[davevet]

Hey there guys,

This is my first post on auszookers, woo!

I bought a 1992 Softtop sierra yesterday and am super excited. Buying a new car never ceases to be so exciting.

Anyhow, issues:

- Gearbox, A pronounced loud rattle under load and continual grinding noise, neutral clutch out can also hear haggard bearings, All the same noises I heard before i rebuilt my bravo box. I'm not sure weather i should buy a new box or rebuild the one i have? by the looks of things a bearing kit is going to be approx. 300... could get a box for that!? syncros feel good - bearings feel bad, very bad. When they are in good condition are they relatively quiet/smooth drive train wise?

Other question at 90 it develops a vibration that can be felt through the entire car but vibration subsides at 100km, it feels drive train related rather than singular wheel related (Bad balanced wheel), anything i can check off the batt?



thanks in advance


Dave

[atari4x4]

post some pics... not many of us can read.

[Santos]

Twice i have thought hey i'm going to rebuild the gearbox, twice it was easier to get a 2nd hand one and drop it in. What i STRONGLY recommend you do is get a engine crane for the job and follow the factory service manual procedure of removing engine+gearbox and swapping it out then putting them back in again. This is what i did the first time as i distinctly remembered my mechanic friend saying it was something he never wanted to go through again when he changed my clutch in through the bottom in his decked out workshop.

second time i thought i must of been exaggerating the difficulty and decided to do it with engine in place dropping it from the bottom. Unless i'm stranded away from civilisation i ain't ever doing that way again. If you do decide to attempt it this method here is how its done without cutting the gearbox chassis mount with an angle grinder (common suggestion)


Replacing clutch(1-11)or gearbox (1-12) without removing engine.
Numbers in [] are known nut/bolt quantities
1) Remove front differential drive shaft [4 diff/ 4 transfer case]
2) Remove Clutch cable
3)Remove starter motor [2] and ground cable
4) Remove exhaust header downpipe/catalytic converter
5) Remove main driveshaft shaft [4]
6) Remove gearbox mount [4 on gearbox, 2 on chassis]
7) Disconnect sensors from body harness (reverse etc)
8 ) Remove Gear shift lever
9) Undo gearbox nut/bolts from engine [4]
10) Shift gearbox back as far back as possible, rest on car/wheel jack
11) Remove Clutch plate and friction disc
12) Remove gearbox
Assembly.
1) Install Clutch
2) The rest in reverse order, for replacement gearboxes check that the clutch throw out bearing is installed before fitting!.

Secondly, welcome to the forum and be sure to provide photos and location

[davevet]

dammit - typed a huge reply... and it just dissappeared

[Scrawny]

Took me about 20 mins to get a gearbox out on a 4 post hoist, never had any issues with removal. Not sure that pulling gearbox out with engine is easier? Engine removal isn't overly hard tho

[Marko_SJ]

Ive removed and installed them as a unit. I wouldn't wanna do this every day.

Ive also dropped the box from underneath (not on a hoist) It wasn't too bad actually (I don't think this is the hard bit BTW).

I suspect joining the bell housing, to the block is going to be diabolical. Haven't rebuilt the box yet.... looks lame and I'd rather play with motorbikes for now.

[Santos]

Marko_SJ wrote:

Ive also dropped the box from underneath (not on a hoist) It wasn't too bad actually (I don't think this is the hard bit BTW).

I found putting it in and alining is the 'hit or miss' affair.
First time i'd ever pulled an engine was by the side of the road in Taree. Left the gearbox in place. Didn't have a clutch alignment tool, did it with a stick, was tired, in the dark, stressed, pneumonia sick ,and apparently with stage 4 hodgkins). Not fun.

Second time. Gearbox died. Engine crane and the lot came out, swapped in clutch tool. Breezy as even with chemo haze and explaining to my father 'No its not like that, i've been through it befor" A thousand times.

