llmercll

I'm almost certain the ISB on my honda 5 speed is going. It makes a whirring sound in neutral with the clutch in (pedal not depressed) and some rattling in 1st and 2nd gear when accelerating.

I want to take care of it as soon as possible to prevent further transaxle damage and hoping to get it done within a month or two. The problem is I have no idea how to go about changing it, and cannot find any specific guides on the problem. It seems most people end up just "rebuilding" the transmission.

Is a "rebuild" just a term used for any work done inside the transmission, or does it specifically mean new bearings, gears, and everything? I figure if I'm inside the transmission I should just replace everything but the cogs(unless they are worn), no? Surely if one bearing is going the others can't be far off?

I really just don't know how to tackle this problem, I'm not even 100% it's just the ISB and not others as well. I don't want to open up the transaxle replace one bearing and find that when I re install it, the noise is still there. At the same time I don't want to spend more on parts and labor than I need to.

Thanks for reading and hoping for some good advice

lazlong

If you're gonna break open the tranny you might as well replace all the bearings. That being said, mine has done the exact same thing since '07 with no driveabilty problems (except for the noise). I wouldn't do it unless you plan to have it more than a couple of years.

llmercll

thanks for the reply

That's what I was originally going to do, but I read that a bad bearing can lead to other, more serious transmission issues =/

fecomosis

I agree, if those ***** in the bearing race wears down too much, those ***** will be flying around in the tranny, and could do alot more damage.

I am about to pull the tranny on my 94 civic 5-speed, and plan on doing the same. Mine has the same problem as well.

scooty

Just out of curiosity does any one know if rebuilt manual transmissions are available and how much they cost?

If I were to do this repair I would rather just swap in a rebuilt transmission. I would then repair my old one and try to sell it on ebay, as opposed to having the car sit for weeks while i get hung up over rebuilding the trans.

JJ291

This is early days as I haven't installed mine yet (God help me) and it is an automatic. However, I've been dealing with Synchrotech out of California and I'm pretty impressed so far. Mine is shipping as we speak. They list a completely rebuilt 2001 civic M/T for $795. you will need to pay shipping but it was less than I thought it would be for my A/T ($240 but I'm picking it up). I'd just swap it and send them your core. I'll keep you posted on how I turn out - swapping it next week.

fecomosis

OK, I pulled my transmission, and along with a factory service manual I was successful at replaceing the ISB in the transmission.

Some tools needed are, snap ring pliers, needle bearing puller ( if you are going to replace more than the ISB ), of couse ratches and sockets.. some RTV high temp silicone for sealing.

After I pulled the trans, I put it face down on two blocks of wood to keep the input shaft from hitting the ground. Facing the back of the trans, there is a semi large "O" shaped access port that unscrews with a 3/8 end ratchet, taking that off will reveal the snap ring , which "secures" the counter shaft in place and w/o removing that snap ring the case will not come apart. ( assuming that you have dained the fluid prior to removing the cv axles). To me the snap ring thing was the hardest, if you spread the two 'prongs' of the snap ring and push it backwards, it was a tad bit easier, the snap ring will not fall into the trans, it just unhooks from bearing pushes back into its cubby hole inside. So remove the snap ring, and remove the (13) 12mm bolts holding the case to the bell housing. ( they are all 12mm, same length too ) using a small pry bar, locate some leverage points on the trans and gently pry all around to seperate. Once seperated, remove the bolt in the bell housing near the input shaft, I believe its a hex insert. remove.

Next, turn it back facing down, I.S. ( input shaft ) down gears will be facing up. If you picture in your mind and play with the shaft that is sticking out to shift with you can visualize how the shift forks work. Its kind of like hitting a key on a piano to hit the right fork movement.

next a few more bolts, and removing the bracket for the reverse, and remove the reverse gear and its shaft ( real easy), *noting which sides are facing up.

after that has been removed, if you grip you hands around the main shaft and counter shaft with the forks, you should be able to remove it as a whole, laying it down on a towel, keeping note that the shafts can fall out of the forks. ( also remove the differential, pops right out, almost no effort)

You will then see the ISB, flip it over, use a flat head screwdriver and tap out the top of the bearing, only two taps for me knocked it out easily. my overhaul kit came with the seals of which I bought the whole kit for $113 off ebay, I think its transparts.net?. But these bearings are the exact same that are coming out of it. So I also replaced the ISB seal, easy too. On the main shaft end there is another bearing, it was not bad, can tell by spinning it, but it was easy to slide off and put on the new one. The rest, I spun, and it looked and sounded great. the ISB was defiently BAD. I didnt change the needle bearing because I didnt have the tool. I reversed procedure, sealed it back up, installed the trans ( I also took off the flywheel, replaced the rear main seal, got the flywheel resurfaced -0.012 of an inch off, installed the flywheel, tq 87lbs, criss cross pattern, replaced also the pilot bearing which the flywheel has to be off to replace it, it taps out from the front to the back. So replaced that, pressure plate and clutch disc, I bought an exedy clutch kit which worked out great. ( pressue plate, clutch disc, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, aligment tool ) off ebay ~$100 Installed everything and now its noise FREEE!

Its alot easier than you think, the FSM helps alot and is also a must for a first timer. Everyone quoted me 1k-1.5k to do this. and that was with bringing the trans to them!

KHouck316

You took the transmission out through the bottom correct? Did you need an alignment afterwards? Im looking at doing this job next week and nobody seems to answer me. Is the alignment afterwards like absolutely necessary? Any drivability issues or possible damage?