Grassflatsfishe

Hey guys and gals. 1st post here. Been reading up for several weeks since I invested in a 01 civic as a commuter. Need some help though.

2001 civic ex coupe vtec 5speed trans

Ive got a noise coming from my transmission. I thought it was my throwout bearing but after I replacing the whole clutch the noise is still there.

The noise is a ticking sound under load. I can start off in first and it sounds normal but once rpms hit 4000 or so it starts. It continues through 2nd and 3rd. Not as predominate in 4th and 5th or is drowned out by road noise at least. It will do it when first starting out in first also but not always. It goes away with the clutch in at all speeds and shifting. The ticking is consistent and does rev with the rpms. My thoughts are now on the input shaft bearing but I really don't know. There is no noise at idle and little to no noise when moving and clutch in.
Anybody got any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks

ezone

If it howls and whines in gears too then I'd guess a bearing headed south. If no whining then I may guess at a chipped tooth on a gear. Is reverse noisiest?
Fluid full and correct?

Grassflatsfishe

Not sure on the howling...maybe some...More of a rattle/tapping noise...guess that could be considered howling. I really don't think it's any gear or teeth issues. Fluids are good and no leaks. I don't know about the reverse deal. I'll have to try it and see. Could it be something slightly bent?

anibis

Probably a bad input-shaft bearing, common problem with Honda 5-speeds. The trans will have to be pulled and taken apart, it's not all that hard though unless you go for a full rebuild. If it's not too loud you can drive on it, mine has been making a little noise for 12k miles or so and hasn't gotten any worse, I'm not too worried about it right now.

Eventually it will get very loud and will turn to a more grinding noise, it may start leaking trans fluid from the bell housing and you may have trouble shifting. It may take awhile until it reaches this stage but when it does you need to replace the bearing or you risk locking up the trans which would be bad.

ezone

Probably not likely unless something big and solid got stuffed through two gears.

I suppose a bearing could tick in early stages of failure, but by the time I get to see them they usually howl pretty loud.

If the noise (pitch) is consistent with engine RPM then it should be related to the input shaft. The front bearing is common.


Have you tried checking for the noise with the front wheels off the ground and spinning?

Grassflatsfishe

Thanks for the replies. I got to thinking about the noise a little more and it is more of a drone or whine than it is a tick. Maybe it is the input shaft bearing. Taking it to my local fixit shop this morn. See what they have to say.

Grassflatsfishe

How about the counter shaft and main shaft bearings? Could it be one of those?

How hard is replacing those? Is it a total rebuild or can those be easily accessed?

anibis

It could be the main shaft or counter shaft but chances are it's the ISB just because it's by far the most common bearing to go bad in Honda 5-speeds. The problem with the ISB is the plastic cage that keeps the bearings spread out breaks down easily, it is the only bearing in the trans with this design which is why it's the most common to go bad.

It's not hard replacing the ISB, you will have to pull the main and counter shafts but they remain in tact so you don't have to mess with the gears or syncs, it would take an experienced tech an hour or two.

ezone

My opinion: Once the trans comes out, it is coming apart. Inspect everything. Replace anything even remotely questionable. It's a whole bunch of labor to do the job over again.
If one bearing has gone bad, then there is likely to be metal that has been circulated through all the rest of the bearings. If one bearing allowed excessive movement, another bearing may have suffered damage because of it. I have no idea how bad the OP's trans sounds. Gotta open it up to find out.

Grassflatsfishe

Thanks for th replies. I have it at the shop now. gonna let someone who knows alot more than me look at it. Glad to know the counter shaft and main shaft are not a total rebuild to replace. May just have all 3 done while its pulled and move on. I got the car for a good deal but its starting to eat into what I saved. Maybe it won't be as bad as I'm thinking. The bearings are cheap but labor is stiff. As far as metal shavings you are probably right but the magnet should keep some of that from interferring to much. Its not the shavings its the big pieces or chunks that cause the major issues.

Thanks for the replies.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Input shaft bearng maybe? Its hard to tell, a bearing wouldnt make a ticking noise though. hmm