Tranny Trouble

[Revbang]

I'm driving my Roadster this afternoon on a beautiful fall day and all of a sudden accelerating up a hill I hear a machine gun like pounding. At first it sounded like the fan hitting something. It was a harder pounding that that though. After a bit I figure out it is only in third gear that this horrible sound emminates from my car. Has something happened to my transmission? Anyone else heard this horrible sound? What do I do?

I do have a spare tranny in my shed. It was in a car that sat for 10 years. Best bet to swap it out? Any prep to the "new" tranny I should do before I swap it? Thanks for the advice. Mark

[Minh]

Was it the tranny or differential?

[Revbang]

It sounded like the pounding was coming from under the hood. Why only in third gear? What would a bad differential sound like?

Help! Mark

[Minh]

Ah jeez I'm stumped on this one.

This requires an answer from a more experienced owner. If anybody resembles this descriptoin please step in.

I only experience that sound once in my life and that was when I was putting automatic into park whill it was still moving. (Hey, I was very young at the time).

So, to me what it sounds like are gears not catching. Where one gear is stationary while the other is locked Or, where one gear is turning one way and the other gear is going the other way.

This sound also occurs when you the motor is running and the starter is accidentally kicked in.

If you have a U20.... It could be the infamouse Death Rattle!!! Remove the cam plate cover and see if there is any wear on the L-Bracket.

Hope this helps.

[SLOroadster]

You only get the death rattle with a U20. The R16 doesn't have the 2nd timing chain running the cam. Does the tranny shift fine? I'd say its better to be safe than sorry so I would pull the whole 9 yard and check. Is it a 4 or a five speed? I think The 4 spds have an inspection pannel (some one correct me if I am wrong, I don't know the 4spd stuff.) If you can pull the underside of the tranny off, you should be able to see everything.

good luck,
Will

[spl310]

Here is my shot from the peanut gallery.....

Since it is in a single gear that this phantom noise appears, and it appeared first while the car is under a load (uphill accelleration), I suspect that ye olde transmission has coughed up a tooth on that gear or the synchro has decided it was time to self disassemble. I think that it is time to check out that spare tranny. Make sure that you replace the counter shaft bearings and gear (I think that I am correct on this - don't have my tech manual handy) as they wear out fairly early...

The reason that I suspect that the noise sounds like it is from the engine compartment is just the acoustics of it all.

Of course, I could be wrong.....