Im having a serious problem with my transmission. I Left a red light on a hill today a bit slower than usual when suddenly I started to hear a small rattling noise. I listened closely and came to a stop at another red light about a block away. Then, when I left that red light a loud rattling began. Kind of like heavy metal ball bearing being shaken around in a coffee can. The sound is quite loud (echoes off of nearby buildings) and comes in all gears. But, if i take it out of neutral and coast, the sound stops. Im able to get into gears without a problem, and the car is running the same (i think), but the noise is tremendous and i feel big vibration in the shifter. Driving the 2 or 3 miles back home was quite an experience, i must say.

Is my tranny gone? I dont really know the layout of a transmission, so I'm kinda lost.
Ive ruled out clutch (because i can get it into gear no problem). I dont think its the axles (no problem when in neutral.) And I cant think of anything else. Tranny fluid was changed October 1st (GM Syncromesh). My gears have been kinda notchy the past few days, but I didnt expect this! Thanks for the help.

 

sorry for second post.... i drive a 89 crx si. if the tranny is blown, can the si final drive be salvaged to be put in a jdm zc?

 

bump

 

Yeah i have had the same problem with mine. I have a 2000 civic Si. I blew the differental to peices and replaced it. When i did so i started to hear the same noise your talkin about. I thought it could have been the throw out bearing because wen the clutch was in the noise stopped. I replaced it and still the noise. So i took it to a transmission shop and they told me that it would be like 600 for the labor and repair and that all the bearing in the trans wer shot. Sry good luck

 

input shaft bearing? thats what it sounds like to me.

 

Does it still make the sound, say, if you accelerate away in 1st or 2nd and then put the clutch in, like you're about to upshift? If it's the input shaft bearing, it typically doesn't make noises while the clutch is in, from what I've seen.

It definitely sounds like some bearing or combination of bearings is grenading itself inside the thing. I wouldn't drive it again on that tranny. Looks like you're going to be pulling it out for a look-see at the very least. Hopefully it's nothing huge, just a bearing - and not the diff disintegrating or a broken shifter fork or anything like that.

I wouldn't think the SyncroMesh had anything to do with it. I hear nothing but good things about it; probably whatever is wrong was already going wrong some time ago, and the SyncroMesh may have helped mask it, or helped the tranny last a little longer.

If you get a chance, check out http://www.d-series.org, and look at the transmission forum over there. Look up a guy named TransZex (he goes by Mista Bone on most other Honda boards); he's probably forgotten more about D-series transmissions than I'll ever know (and I build and sell hybrid trannies as a sideline!).

Good luck, and let me know if anything else comes up, or if I can help in any way.

Mike

 

thanks for the the replies. havent driven it since and am slowly sorting out a zc tranny w/ si final drive + a little friend i call Larry Simon Donahue - his initials are teh hotness

 

I'd check your drive shafts first. But, differential tends to be the culprit with symptoms you're describing...

 

it sounds like the throw out bearing to me. while you are driving its under load when you are coasting there is no load

 

some basic trans and cluch diagnosis tests-

any bearing- any bearing can only make noises, or show signes of failure or wear, if and only if a bearing is acting as a bearing, meaning the inner and outer races of the bearing have to be spining at different speeds.

throwout bearing- will make a noise as soon as the clutch pedal free play is taken up and the bearing touches the diaphragm springs.

pilot bearing- with the clutch peadal fully depressed the the pilot bearing will now be acting as a bearing as the clutch disc does not rotate and the pressure plate and flywheel do rotate, without the clutch depressed the pilot bearing and full clutch assembly are now spining as one unit and cant make a noise.

input shaft bearing- can only make a noise if the car is running and with the clutch pedal not depressed.

output shaft bearings- can make noise only while car is physicaly moving, not just if the engine is running.

all other internal bearings- they run on the same principals, the bearings that are bad will make the most noise when the load is put through them.

differential- will make noise only when car is moving in any gear and coasting in nutral. will also make noises around turns if the spider gears or LSD clutch packs or cones are bad (assuming you have an LSD).

CV axles- will make a clicking or clunking noise around turns or under forward and backward direction change if outer joints or inner plunge joints are bad, usualy caused by a torn boot also lowered cars tend to go through axles more because of the change in operating angle.

well that pretty much covers the basics and should help you to determine the actual problem. if you indeed have to yank the trans out for a new one or a rebuild you should get a new clutch kit unless the one you have is less than like 10k miles. good luck with it, it'll definetly be a project.

 

Nice. Clear, concise, easy to understand info.

Mikeformos's post should be a sticky.

Mike

 

well, from the post... its definitely a bearing......