Gearbox dead, need a new one?

[unclepete]

Looks like the hearse's gearbox is dead. It works fine but it sounds like I'm dragging my exhaust or something along the ground. The noise come from the front left of the car. It's done about 600 yds maximum since this noise started.

The AA came out to it and looked at brakes, suspension driveshaft etc. etc. and came to the same conclusion as me - gearbox is funned.

However, it changes gears just fine although it did jolt a couple of times when starting, which it didn't do previously I don't think.

So, anyone got any tips? Or does anyone have any tips on where I can buy a "new" gearbox from?!?!?!

Thanks in advance,

Pete

[Nutter_John]

it could be your xfer box

[unclepete]

Cool, what does that mean?! Less expensive maybe?!

[Nutter_John]

err front left of the car is the power steering pump / air con pump area , there is nothng gearbox related in that area

or are you talking front left when sat in the drivers seat , in whch case that is your auto box area

does the car drive ok still apart from the noise


xfer box is a lot cheaper than an auto box

[unclepete]

Sorry, front left when driving the car (or nearside front or near the front left wheel).

Car seems to drive fine apart from the noise although when starting a couple of times it seemed to jolt a bit more than it would do ordinarily. I was just about to change the ATF but that wouldn't have any impact as the current stuff is still pretty fresh.

xfer box, does that mean taking out the gearbox?

[peter thomson]

You don't need the gearbox out to remove the transfer box. Downpipes and centre crossmember, propshaft and driveshafts and 6 bolts. No warning light from the gearbox though??

[unclepete]

No warning lights at all.

[Wodjno]

Bad news Dude :(

But if you need a transfer box then let me know..

Cheers



Wodj

[unclepete]

So does that mean it ain't a transfer box if no light and more likely a gearbox? It has to be really - I'm an unlucky git so I fully expect it now!

[Wodjno]

So does that mean it ain't a transfer box if no light and more likely a gearbox? It has to be really - I'm an unlucky git so I fully expect it now!


No warning light would hint that it may Not be gearbox.. Transfer box is not electronically connected, so no lights would show up..

[Atik]

Sounds similar to what mine did a few weeks ago. Made a horrible grinding noise as though it was dragging something under the car. Sounded also like the front left area (in driving position). No lights on dash. Car moved fine when cold. But struggled when warm. Needed around 3500rpm in first gear to even creep forward a little.

Difficult diagnosis to make so opted for a complete gearbox change.. from auto to manual! Car works fine now.

Anyway, I've been no help, but I hope you get it sorted soon.

[Beastlee]

Pete, just so you know, that gearbox was rebuilt when Bal had it, approx 3 years ago. One of the things Bal pointed out was that all the seals, etc were done and it shifted much smoother than many others. If you search on here for threads started by him you may get some more info, he was working above Xtreme in Birmingham at the time and I think they did the work.

[Subaru ETA]

yeah as said above, if it is changine gear fine if could be the transer case, or inner cv maybe?

[bradc]

Does it get worse if you go faster?

What happens if you select D but don't move? Or rev in neutral?

[unclepete]

Sorry for the delay, work has been hellish.

If I select D but don't move then there's no discernible difference to when it was perfect - if my foot's on the brake, there's a slight movement, if it is not, it will creep forward. If I rev in neutral, it acts perfectly normally.

I think it does get a bit worse when i go faster but to be honest, I'm so scared of causing further damage, I haven't tried it over 20 mph and for more than another 400 yds! Thanks everyone for your help so far.

[AlanDITD]

Sorry for the delay, work has been hellish.

If I select D but don't move then there's no discernible difference to when it was perfect - if my foot's on the brake, there's a slight movement, if it is not, it will creep forward. If I rev in neutral, it acts perfectly normally.

I think it does get a bit worse when i go faster but to be honest, I'm so scared of causing further damage, I haven't tried it over 20 mph and for more than another 400 yds! Thanks everyone for your help so far.

It is supposed to move with your foot off the brake though right? when its in drive that is.

[colVR4]

Are you absolutely sure its the gearbox and not driveshaft related?

[Davezj]

let me tell you what happened when i stripped a drive shaft.

iI booted it and there was an almighty bang, and it makes a really loud grinding noise and it seem as if you have lost a bit of drive performance as well.
to diagnose problem,
just jack up the left front and try to turn the wheel if it turns and the inside cv joint (green cup) does not, then it is the drive shaft stripped and an easy fix. if the inside cv joint turns (green cup) then it would suggest the transfer case.
do the other wheel for good measure as noises are difficult to track down.

hope this helps

[unclepete]

Sweet, thanks for all your help guys. I'll try this next week Davezj

[unclepete]

Bugger, looks like I need a new gearbox. With all wheels in the air and my head under the box, I can plainly hear the noise. Sounds like a bearing in the gearbox.

Nobody seems to want to dare to open it up so I think I have a scrapper on my hands. I could either sell the whole car (still runs and engine is superb) or use my drive as a scrapyard. Any suggestions?

[AlanDITD]

scrapyard drive FTW.

If the rest of the car is good it has to be worth changing/rebuilding the box.

You migh get another car with loads more hidden faults. At least you know your car.

[Atik]

Keep the car. Change the box. You may end up buying a car with more hidden faults.

[unclepete]

OK, cool. Now where can I get me a gearbox that won't do the same thing? Surely someone out there (maybe previous owner as Beastlee points out) can recondition these?

[unclepete]

FTW? I'm no internet fiend, what does that mean?!

