Gear Box Whining

[bmwqc]

It's not a BMW related question, but my 5-Sp manual gearbox in my Explorer is starting to whine on all the foward gears (except 4th). I have topped off the oil, the whining is lower but still audible. Is this a terminal problem? Any recommendation for a reputable transmission shop in town?

[blacksheep]

does it still whine when you put it in neutral and release the clutch?

[Emre]

It's not a BMW related question, but my 5-Sp manual gearbox in my Explorer is starting to whine on all the foward gears (except 4th).Are you sure it isn"t the rear diff?

Emre

[bmwqc]

does it still whine when you put it in neutral and release the clutch?


It only whines when the vehicle is moving, louder when under load. On 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 5th only - 4th is totally quiet and smooth. 5th is loudest.
This only started 2 days ago while I was driving on the highway.

This morning, I took the truck in and the gearbox was found to be low on oil (by quite a bit). It was filled up, but now it still whines, but not quite
loud. If this calls for an overhaul, I would be kind of surprised because I am still on the original clutch at 211K.

[bmwqc]

Are you sure it isn"t the rear diff?

Emre

I am sure it's not the diff because 4th gear runs perfectly fine - no whining of any sort.

[blacksheep]

probably the countershaft bearings are going

many RWD manual transmissions are direct-drive in 4th gear so that's why it's quiet in 4th (not using the countershaft)

[Turbo_Bimmer]

IMO, a bearing is going bad. May be the low level of oil didn't help. And since the 4th gear is 1:1, it won't require the other gears that are on another shaft (the one with a bad bearing) to underdrive or overdrive the output shaft of the tranny.

[Turbo_Bimmer]

Hey Blacksheep, we are in sync!

[bmwqc]

probably the countershaft bearings are going

many RWD manual transmissions are direct-drive in 4th gear so that's why it's quiet in 4th (not using the countershaft)

If that is the case, would be be better to rebuild or pop in a rebuilt unit?

[Turbo_Bimmer]

It depends who sells you the rebuild. Some cie only replace the defective part(s), clean the case and that's all, others will change parts that are still good but that have some wear as a precaution. I don't have any names to give you, sorry.
If it was me, I would try to find a good mechanic that I trust, and have him open the tranny and give you an evaluation of the general condition of the internals. Whatever route you take, you will have to remove the tranny of the truck anyways, and opening it doesn't require that much time.
It may be only a couple of bearings that need to be changed. If it requires more, like synchros or gears, then you will have to evaluate the cost of parts plus the labour required to change them vs a rebuild one with a good warranty. Don't forget to check the price of a rebuild from the dealer, the quality of the rebuild might be better IMO.
If you plan on selling the truck within a year, you could buy a used one from a junk yard with a 1yr warranty and have them do the install, so you will pay only once for the labour.

Or you can tell your wife that a X5 would be more reliable than a FORD...:rolleyes:


If that is the case, would be be better to rebuild or pop in a rebuilt unit?

[Lee]

Or you can tell your wife that a X5 would be more reliable than a FORD...:rolleyes:

Or buy a used Audi 1.8T. It is getting cheaper and cheaper as they are widely available. And you can pick between a regular four door or a touring model. The 4 wheel drive is quite good, so is the engine. If I had to buy a good car for winter, that would be it.

[bmwqc]

Or you can tell your wife that a X5 would be more reliable than a FORD...:rolleyes:

More reliable? I don't think so. From what I hear, the quality control of vehicles coming out of Spartansburg is just so so. It's bad enough having a troublesome vehicle, but worse when you have to spend a premium price and have troubles.

[bmwqc]

Or buy a used Audi 1.8T. It is getting cheaper and cheaper as they are widely available. And you can pick between a regular four door or a touring model. The 4 wheel drive is quite good, so is the engine. If I had to buy a good car for winter, that would be it.

I don't know enough of this brand to form an opinion on it. When new, they're quite expensive, almost at the level of a Bimmer. Used, I don't know. But how durable are these cars? They seem difficult to work on.

