DIY: Diagnose manual Tranny Noises (and save some $$$)

[turboengnr]

If you hear an odd noise coming from your 5-speed transmission, this post is for you. There are 2 common things that happen to the 5 speed transmissions in our generation Honda. The first of which is somewhat common. This is the throwout bearing. This is how to diagnose it..... -Start your car. -Roll up the windows, turn the radio off, and turn the blower motor for the AC/heater off. -put the car into neutral, and press in the clutch ---- if you hear the noise now, it is the THROWOUT BEARING. If you release the clutch, the noise should go away The reason it makes the noise like this is because when you have your foot off the clutch, the throwout bearing is not spinning, and it has no force on it. But when you push the clutch in, the throwout bearing forces the fingers on the pressure plate in, causing the clutch to release. The bearing is spinning however fast the motor is turning at this time. So if the bearing is bad, it will make noise. This is a rather simple fix for a shop to do. They have to take the transmission out, and replace the throwout bearing, the replace the tranny. It is basically the same work as replacing a clutch. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, the second (and seems to be more common) problem is the input shaft bearing. This is how to diagnose it..... -Start your car. -Roll up the windows, turn the radio off, and turn the blower motor for the AC/heater off. -put the car into neutral, and take your foot off the clutch pedal ---- if you hear the noise now, it is the INPUT SHAFT BEARING. if you press in the clutch, the noise should go away. The reason for this is because when you have the clutch engaged (foot off the pedal) the motor is spinning the input shaft on the transmission (even when in neutral). The bearing has a plastic cage inside of it that holds the small ball-bearings equidistant apart. This plastic cage can be broken by even a completely stock car, if it is driven hard (shifting hard, running sticky tires, etc). When this plastic cage breaks, the ball bearings load up one side of the bearing. This allows the input shaft to walk side to side slightly, which causes the gears to not mesh up right. This causes a whining and growling sound. But when you press in the clutch, the input shaft stops spinning, so the noise goes away. The way to fix this is a lot more difficult. You have to completely remove the transmission from the car. Then you take the shifter assembly out of the tranny, remove the speed sensor. Then you have the split the case apart. Next you have to remove the differential and the Spider gears. Now you will have access to the bearing. The bearing is $23 from your local honda dealership. Once you install it, put the tranny back together and slap it in the car. I hope this helps you guys out. A LOT OF SHOPS MIS-DIAGNOSE THE INPUT SHAFT BEARING FOR A THROWOUT BEARING!! This means that you pay for them to replace the throwout bearing, then when you drive it home and its making the same noise, you take it back and pay them to fix the input shaft bearing. I am trying to help save you guys some hard earned money with this. Diagnose this yourself. Print out this guide, and take it into your tranny shop. Let them diagnose it with the help of this guide. And hopefully you will save some cash in the end AND look like you know what your doing.

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[turboengnr]

oh... and i put this in the mechanical problems forum because it is more fit for this section. Anyone with a tranny problem will most likely look/post here.

[streetglower]

nice post. I will sticky this for awhile since alot of people have manaul tranny problems.

[DDragon7]

Nice write up. Rep+1

[turboengnr]

thank you and thank you.

I hope this helps out some people. I have seen probably 5 different threads that sound like this is their problem. So i hope this helps them out.

[02blkhonda]

yep....what you were talking about is, what i thought to be a throw out bearing was not...i got excedy stage 1 organic kit(with new tob) had it installed and the first time i drove it i was like goddamnit mother ****ering son a bitches didnt put the new bearing in until i read this....thx now i will have that bearing replaced also

[turboengnr]

glad i could help!

[02blkhonda]

if i knew how to rep you i would, somebody tell me how to so i can hook him up

[DDragon7]

^^Click on the yellow smiliey under his post. And add rep.

