R33 Gearbox Noise! Only In A Few Gears!

[ix9]

OK,

Had a noisy third gear. yes. only 3rd. Replaced the box oil with Castrol VMX80 and NULON additive. Was a tad better for a while....

NOW..

This mofo is just getting louder!

Now its 2nd and 3rd are noisy as hell.

4th is WHISPER QUIET!

and 5th is an abortion its that loud when cruising!

Diagnosis anyone? Cost? DIY maybe?

Help me out here.....

Cheers,

[SteveL]

Most likely countershaft related, and probably a support bearing close to failure. In 4th gear the input shaft and main shaft are effectively locked together and there is virtually zero load on the countershaft, , which could explain the quiet running in that gear. OTOH, in all other gears, load is passed through the countershaft. Since it was 3rd gear that first started making noises, I'd be guessing the countershaft bearing in the centre support plate is suspect.

This is a geabox out job and you'd best stop driving the car ASAP otherwise you risk big damage if the bearing goes completely (assuming that is the cause - regardless I'd still recommend to cease driving until the cause is discovered). As a first check you could drop the oil and look for metal particles, particularly on the drain plug magnet.

If your lucky and can get away with just a bearing change, your probably looking at $50 for the bearing plus labour, of course. IMHO, in these situations all the main bearings should be changed, which would be $200-$250 at a guess. Of course, while it's down you might want to look at doing the synchros.....depends on the wallet.

As to DIY....depends on your mechanical skills and tools + time.

[Leadfoot]

Sounds like the main shaft bearings are gone.

The quote I got to fix my box was over $1500 for just a few bearings and synchro's and that was just to fix a 5th gear grind and 1st 2nd 3rd gear crunching.

What you need is a good second hand box:

Just so happens there's a good R34 5 speed thats done only 30,000kms for $1500. Thats a good buy if its in the condition they say it is. It will fit straight up.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...howtopic=135335

The 5spd R34GTT box has the upgraded synchros.

Not 100% sure but the clutch pull might be different than the R33 so you would need to keep that in mind. Might pay to buy his clutch as well.

Your other option is to buy a brand new box from JustJap for $3500. I seriously considered that as well. Thats also the R33/R34 uprated box.

[Links]

A reco'd gearbox will be like new and will cost you about $1,500+ I reckon..

Problem with buying a second hand gearbox is you don't know how hard it's life is.. why has it been pulled out.. so on.. so forth.. main one is what condition it's in..

I believe the cutch is a pull not a push or whatever it is.. so you'll be looking at more $$'s to fix that issue as well..

I'd recommend reco'in it..

[Leadfoot]

A reco'd gearbox will be like new and will cost you about $1,500+ I reckon..

Problem with buying a second hand gearbox is you don't know how hard it's life is.. why has it been pulled out.. so on.. so forth.. main one is what condition it's in..

I believe the cutch is a pull not a push or whatever it is.. so you'll be looking at more $$'s to fix that issue as well..

I'd recommend reco'in it..

My S1 RECO box was worse than my original S2 box I replaced it with in terms of noise but at least 5th gear was useable. The S1 box probably had a lot more miles on it though. The bearing clearances were not properly set so there is a noticable slop in the drivetrain in going on and off the throttle. There is also a whine for the first 5 or 10 seconds which then goes away. A lot will depend on who rebuilds the transmission. I couldnt find many gearbox places in Perth that would touch it to be honest.

As a guide each synchro set is $250 from Nissan and then around $50 for each bearing. A low km R34 box still has a lot of life in it and is going to be much better than a +100,000 km R33 box. Every part in it will have a lot less wear. Reconditioning the box only fixes those areas that are truly stuffed. That doesnt stop something else breaking further down the track.

The fix for a R34 box is to make sure you get the pull type slave cyclinder with it along with the pull type clutch (as per a GTR).

[ricsvtr]

I sometimes get a loud whirring noise when reversing. The noise disappears when I change out of reverse. Has anyone else had this?

[Links]

Hmmm.. interesting leadfoot.. what's the cost of a push type clutch + slave + gearbox you reckon?? about $2,000 all up??

I'm currently weighin up what to do with mine.. I think your correct in what you said about it depends on who rebuilds it..

[Leadfoot]

Hmmm.. interesting leadfoot.. what's the cost of a push type clutch + slave + gearbox you reckon?? about $2,000 all up??

I'm currently weighin up what to do with mine.. I think your correct in what you said about it depends on who rebuilds it..

The R34 box for sale (link previously posted) is $1800 with clutch. $1500 without. He might even throw in the slave cylinder if you ask. I only mentioned it as it sounds like a good buy if it is indeed in the good condition the owner says.

Transport via Greyhounds Busfreight was $70 from Melbourne to Perth which is how I transported mine.

Wrapped it in plastic and tied it to a small crate.

Other couriers I approached were $250 and above and from what I heard use Busfreight anyway.

[mattymagoo22]

hey there.

It doesn't matter what gear you're in the main and counter shafts are always turning. I'd be more inclined to say that its the needle rollers under a certain gear. The fact that the sound isn't there in 4th could point to a spigot bearing or the needles where the input shaft mates upto the main shaft. either way you need to have the box pulled out and looked at by a professional.

Cost price or there abouts for 1st 2nd and 3rd gear synchros, springs and keys was around $300 from nissan when I was considering doing my box, bearings can be had from any bearing place in the phone book so long as you provide a sample(if you leave the rubber seals in when installed they'll last longer than the factory ones). If you need your car on the road then you're going to have to fork out some dosh.

I keep hearing about all these noisy R33 boxes and how cruching gears is normal.... well its not they're worn out and need to be recoed or replaced!

cheers.