Is my tranny done???
 

Ok, so i have a 1993 cx hatch with a JDM D15B non vtec that was swapped in prior to me owning it. I think its the original tranny with 215k on it.

I started getting a ticking noise whenever i was moving a few days ago. The kind of ticking that could only be compared to putting a card in spokes of a bike when we were kids. Anyway, i was driving the car home (stupidly) and went to accelerate when i hear CLUNK... VROOOOM as i rev to the moon. The car does not move anymore but still starts and the speedo still moves when i give it gas, which gives me hope that it may not be my tranny.

I did some research and it seemed as though my cv joints may be bad. I took both half axels off today and they look fine (there are still teeth on the end that goes into the tranny and nothing has snapped) Although one of the boots is torn and does seem a bit rough when i rotate it. Still i think on the wheels should spin when the car was lifted and running.

I am fairly confident its not the clutch as it gripped well. If i wanted to do a burnout prior to this incident, then i could without frying it. One thing I noticed was when i downshifted it would sort of bounce, for good second, until i gave it a bit of gas and then everything would tighten up. Does this sound like a tranny problem? or a cv joint problem?

Also, on one forum i read, a guy said that the ticking noice is an indicator of the cv joint going and that if left unfixed the car may become immobile. That said, i think ive heard the cv joint tick before when turning sharply. That noise was much louder than the constant ticking (cards on a bike noise) i would hear while moving and it would stop when i straightened the wheel. This makes me believe that its another ticking noise other than the cv joints. Any ideas what this may be??

I am looking for any other suggestions on what my problem may be. Anyone ever have something similar happen?? I have a friend who is much more knowledgeable than me, and he is pretty convinced its my tranny. I thought id check here for suggestions before i drop money on a transmission and find out that was not my problem at all. Any help is much appreciated.

Re: Is my tranny done???
 

That could be a bad CV joint. Broken gear teeth can also sound like that.

That's good, but doesn't mean they are still good, especially if a boot is split.

That could be a blown clutch or broken shaft or gears in the transmission.

Don't you mean the tachometer moves?

That's really, really bad. The wheels won't spin in any gear? You could have broke a main shaft in the transmission.

They usually do, until they blow up. Then they don't. A clutch with burnt clutch plates still should spin the wheels when they are up in the air.

My guess is you have a bad CV joint and broken internal transmission parts. You really need someone who knows transmissions, clutches, and CV joints better than you to look at it.

Re: Is my tranny done???
 

But they would still turn the wheels correct? For instance, a bad cv wont leave me stranded will it? unless its obviously snapped?

No, i dont have a tach in the cx, just a speedo and it moves proportionally with my engine speed. At idle, in second, it will sit around 20mph and move when given gas. I was under the impression this meant the tranny was ok, but thats just hearsay from other forums. Any thoughts?

Wheels do not spins at all. When the half axles were still on the car, they would vibrate a little once the car was in gear, but not rotate. Also of note, when i put the car in gear i heard a TICK, TICK, TICK noise that sounded like it coming from the passenger side half axel. Again, the shaft looked fine, any ideas on this noise??

It was not spinning at all...... but still

The cv joint is bad, and will be replaced. However, i think that is only the start of my problems. My friend works for a few local dealerships repairing used cars and he thinks it is my tranny but he really hasnt had much time to look at it. He just troubleshooted/shot it over the phone. He found me a used tranny for $250 and suggested i do some research if i have any reservations. He also suggest i replace my clutch while im at it.... another $100 for the part. So if you we in my position, what would you do? Just buy the clutch and tranny or there something i maybe be missing? I just dont want to replace everything, fix the car, and still have no idea what broke. This is a chance to learn, otherwise i could just pay someone else to do it.

Also, i forgot to mention, but a couple of weeks ago i put my car in reverse, and it did not want to come out of reverse for the life of me. Following that incident, a couple days later it did the same thing to me at a stop light. This time in second and it did not want to go into first or any other gear for that matter. Eventually i got the car moving and i was able to shift. Maybe this is an indicator the problems i facing now, and can shed some light on the situation and what the exact problem is. Thanks for the response, I really appreciate it.

Re: Is my tranny done???
 

Yeah, CV joints aren't always going to LOOK bad when they go. Mine looked completely fine when they were replaced, but my guess is that the inner joint in the boot was done, but mine made an awful noise. Too Tall has given you a great list of info. Go from there and keep us updated. You can try to floor the throttle in 3rd or any higher gear and see what happens to the revs. If they shoot way the hell up, chances are the clutch is done/on its way out. There are other tests you can do, but that seems to be the safest on the car.

Re: Is my tranny done???
 

Your biggest problem is the wheels not spinning in any gear when they are off the ground. Even with a burnt clutch and bad CV joints, the tires should still spin when in the air, unless the parts are totally gernaded. Your only choice is to totally disassemble all the parts involved and see what ALL the problems are. My guess is you will need to replace CV joints, clutch, and transmission.