[jackburton]

I have been trying to diagnose a trans noise for awhile now. After doing some research I found that it could not be the throwout bearing. I thought it might be the pilot bearing, not really sure what it even is, just from what i read it sounded like it could be the case. Then I read a post of yours about the input shaft bearing being the weakest link in our trans, and I figured it was prob one of the two, but people were still telling me it was the throw out bearing because it is most common in manual cars. Now I read this and I am thinking the problem is with the input shaft bearing.

The sound happens like once or twice a day, it happens at random, and may not even happen if I only drive for like a half hour or hour in a day. It only happens in 1st or 2nd gear, never in neutral, at low rpms, never at mid or high rpms. It usually happens when the clutch is out, but I have heard it for a second with the clutch in. It sounds like bearings in a can, being lightly shaken. It increases in frequency, not in volume, as the car revs up, but then goes away as I approach mid rpms.
I tried changing the tranny fluid, even put in synthetic, but it still makes the noise. Also, the noise comes on so sudden and goes aways pretty fast because I have tried to get my friends to hear it but they cannot, but they may not really pay attention, so who knows.
Anyways, what do you think it could be?

[utahbmxer]

Originally Posted by jackburton

The sound happens like once or twice a day, it happens at random, and may not even happen if I only drive for like a half hour or hour in a day. It only happens in 1st or 2nd gear, never in neutral, at low rpms, never at mid or high rpms. It usually happens when the clutch is out, but I have heard it for a second with the clutch in. It sounds like bearings in a can, being lightly shaken. It increases in frequency, not in volume, as the car revs up, but then goes away as I approach mid rpms.
I tried changing the tranny fluid, even put in synthetic, but it still makes the noise. Also, the noise comes on so sudden and goes aways pretty fast because I have tried to get my friends to hear it but they cannot, but they may not really pay attention, so who knows.
Anyways, what do you think it could be?

Jack.. I had exact problems that you are describing, no one else really could hear the same sounds. Finally I put it in 1st (and tried in rev) and idled around in a parking lot. The noise I was hearing was very noticible when making sharp turns at idle speed. I went and got serveral estimates at shops and 3 out of 4 shops I went to said it is the Throwout. I had shop 4 replace all the bearings, seals and clutch. I have all the old parts and the throwout bearing feels fine. The input shaft bearing is rough and a little loose, this is where my problem was. I bet you have a bad Input Shaft bearing from what you are describing and from my experience.

[turboengnr]

Originally Posted by jackburton

I have been trying to diagnose a trans noise for awhile now. After doing some research I found that it could not be the throwout bearing. I thought it might be the pilot bearing, not really sure what it even is, just from what i read it sounded like it could be the case. Then I read a post of yours about the input shaft bearing being the weakest link in our trans, and I figured it was prob one of the two, but people were still telling me it was the throw out bearing because it is most common in manual cars. Now I read this and I am thinking the problem is with the input shaft bearing.

The sound happens like once or twice a day, it happens at random, and may not even happen if I only drive for like a half hour or hour in a day. It only happens in 1st or 2nd gear, never in neutral, at low rpms, never at mid or high rpms. It usually happens when the clutch is out, but I have heard it for a second with the clutch in. It sounds like bearings in a can, being lightly shaken. It increases in frequency, not in volume, as the car revs up, but then goes away as I approach mid rpms.
I tried changing the tranny fluid, even put in synthetic, but it still makes the noise. Also, the noise comes on so sudden and goes aways pretty fast because I have tried to get my friends to hear it but they cannot, but they may not really pay attention, so who knows.
Anyways, what do you think it could be?

Im not quite sure about that one. Ill have to ask my tranny buddy and ge tback to you.

[ramcosca]

Question: What if it squeaks when I press in the clutch pedal? And when I depress it... also squeaks.
This is my first manual tranny car and there had been none in the family for a few decades (lol), so I basically know poop about diagnosing.

Thanks for this. Bookmarked for future reference.

[turboengnr]

that is a normal thing. There is a DIY on here somewhere to get rid of the squeaking. It is nothing to really be worried about. It is more of an annoyance than anything else.

[ramcosca]

Thanks!