Hi,
I have 96 civic dx with an s40 5-speed and it has seen better days. When i start her up on a cold day i can hardly hear my engine over the trans whining in neutral. When it warms up neutral isnt as bad but in first, second and reverse, no matter the temp., it has a high pitched whining and feels somewhat lurchy. Also, when i push in the clutch pedal, the whine goes away. It still works reliably, but i just dont know for how long. Any insight on my situation would be appreciated.

 

Needs ISB (Input Shaft Bearing) replaced.

Your location? Near Cincy OH?

 

I am located in arlington, va actually. Is it ok to only replace that bearing? Or is it recommended to replace them all?
If its just the one bearing im thinking of dropping the tranny and doing it myself.
How much should i expect a mechanic to charge for that procedure?

 

Ive read that only replacing problematic bearings isnt a very long term solution.

 

Replacing just what's bad is ok, but just be aware you never know when the other bearings are going to go bad. Generally speaking though change the ISB and the seal under it, even it turns out it's a different bearing that's making noise. The top countershaft bearing also frequently goes bad, and it's usually a pretty good idea to change that too.

It really wont make much differnce if you're doing one or all five. Expect a mechanic to want a fair bit, most mechanics don't even want to touch transmissions. And most wont want to replace just bearings unless you're willing to forgo any warranty (even then they still may not want to do the job) The parts are cheap though, and it's not a particularly hard job if you can read and follow instructions.

 

2.5 hours labor $75
want the case cleaned, another $50 or 1.5 hours
Parts are about $60-75

Take it to a shop you are looking at double that price.

 

Thanks for the responses. I really want to do it myself so i can actually inspect the problems instead of taking a mechanics word for it but i only have one floor jack some stands and basic tools. No pneumatics =/ What tools cant i go without for cracking open the trans myself?

 

You'll need an 8mm allen key socket for the interlock guide bolt, a good half inch drive breaker bar and a 3/8 reducer. As well as a 32mm axle socket for the axle nuts.

You don't need a press, a block of hardwood will do for dissembling the gear stacks. You'll also need a a bench vise and wooden jaws to hold the countershaft so you can remove the countershaft nut. Snap=ring pliers are pretty much a must have item as well.

 

I have most of that stuff. Just need the allen socket, 3/8 reducer, and some sort of wooden vice. As for removing the trans, can it be achieved thru the bottom with one floor jack and two stands?

 

Yes it can, I've removed several of them that way.

 

Awesome. Thanks so much for the help guys

 

You'll need to support the motor from above, a length of rope to the top dizzy bolt is fine.

Also get a SUV jack to raise the car as high as possible. First jack the front up and place stands under the front side lift points. Now go lift the rear by the tow hook as high as the jack will go, now do the same for the front.

Safety: Wiggle the car while on 4 stands to be sure it is SAFE!





Now remove the saddle from the floor jack and get a piece of scrap 3/4" MDF, like one from a 15" sub cutout for example.

 

Cool. Im thinking of doing the ISB swap this weekend. Are bearings from my local autozone/advanceautoparts ok?

 

You can't normally get through a parts store, or even a place that specializes in bearings and seals. A lot them are weird sizes made by NTN for Honda. You pretty much have to order them from Honda (about $20 each) or buy them from a place like synchro-tech, or on ebay from a place like transparts.

 

Oh, ok. On different note, i was inspecting my transmission to get ready for removal when i noticed the transmission housing around the clutch had a huge bend in it. I can seem some loose scraps of something (oil seal?) sitting at the crack and there's some oil residue.

 

That's not a bend, the straight piece is just a stiffener. the transmission case is cast with that bend.

 

Hit some money problems so im pushing back the repair until next weekend. Just to be clear tho, when im driving in first and second gear and abruptly let go of the gas, the car stutters and lurches. It doesnt do that in neutral tho. Does that fit the bad isb profile? or could that be a differential issue

 

That isn't an issue, any manual will do that, don't abruptly let off the gas.

 

I havent gotten around to the ISB swap yet, and i started thinking maybe i should just ride on this tranny for a while and then swap in an ex s40 for the shorter gears. Any thoughts?

 

Its more of an issue of "when?" the bearing will ultimately fail. I have seen them last months and seen a few only last a few days after getting really noisy. The EX gearing is a lot better but, when do you plan on doing that?

 

i want to do it this weekend, but i only have one floor jack.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/diy-how-tranny-removal-811691/
this thread only mentions him jacking up the transmission, is this way suitable? I can easily get my axles shifter linkages and such off but i have never had to drop a transmission before

 

Can you clarify how to support the motor from above?

 

rope, bolt, rafter.

 

a picture would be awesome...sorry i just dont want to screw this up. The bearing/seal/hondabond comes in tomorrow.

 

never took a pic of that weirdly enough.

When I bought the house it had an Ox double yoke in the attic. It would lay across the attic opening perfectly on the rafters, It could slide 2.5 feet so my parking didn't have to be exact. Yellow nylon rope, doubled up with a loop at the bottom. Measure the length JUST right so it is an effort to get the top dizzy bolt back in through the loop in the rope.

When removing the tranny mount the motor WILL sag and stretch the rope, this will give a better angle to get the tranny out/in the engine bay and side it onto the engine.