Hey! I want to know if i'm being screwed over! A local tranny shop quoted me 840 dollars to replace the bearings in my transmission (said it was the problem). That includes parts and labor. am I being ripped off? Is this something a home mechanic can do?

 

Thats probably about right. Depending on which bearings need to be changed will dictate how much disassembly is required also. I'd almost be tempted to do a complete rebuild if it's gonna be apart. Figure most places will probably charge in the $200 to $300 range just to remove and reinstall the tranny. Then you figure parts costs. Then labor, which I would imagine is anywhere in the $30 to $60 per hour range. I don't think your getting screwed, but what is leading the shop to put their finger on a bearing issue?

Ken R.

 

It makes a noise when shifting gears. The syncros work fine, you can shift without the clutch in all the gears perfect, no noise. But wwhen you use the clutch, 4 times out of 5 it makes a noise, almost like a grinding but not nearly as bad. I have had problems with driveshaft vibration ( steel piece, go f*cking figure) and bought a used one from fbodyjunk.com. I took that piece, had 2 new u joints put in, took it to a shop where it was balanced and straightened. But, this was about 1000 miles after my clutch was put in. The driveshaft before that had 2 dings on it, almost as if someone took a giant pair of pliers to the last 3 inches and pinched it, right opposite each other ( about 1/8 of an inch deep ). My mechanic thought that might have upset the input bearings or something, so I took it to a tranny shop. They said it was def. the bearings, but didn't know what is causing the vibration still. So I took the car back to the driveshaft shop (fort wayne clutch) and they said the steel piece I bought was still crap, GM did a bad job welding it and therefore requires alot of weight to balance even. I have not yet had anyone pull apart my tranny, I just need some help. Is that a job a home mechanic can not do at all? I'm very strap for cash, just having enough to pay for my insurance and payments (in college). But because I garage during the winter, I'll have months to tinker on it. Would pulling the tranny out and taking it to the shop save $$? Sorry this was a mess, this is just driving me crazy. Thanks brothers, I appreciate any help whatsoever.

 

Pulling and reinstalling the tranny would definitly save you some cash. It's not that hard to do, just labor intensive if your doing it in your garage on jack stands. If I were you, i'd toss that steel shaft and pick up an aluminum shaft. You can usually find used ones on ebay in the $100 to $200 range. Check it out. As for the noisy condition you have, don't know why it would only do it when your clutch is engaged. That would seem to me to indicate a clutch issue and not a bearing issue in the tranny. I would think if you have a bad bearing in the tranny, it would be noisy all the time. Something to keep in mind. As for doing the tranny yourself, unless you've done it before, or at least done a tranny before and have a good manual for the T56 and the right tools, I would probably pass on it. If your doing bearings in the tranny, I believe you need a bearing press anyway. Hopefully others will chime in with some other suggestions.

Ken

 

Thanks guy! I really appreciate it! That does make sense what you said about the bearings, but the shop was positive on it? How much would it cost to have the tranny rebuilt? Towards 1000? I'll def. pull the tranny myself to save some cash, 200 or 300 would be crucial. Esp. if I'll be def. buying a alum. driveshaft soon!

 

Well if the noise is only when you push the clutch in then it's probably your throw-out bearing. If you still want to rebuild the tranny, pull it out, Drive out here to Chicagoland area, and I'll redo it for the price of parts and $200. If you're interested I'll find out how much they cost for you on Monday when the Store is open again.

Chris

 

crash4cyl,


I'm very interested in what you're talking about. Let me know the price on parts and all that jazz. Do you own a shop or work at one? Is the throw-out bearing hard to replace? If it isn't, I could try that, and if that doesn't work, just pull the whole damn thing out and take it to you.


Thanks brother

Mark

 

The throw out bearing is actually part of your clutch assembly. Unfortunatly, you have to pull the tranny to get to it. Easy to change, just hard to get to. And I agree, probably the throw out bearing. If your gonna pull the tranny to replace that, then you might want to think about a new clutch and flywheel resurface. I know it sound's like the $$ are adding up, but just things to think about since your in there. You can probably go the cheap route on the clutch if your not running a lot of power and don't have to worry about slippage like the higher HP guys on the board. Maybe even an Autozone replacement or something like that with a waranty and all. Your noises may not even be tranny related at all. Just something to keep in mind.

Ken