[Emre]

I don't know enough of this brand to form an opinion on it. When new, they're quite expensive, almost at the level of a Bimmer. Used, I don't know. But how durable are these cars? They seem difficult to work on.
Parts prices for Audis are pretty absurd. Even more expensive than BMW from what I remember (back when I used to own a VW). I'm sure the cost of a rebuilt Ford gearbox would be far less than a used Audi A4!

Emre

[bmwqc]

Parts prices for Audis are pretty absurd. Even more expensive than BMW from what I remember (back when I used to own a VW). I'm sure the cost of a rebuilt Ford gearbox would be far less than a used Audi A4!

Emre

I gather the high cost of Audi parts is carried over to VW (parts) pricing also, see as they are related companies and share many components.

[blacksheep]

(r.e.: Audi A4 1.8T) I don't know enough of this brand to form an opinion on it. When new, they're quite expensive, almost at the level of a Bimmer. Used, I don't know. But how durable are these cars? They seem difficult to work on.The older B5 model (up to 2001) had quite a few issues, the newer 8E model (2002+) is pretty reliable.

But like any car, it all depends how you drive it and how well you maintain it. Hard driving + poor maintenance = lots of trouble.

We've had zero trouble with ours. It's a really nice car, stable and quiet and pretty fun to drive with great stability and path accuracy thanks to the complex front suspension. But it's not really something to have fun with on a track. Consider it a cruiser, a heavy car with small brakes and it's sort of underpowered.

I would have preferred the BMW 325xi touring for the mechanical bits (bigger brakes, smooth 6 cylinder motor) but it was about $6K more expensive for similar equipment level and (in our opinion) the Audi looks better.

Comparing an A4 Quattro with a Ford Explorer is like comparing apples to basketballs. One is a huge body-on-frame truck, the other is a compact car, they have completely different missions.

BTW if you buy an A4 just to drive around the city you're better off WITHOUT the sports suspension. At city speeds it's pretty rough on the miserable streets of Montreal.

r.e.: difficult to work on, I don't think ANY German cars are as easy to work on compared to a Honda or Toyota.

[Turbo_Bimmer]

snip ... the Audi looks better.

.

:( you hurt my feelings.

[blacksheep]

sorry I hurt your feelings, but everyone has different tastes. I clearly specified "in our opinion" ;)

the only E46's I like are coupe's and M3's. I really don't like the front end on the sedans and I *especially* hate the front bumper on the Touring

and besides, the Audi's do look pretty good ... ;)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/arclinear/IMG_9220.jpg

[Lee]

Even though I used to laugh at whatever Audi had to offer 15 years ago, I can recognize that Audi products are now fun, well designed and good looking. They still are a few steps up fom VW and perhaps at par in quality with what BMW has to offer. Having friends with Audi A4 1.8T, I can testify that it is a great car. Even better is the Audi TT. BMW's quality has not got down, it is simply on a plateau, as other brands are still climbing up.

[Emre]

and besides, the Audi's do look pretty good ... ;)Now you've got me all depressed that I'm not in South Beach :(

Emre

[blacksheep]

Now you've got me all depressed that I'm not in South Beach :(

EmreAhaaa! Good eye ;)

Which background is better? This one

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/arclinear/IMG_9220.jpg

or this one

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/arclinear/march2005013.jpg

[Turbo_Bimmer]

It's ok, you didn't hurt my feelings, it was just a funny comment.
BTW, the sedans and tourings share the same front end and same bumper ;)



sorry I hurt your feelings, but everyone has different tastes. I clearly specified "in our opinion" ;)

the only E46's I like are coupe's and M3's. I really don't like the front end on the sedans and I *especially* hate the front bumper on the Touring

and besides, the Audi's do look pretty good ... ;)

[blacksheep]

oh you're right. I think it's the ix front bumper I didn't like

[Turbo_Bimmer]

i and xi = same bumper ;) ;)



oh you're right. I think it's the ix front bumper I didn't like