Third time. LAst year burnt clutch on Fraser island. Swapped in clutchplate (kindly donated by Want33s) by the side of the road near ferry landing leading to hervey bay. Remembered to take the clutch tool on the trip. The thing that is most difficult is the engine/gearbox metal plate, keeping it in place whilst pushing a gearbox into alignment and having some gearbox oil leak out the back

Forth time. 2nd gearbox. I figured i must be approaching level expert by now and didn't want to borrow my friends crane again (guilty that the last two times i saw him was to get the crane) Turns out there where a few extra steps to drop the box rather than just rest it on the crossmember. Taking the front diff driveshaft gave me oodles of room. Plus having to rest the gearbox, removing the clutch so i could get that 10mm of clearance is frustrating. Also a trick i worked out was rolling up cardboard dowels to hold the metal gasket in place. Thats why i wrote up the steps and saved it. To me it is not significantly quicker than pulling the engine with gearbox and swapping it out when on the crane then putting it back in, the option much more comfortable option.


Maybe i'm just traumatized

[davevet]

Forgive any spelling errors, typing on my phone.

I'm no stranger to doing work in stupid places, did a new head and gearbox rebuild in a city street by myself lol.

I changed the gearbox over in the sierra for one I bought second hand, he said it was in good condition, as they all do lol.

I still have a vibration of low frequency when hard accelerating, it's more of an entire car wobble than a vibration I guess, on a hill, plant it in first it wobbles. If I take off slow, no problems. Could be the only Uni I didn't replace that has a little lateral play :S

Secondly, I took a video of this and I will post soon, it's most obvious in 4th gear, low rpm, when I full throttle it makes a metallic grinding sound... I'm not sure if its the transfer :S when I put transfer in neutral and let the car idle in 3rd gear I can put my ear on the transfer and hear a distinct knock....not sure if that's normal :S

[Gwagensteve]

Start by changing the uni.

Steve.

[Marko_SJ]

Santos wrote:

Marko_SJ wrote:

Ive also dropped the box from underneath (not on a hoist) It wasn't too bad actually (I don't think this is the hard bit BTW).

I found putting it in and alining is the 'hit or miss' affair.
First time i'd ever pulled an engine was by the side of the road in Taree. Left the gearbox in place. Didn't have a clutch alignment tool, did it with a stick, was tired, in the dark, stressed, pneumonia sick ,and apparently with stage 4 hodgkins). Not fun.

Second time. Gearbox died. Engine crane and the lot came out, swapped in clutch tool. Breezy as even with chemo haze and explaining to my father 'No its not like that, i've been through it befor" A thousand times.

Third time. LAst year burnt clutch on Fraser island. Swapped in clutchplate (kindly donated by Want33s) by the side of the road near ferry landing leading to hervey bay. Remembered to take the clutch tool on the trip. The thing that is most difficult is the engine/gearbox metal plate, keeping it in place whilst pushing a gearbox into alignment and having some gearbox oil leak out the back

Forth time. 2nd gearbox. I figured i must be approaching level expert by now and didn't want to borrow my friends crane again (guilty that the last two times i saw him was to get the crane) Turns out there where a few extra steps to drop the box rather than just rest it on the crossmember. Taking the front diff driveshaft gave me oodles of room. Plus having to rest the gearbox, removing the clutch so i could get that 10mm of clearance is frustrating. Also a trick i worked out was rolling up cardboard dowels to hold the metal gasket in place. Thats why i wrote up the steps and saved it. To me it is not significantly quicker than pulling the engine with gearbox and swapping it out when on the crane then putting it back in, the option much more comfortable option.


Maybe i'm just traumatized

If there's anything that will traumatise, its GB removal on the side of the road. F that. Screw burning out clutches also.

Oh, I reckon getting the box back in is gunna be a job thats full of cunce . not getting it out. Doesn't help that I'm scrawny as.

I'll probably try for a bit swear at it and walk away..... my sierra may never move again because there's funner stuff to do