Transmission "whining" noise

[spooled240]

My tranny is making a pretty loud whining noise (sounds like a supercharger lol) in nuetral when i release the clutch at a stop light or w/e, and all of the gears except 4th..for some reason it doesn't whine at all when driving in 4th, i don't know if it's because it's a 1:1 gear ratio?

anyway, I wanna get this fixed cuz it's annoying/embarassing but I'm not sure which bearing is bad, maybe the input shaft bearing?

thanks

[DreamN]

Sounds like your input shaft bearing. I had the same thing. It eventually shattered. Have the metal bits and ball bearings as a reminder. :)

You won't know for sure what bearing it is still you disassemble your transmission. Definitely recommend a professional if you're not familiar with transmission work.

[TOVI]

My tranny is making a pretty loud whining noise (sounds like a supercharger lol) in nuetral when i release the clutch at a stop light or w/e, and all of the gears except 4th..for some reason it doesn't whine at all when driving in 4th, i don't know if it's because it's a 1:1 gear ratio?

anyway, I wanna get this fixed cuz it's annoying/embarassing but I'm not sure which bearing is bad, maybe the input shaft bearing?

thanks

Wow! im having the same exact problem. I have the loud whining noise and my 4th gear doesnt whine at all. Atleast now i know what to look for.

[D.Adams]

buy a used trans for 200 . best thing .. it is the input shaft bearing . my sr trans blew up the same way DreamN's did ...

[DreamN]

Just so you know the transmission isn't done for. Though getting another transmission in good condition will be cheaper than a rebuild.

[spooled240]

thx guys...i actually got another tranny out of an s13 and used my s14 housings so i can use my CAS and my stock plugs and what not....and guess what? same whining noise on this other tranny! what are the odds of that?

When I had the tranny internals out I noticed that the input shaft bearing wouldn't be that hard to replace since it's is at the front of the tranny, but I was wondering if the other bearings are good also...those are much more of a pain because you have to remove all the gears, countershafts and snychros

[lazysk8er2]

ok couldnt understand the first post but ill take a shot at it.

if your throw out bearing is bad it will make noise with clutch disengaged,

if your input shaft bearing is bad it will make noise with clutch engaged.

[spooled240]

yeah it makes a noise with the clutch engaged, in gear(except 4th) and in nuetral

another thing I have noticed is if I disengage the clutch while the car is still rolling I don't hear the whining sound so the other bearings in the middle and the back of the tranny are probably ok.

[upsdude]

is there a way to inspect a transmission? cuz i have a spare sitting in my garage-there's no gear oil in it though.

[Ceepo]

You can tear it apart and inspect the bearings, ect... But like stated above, dont do that if your not comfortable/experienced doing so...

[Psycho 240 Freak]

Did you ever think it might not have been the transmisison. I had this problem on my S14 and changed out the pilot bushing. Problem gone.

[spooled240]

yeah i thought about it being other things but it doesn't make the noise in 4th gear so it's gotta be the tranny

I've taken my trannies apart to swap the housings and trust me, i inspected the internals since I picked it up off craigslist. I thought everything looked fine and the bearings seem solid...when it came time to drive it around the block it whined just like my original one.

Changing the main shaft bearing aka input shaft bearing is not really hard or a problem, i could do it...I just hope that's the problem bearing


edit: this is the only vid i have where you can hear the noise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leztC_UPIXQ

[240sxrb25]

i have had the same problem twice before.

thus, on my 3rd tranny with my KA.

both times it was several of the internal bearings, but mainly the input shaft bearing. it only had about 3 ball bearing still intact inside it.

tranny puked several very large pieces of metal. look for new tranny.

take my word, its not pilot or throwout

[midnight_rex]

if it does this while ur at a stop light with the clutch pedal off the floor..its the throwout bearing.

if it does a constant whining noise while your driving...get another tranny.

[S13 curtis]

i had the same problem but it was the diff not the tranny, it was loud and sounded like a supercharger it sucked. changed the diff out and problem was gone.

