zenofspeed

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys. 2 weeks ago I noticed my transmission making a grinding sorta noise in neutral. It goes away when the clutch is disengaged (pedal down). the grinding speeds up with RPM, but isn't really noticeable while driving (maybe because of engine noise).

I do trust this shop, but just want some opinions.

The shop is checking the car for a track day and just called me..

Shop: "hey man, you know your transmission is making noise?"
Me: "Yeah I know.. I figured I'd just drive it until somethin breaks. Can you fix the noise?"
Shop: "It was really loud while raising it on the lift at idle. It's the eccentric shaft, it goes through the whole thing. You need to replace the whole thing."
Me:"Will it last the track day?"
Shop: "I doubt it. We have a good one with 40k miles for $850 and we can put it on for $500 labor while doing the oil pan."

Thanks for any feedback. I'd need to call them ASAP to hold off as I gave them the go ahead.

The tranny in there is original 95 FD tranny with 96k miles. Who knows what year the one going in is from.

SLOASFK

iTrader: (5)

Sounds like your throwout bearing. My friends FD did that, and mine does it too. It's a relatively cheap fix, but aside of the noise I don't know if there's any real harm being done.

FD trannies are very sturdy(aside from the 5th gear syncro), and rarely fail. While it's up there you should have them change the tranny and diff fluid, though. That should be changed every 2 years or so.

zenofspeed

iTrader: (1)

well I called them and said "Is there ANY chance that it is the TOB?"

He said: "No way man, it sounds horrible.. TOB doesn't make that kinda noise."

So anyway, I'm gonna trust them to swap in the 94 tranny.. And put some Redline Diff fluid in, thanks for the tip on that!

-Ian

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

I would first pull the tranny and check the pilot bearing before replacing the transmission blindly.

SLOASFK

iTrader: (5)

Sorry, I think I meant pilot bearing when I said TOB.

You can trust who you'd like, but we aren't the ones who are making money off this.

zenofspeed

iTrader: (1)

Oh I trust you guys too

I'll have the old transmission and I can check it out to verify. If it is something simple, I can fix it and sell it. Or have them swap it back in and refund me the $850.

Is $850 a decent price for a 94 tranny with 40k miles? No grinds or anything.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Well, that depends on you. People have purchased JDM transmissions with similar mileage for a little over $500. However, you'd have to deal with shipping and the possibility of getting a "dud".

I personally would shop around for transmission prices before buying regardless if you end up getting that one.

zenofspeed

iTrader: (1)

So I assume the eccentric shaft, if damaged, would make this kind of noise and would stop with the clutch in (neutral)?

Also, how hard (and expensive) is it to rebuild ones own transmission? Where should I source the internals?

Thanks,
ian

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

The eccentric shaft runs through the engine.

The mainshaft runs thru most of the tranny. The input shaft runs between the mainshaft and eccentric shaft, and is part of the tranny. Usually the bearing on the input shaft is the one that gets noisy, and unless it gets loud suddenly, it's not cause for immediate worry.

Dave

TpCpLaYa

iTrader: (10)

i agree completely. Hopefully these guys actually said mainshaft instead of eccentric when speaking about the tranny...if not i'd be cautious of how familiar they really are. Good luck either way buddy

zenofspeed

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah, thanks for clarifying.. They must of said "main shaft".

Hrmm. Well I'm going to tear down the noisy tranny and check it out. If there was no cause for real worry, then lesson learned I suppose. I just didn't want to drive 3 hours for a track day and get stranded.. God that would suck.

Anyone rebuilt their tranny before?

pomanferrari

iTrader: (1)

What is the sound of the noise? Is it an oscillating noise that goes wah wah wah ? If it goes away when you have the clutch depressed (engine disconnected from the tranny) then it's usually one of the main input shaft bearings.

Did you use synthetic tranny oil like Redline?

Mine did that at 60K and replaced the tranny with a used 94. Running normal tranny fluid. I'm now at 120K w/o problem and making more power too.

Tranny for $850 plus labor for $500 is fair. I would have them replace, if needed, a new clutch and TOB too.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Simply noisy bearings are not usually going to risk a big blowup unless they're really worn and don't hold the gear teeth in solid contact. If you have bad bearing wear there would be a lot more metal particles inside that tranny than your pictures indicate.

When FD trannys blow, it's usually when a gear (3rd) shatters under very heavy load. To avoid this, use a premium synthetic like Redline MT-90 or Amsoil MTG. Those are GL-4s that tend to give the best synchro performance. Higher rated oils (GL-5s) don't protect the bearings any better and can reduce synchro response.

Rebuild information is here: www.davidgeesaman.com. On the subject of rebuilding, even DIY it's easy to exceed the price of a decent used tranny. If you intend to save lots of money you're won't. But if you take your time and do it properly it's a very interesting exercise and you can be confident of what's inside.

Dave