I also forgot to mention that My buddies starter gear went out also when his tranny went . Is this normal with the tranny going out or not? The dealer told him it was toast, but his locked up, not lost second gear like my bro-in-law. Probably just gonna have to dive in and check it out. Thanks.

 

wether it locks up or you loose second gear its the same problem depending on where the broken parts fall. Yes its relatively normal for an '01.

The starter gears go out aswell but arent related to the tranny problem.