[SilviaSR20DET]

yeah it could be your pilot bushing, i had mine installed too far out and it would whine when im in gear decelerating. Just something to take a look at if you pulled the tranny

[spooled240]

it only whines when it's accelerating, on decel it's quiet so I think changing the input shaft bearing should do the trick...

i guess i could look for another tranny but after picking up another tranny w/ a bad bearing I just wanna fix this one, I actually already have all new bearings for the transmission but tearing this thing down completely is kinda scary...I can do the input shaft bearing though, it's at the front of the trans so you don't have to take apart gears and synchros very much to get to it.

[Rabboni]

if it whines when the clutch pedal is off the floor at all times except 4th gear then it is the input shaft bearing for sure. The reason it doesnt whine in 4th is because 4th gear isnt actually a gear. When in 4th the input shaft is locked to the main shaft causing them to spin at the same speed, which means the input shaft bearing isnt spinning. At all other times the input and main shafts are spinning at different speeds causing the bearing to spin which results in the offending noise.

Just to be absolutely clear, the bearing that needs replacement is the one connecting the main shaft and the input shaft.

[spooled240]

ah yeah that makes sense, I thought it had to do something with the 1:1 gear ratio.

I thought the main shaft IS the input shaft? I'm thinking of the shaft that actually stabs into the clutch and the bearing being the one on the main/input shaft at the bell housing? (brown one below)
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o107/Silvia_Convertible/KAtransinsidebellhousingwithoutplat.jpg

[deukalionS14]

soooo any update on this? i had the same thing with my last one then blew it up last tuesday. picked up a new one and need to figure out what is going on so i can replace it and get it fixed!!!

[spooled240]

I was looking at my FSM for the transmission components and I noticed that the main shaft(the shaft with the bearing at the top with the shaft sticking out) has 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and OD(5th) "main gears" that mesh with "counter gears" on the counter shaft(bearing on the bottom) probably for the gear reduction and overdrive. I'm guessing the reason there is no 4th gear "main gear" on the main shaft is because it is a 1:1 gear thus no gearing is needed..I think someone told me that in 4th gear the mainshaft is actually just locked and spins as one shaft. So if the mainshaft isn't meshed with the countershaft in 4th then the countershaft isn't spinning in 4th.. if the tranny whines in all the gears except 4th, then maybe the countershaft bearing is the problem bearing?(the one on the bottom)

edit: if you end up replacing some of the bearing(s) let us know if that fixes the problem!

[Razi]

Josh, I think you got a secret dogbox transmission. :P

[Rabboni]

Im not too familiar with the 240sx transmissions, i just know that its that bearing because of my experience as a mechanic. Most likely you got screwed on that transmission that you bought. It isnt that brown bearing in the above picture, it is the bearing on the other side of that shaft. It is the bearing that the main shaft rides on in the input shaft. The shaft that goes through the clutch is the input, and it is connected to the main shaft by that bearing alone. I would suggest if you are going to disassemble it far enough to replace that bearing, you might as well rebuild the transmission to wind up with a practically new transmission.

[spooled240]

^ doesn't the input shaft and the main shaft spin together at all times? It's the 4th gear that doesn't whine that is confusing me.

Josh, I think you got a secret dogbox transmission. :P

i do, but I turn it off when I shift into 4th for more hp:bigok:

[germz]

Sounds like the pocket bearing (aka front mainshaft bearing) on the main shaft is worn. Typically on 5 speed tranny's the 4th gear is direct drive and a worn pocket bearing will make noise in all gear ranges except direct drive. An input shaft bearing would make noises whenever the input shaft is turning so i dont think that would be the culprit....

[germz]

^ doesn't the input shaft and the main shaft spin together at all times? It's the 4th gear that doesn't whine that is confusing me.


They spin at different rates depending on what gear your in. In direct drive the two shafts are locked together creating a 1:1 ratio from the input shaft to the main/output shaft and the pocket bearing is no longer spinning which is why the noise you're hearing goes away.

