help me with the price as much as he can and he said that I should have $1,500 as a worse case scenario.
I wish I could have a plant here where to put the van and lift it up to work in the transmission. All I have are a couple of ramps that are not even safe to use with a vehicle that weights 7,200 pounds empty, and parked on our sandy soil. I have less than a foot space to crawl under it when I'm inspecting things with a flash light. I'm going to see if it's possible for me to drain the oil and remove the bottom of the transmission in order to reach the filter. I have never done this and need to read and study some diagrams I received before to be able to do the work. Maybe I can check the intermediate band and see if it needs adjustment. I'll try all this and if after changing the filter, the fluid, adjusting the band, etc. it's still with the problem then, if I don't have another mechanic that I can trust, I'll have to bite the bullet and call the dealer's tow truck.
I really appreciate all the time and help you guys have put giving me your input in this mater. Thanks.
Burt, an old farmer, getting tired of everything these days.