Hi guys,

Been a while, mostly because I haven't had any problems with my car! But that has sorta changed. I've been getting a few weird noises out of the transmission.

The first happens if I'm starting off in first from a stop. As I let the clutch out, I get a brief sort of whining noise sometimes. Its not very high pitched, I think it sounds like a piece of metal being milled at a slow speed on a lathe. My guess is the throwout bearing is going, but it has done this pretty much since I bought the car ~3 years ago.

The second worries me a bit more; first and second gear now sound like they have rocks jumbling around in them, or a ratcheting system installed on the gears, like when you're being pulled up a big hill on a roller coaster but not as loud. The transmission also makes this sound when the clutch is engaged and the transmission is in neutral. Push the clutch in and it goes away.

The weird thing is that it still shifts just fine. It's not notchy, doesn't grind, and usually has no trouble going into reverse. I also just changed the transmission fluid, but this problem started happening before that. (The fluid change didn't help the noise at all.)

Any ideas? Should I start trying to track down a transmission at the scrap yard?

Thanks!

 

First thing that pops into my mind is the main shaft bearing but I could be wrong.

 

Probably like Hobo said, one or both of the bearings on the ends of the input shaft are bad. That happened to mine. It would mostly make the noise in neutral but as it gets worse I imagine the gears could jump around and stranger things happen. If you catch it before it completely blows up, a new bearing or two may be all it needs.

 

Thanks guys. Actually I double checked the neutral thing yesterday. It does still make the noise in neutral.

Is swapping the bearings something you can do with hand tools, or do you need a press or something along those lines? I need to do the clutch soon anyway, so might as well take care of the bearings while I'm in there if I can.

 

http://www.d-series.org/forums/trans...ng-change.html

I just read through that DIY. Looks pretty dang usable. It tells you all the tools and stuff you need.

 

It's your mainshaft bearing, I did a DIY sometime ago.. but pix no longer available.

no special tool is needed, probably just a o-ring pliers.

Hobo got a good link for the DIY..

 

Those are excellent instructions.

Keep the inside of your transmission clean. There's no oil filter, so any speck of dirt you leave behind inside will circulate around and cause wear. Clean the outside before you open it. Wash your hands and/or put on gloves before touching any parts inside.

It really helps to have two people when doing the snap ring.

Check all the bearings once you have it apart. Spin them by hand, and if noisy, replace. On mine it was mostly the big bearing on the end of the input shaft away from the engine. To replace the two main bearings on the differential, you will need a gear puller. The other ones are not tight on the shafts at all.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the DIY and the tips guys!
I'll let you know how it works out.