[Rabboni]

Yes, Germz is absolutely correct. I incorrectly called the bad bearing the input shaft bearing; it actually is called the pocket bearing. My bad. Sorry for any confusion that has caused.
The input shaft doesnt spin the main shaft, it is always spinning the counter shaft directly. The counter shaft then spins the main shaft. It is kind of hard to explain without visual aids.

[spooled240]

i think i understand just looking at the FSM diagram...so the pocket bearing is on the main shaft around what, the middle of the tranny? in other words, a pain in the ass to get to?

[Rabboni]

like i said, ive never rebuilt this tranny, but from my experience you have to pull the mainshaft to replace it. Also, you probably have to pull the mainshaft to inspect it anyways. If you are comfortable with working on a transmission, I would rebuild it. You'd probably never have to worry about your transmission again after that.

[spooled240]

this will help:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4290057588_ac973e7146_o.jpg

[240sxcure]

Any update on this? I'm having the same exact problem, I might as well look for another transmission as well.

[Iron_Zenki]

Same here I did not think much of it untill now:cry:

[Speedstyles408]

hey there guys i got this loud growl/wind type noise when i'm accelerating in all gear except 5th.. the sounds gets quieter as i upshift...is my problem related to input shaft bearing also? i notice that when take car out of gear into neutral noise goes away

[az_240]

^could be... sounds like it's one of those bearings in the tranny.

I'm also having a problem with my tranny. It makes the most noise on decel in 4th gear... almost like a grinding kind of growl around 3-2k. The other gears also make the same noise just not as bad as 4th gear does.

[fukusdm01]

So my problem is that the whining noise is when i press the clutch pedal in, but it goes away when driving..at least i think so since my car is so loud i cant hear it while in gear lol. is my problem the throwout or input shaft?

[az_240]

^throwout bearing

[mxexux]

Stop messing around people and rebuild your trannys. If there is a whine coming from your trans it means one of your bearings are going out and the rest will follow shortly... or fluid is low.

[az_240]

^because it's just that easy.

I've completely rebuilt 2 transmissions and both of them ended up in worse shape than when I started.

It's extremely hard to rebuild a transmission.

Best bet is to get a reputable shop to do it or just get a known good tranny.

[Speedstyles408]

well any reputable rebuild kits anybody can direct me to? im gonna rebuild mine cause dont want to buy a used one and deal with same crap again. and anybody have gear sets go bad?

[MandTPhotography]

Mine whines on decel... But not on accel. Any ideas... Pilot bushing?

[az_240]

http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/166521-trans-noise-faq.html
^here ya go guys

Pilot bushings only make noise when you are stopped with the foot on the clutch and the car in gear.

[Speedstyles408]

^yea i read that thread but i still need help finding a good rebuild kit

[MandTPhotography]

Guess it's rear end related for me then, haha.


S14 VLSD, Might want to throw some new diff fluid in that shit.

[az_240]

^new diff fluid will most likely not fix it. If the diff is making noise it is most likely a bad bearing or improper gear lash.

You can hear it coming from the rear if it is the diff.

Another thing you could check is the drive shaft... check the center support bearing as well as runout on the drive shaft... if the flange on the driveshaft is not perfectly centered to the diff it will vibrate and make noise.

I'm not sure where to get a rebuild kit but I hope you have better luck with the rebuild then I did

[MandTPhotography]

It sounds like it's coming from the tranny, but it doesn't fit any of the criteria for the issues.

[az_240]

It's probably a bad bearing in the tranny... there are a bunch of them that can go bad.

[MandTPhotography]

Well damn. 2nd gear went out in my last SR20 tranny, I guess I'll get that one rebuilt since it's sitting in my garage still.

I dread changing clutches or trannies in an S13 with an SR...haha..

[Speedstyles408]

well hopefully doing a rebuild will fix my problem but at sametime i will beinstalling vlsd