[bradc]

ftw = for the win

[unclepete]

No win here - I took it to a friend's as he has a barn, which we can check it out in and then break it if necessary. It was making a hellish noise in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears but in 4th and 5th it runs perfectly with no noises whatsoever. So basically, I could use it as normal but never go below 25mph! Sort of like "Speed" but not.

Anyway, to my (albeit stupid) mind, this does not sound like a transfer box problem but a gearbox going bye-bye. Is there a bearing which serves the first three gears or anything similar it could be? We were going to drop the oil out of the transfer box to check it out but I don't think there's any point now...

[unclepete]

Anyone have any idea about this?

[bradc]

Gearbox is broken :)

[Turbo_Steve]

Does make it sound like it's the box. Note that someone on here recently posted a rebuild kit for the gearbox....not sure if you feel that'd be worth doing?

[unclepete]

I noticed that thanks Steve. I was thinking it might be worth it. However, I don't have the skills (to say the least!) and I contacted a couple of "specialists" who weren't interested in touching autos. Unless I can find someone in Scotland, who would be able to, I might just give up and either buy a new box or sell this car in bits (I've got a place to stick the car while it gets ripped apart now).

The fact that it is now surplus to requirements does not make me feel any better about its potential death...!

[colVR4]

Or you could just stick a manual box in there...if it needs a new gearbox anyway :D

[unclepete]

Getting one of them anyhow, prefer the tiptronic to be honest (never thought I would say that before I got one).

It's not that simple though - it looks pretty tricky and no cheaper for no benefit.

[keithatport]

There is a gearbox specialist in Forfar and another one in Aviemore. Both are good from all reports but expensive. I have not got the contact details at hand but can get them. I have spoken to the chap in Forfar. He could not find a listing for a 5 speed auto for our cars while I was on the phone to him but I am sure if we pointed him in the right direction he could fit the rebuild kit. You would be cheaper with another box though. +/- £1,500 for a re-build.

[ritch_w]

there is place near kilmarnock (Knockentiber) called "CM Dunlop's"
C M Dunlop Automatic Transmission
No 11, Greenhill-Holding
Kilmarnock
Ayrshire
KA2 0DX
T: 01563523086
Map - Directions to here
Local Mitsi dealers use them!

there is also a place in Paisley that an ex member on here (craig-f1) used,
http://www.mackie-transmission.com/

good luck

[Beastlee]

Pete, just a thought but have you tried draining/replacing the ATF again? You could then check for anything nasty floating in the ATF and possibly flush something out that's got stuck in there.

[fluffnik]

Unless I can find someone in Scotland, who would be able to [fix it]

I've heard good things about Automotive Automatics in Edinburgh on many occasions, though I've not used them myself.

Automotive Automatics
14 Gordon Street
Edinburgh
EH6 8NA

0131 554 5548

[Madhav]

Generally if you are trying to sort out a problem you go through this sequence.

Check the condition of the ATF, i.e. the redder the better, if it's brown or God forbid black!! Then flush it immediately. While flushing it check what comes out also, any metal bits and you're in trouble. Only use amsoil or Mitsubishi Dia queen SPIII.

If this doesn't fix it scan for error codes.

Reset the Auto ECU. Disconnect the battery for some time, like 10 minutes, then reconnect, start her up and go N, 3 sec count, D, 3 sec count, etc 9 times. Then do the same for reverse.

Finally if this doesn't work, get a proper inspection from someone who has worked on our GB before. Note that hyundai and kia also used these GB also, the code is W5A51 or F5A51, same internals.

Just ask them how much in labour alone to do the job, as in ask them how many hours do they estimate it for them to take out the GB, rebuild it, then put it back in. Most will tell you around 12 hours I suspect. Then ask them what their hourly rate is. From their you throw in the cost of the parts which you source from the USA yourself.

[Rikki]

Pete,

I don't know how much help this would be, seeing as its an auto, but I had my gearbox rebuilt by Phoenix Honda, Grangemouth. I think they sent it to the nearby Mits garage (Stirling) for some of it but Honda did the bulk. It cost me about £1000 all in for the re-build, but like I said that was for a manual. All you can do is ask. If you do call them, ask for John Leitch, he's the Service Manager and should be able to help you.

Rik


I noticed that thanks Steve. I was thinking it might be worth it. However, I don't have the skills (to say the least!) and I contacted a couple of "specialists" who weren't interested in touching autos. Unless I can find someone in Scotland, who would be able to, I might just give up and either buy a new box or sell this car in bits (I've got a place to stick the car while it gets ripped apart now).

The fact that it is now surplus to requirements does not make me feel any better about its potential death...!

[unclepete]

Thanks for all your advice. I'm going to get onto this as soon as I've saved up. In my typical idiotic way, I got bored and just bought another for the time being! I shall make the calls you have recommended above, thanks again for that!

I'm a wee bit against changing the ATF to be honest - £150 worth of fluids is going to hurt. i think it is much more serious than that, surely.

[themightyo]

Or you could just stick a manual box in there...if it needs a new gearbox anyway :D

Think I've been given the task of getting the hearse back on the road. I'd much prefer a manual to an auto, so how much should I be thinking of blowing and where would do it?

Cheers,
Andy

[jaffa]

Its a Small world eh Andy!! :D

Been in talks with both Pete (unclepete) and Andy (themightyo) and looks like i've drawn the short straw to change the Auto Box.

Although as a true Scot i'm dragging another poor Scot down with me!! :D

Gowf has very kindly offered his services for services rendered for the sheep out in the back fields!!!

So Andy the ball is in your court to source the parts required and we can get the Beast back on the road!!


Jaffa

[Gowf]

I thought the offer of free sheep was too good to be true!