larso1

Well, a while back I had complained about a rattlie noise in 1st, 2nd and 3rd when accelerating (trans under load). I have a '97SE with 135K on it. It gets quieter and sometimes even tends to go away when things warm up (the engine & trans). I got tired of it tho, and not knowing if I was up against a tranny teardown (infamous input shaft bearing?). So I took it to a local private owned transmission repair shop for their opinion. He took it out for a spin after it had sat overnight. He says he's not sure what it is but can hear it. He had it up on a lift, went thru the gears, etc. listiening to the shifter. He doesn't seem to think it's a bearing, but it is load related (duh). I'm stumped now. It's just not much fun to have to listen to that every morning on the way to work. Guess I could take it easy with the acceleration but that's what I like about it. I'm not hard on my car either...it's still on the original clutch and no sign of slipping. Any clues, suggestions? Thanks,

Bill

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Is the rattle coming from the engine bay or directly under the shifter?

Does the rattle keep time with the speed of the engine?

Dave

larso1

The noise, kind of hard to explain in words, is kind of a raspy sound that is apparently being transmitted through the shifter and shifter tunnel from the tranny I think, or so it seems to me. Not a lazy rattle, but more of a raspy buzz I guess. It started a year ago, about a week after I had the water pump replaced, but I really don't think there is a connection there. Also last Fall I also replaced the belts and the timing chain tensioner myself, even tho it wasn't causing any problems, and everything seemed OK in that area. I would have thought a long time transmission guy could diagnose a noise like this with no problem, but I guess not. I guess I should look closer at the exhaust system and see if there's any contact with heat shields or ? Thanks for your response.

Bill

vash.t.s

i think i have the same problem. i am going to replace the transmission fluid and see if that fixes it or maybe just some gear oil stabilizer. I think not enough oil is climbing up the gears. You should check your fluid level it should be just below the filler hole.

larso1

Well, when I replaced my front axles last Fall I refilled with Redline GL4 Synth of the correct weight. Also, with the car tipped back a few degrees on the stands I was able to slightly overfill the trans, which is recommended my some on this forum as well as the trans shop owner. So there should not be any problem that way. After I did that, there was absolutely no change in the shifter noise. Sooooo...maybe I'll go to a different transmission shop and see if I can get a diagnosis..