Yeah, changing the fluid didn't do squat. Not surprised though. Did you ever get a price on what it would cost to get fixed? I'm going to start looking around this weekend.

Not sure how much it cost, but my guess would be from anywhere from $700-$1000, maybe more.. Or you should look into a used tranny.

Part is cheap, cost is mainly labor.

My stepdad could probably swap out the tranny for me but I don't think he could do the rebuild, said he's never worked on one before.

If you feel comfortable pull the tranny out yourself, then find a shop to fix the bearing. Shouldn't take an experienced tech more than 2 hours. With 83k on the tranny I'm sure the rest of it is in good shape.

I'd also put an Exedy clutch on while you have the tranny off. They're like $90 off ebay.