i just bought a 81 pickup and its a pretty rough but the motor runs good. Im hearing a noise that i assume is coming from the transmission. it kinda sounds like gears gringingand its most noticeable when i dont have my foot on the gas or clutch. if i have my foot on the gas its quieter and if i have my foot on the clutch it almost goes away. its a 5 speed and it runs good in every gear its just scarry as hell. i wanna get this motor and tranny running tip top and the swap them into my 80 wich has a verry straight body. do any of you guys know what this noise might be. thanks for any help.

 

Time for a tranny rebuild...Front bearing being too small on the second shaft is a known issue. You might beable to get away with replacing just the bearing and the cover plate yourself, but the grinding you're hearing is from the bearing disintegrating and that bearing material wreaks havoc on other bearings and synchros.

 

thank you sir

 

Yep L52's are not the strongest, if I find one in good shape I try to pick it up, hard to find. Have two spares in the garage. I should suck it up and put in a W56

 

I'd get it checked out, though. We can't tell, over the internet, what you're hearing. Could be a lot of things...

At least drain the oil and see if there are any metal chunks or excessive shavings in there.

 

for sure but to me the sound its making sounds like a bearing being grinded into chunks and if thats a common problem then thats where im putting my money

 

Oh I get it. You just need to be prepared to put money into something that isn't your problem. If you're ok with that, then that's cool. I'm not experienced enough to know all the sounds parts failing make. So I've learned to check things out before just replacing them. Personally I don't know what a bearing being grinded to chunks sounds like. I've never actually heard it. I might think I know the sound...

The L series 5 speeds aren't known for their strength. I'm just saying. It seems a little silly to buy a rebuild kit, or a used tranny, before even doing the least bit of investigation into the problem. At least drain the oil and see if there are any metal chunks or excessive shavings in there. Or if you're going to rebuild yourself, why not drop the tranny and open it up before ordering the rebuild kit? Unless you're of the philosophy that whether it needs it or not, it'll be a good thing to have a rebuilt tranny. That I can understand.

But I mean have you even checked to see if there's fluid in the tranny, t-case, and differentials?

I'm just saying, internet diagnoses are pretty suspect...they point you in hopefully the right direction, then you go from there. There's a good chance your tranny is toast, but are you really not even willing to confirm it before buying a rebuild kit or a used tranny?

 

I totally agree with every thing you just said. i just dont know these trucks or their weak links verry well and so i was hoping for what i got. i learned they are known for not being verry strong. so your right maybe i do want to look at other trannys but i dont want to spend a ton of money. i just like to throw my questions out there to see if anyone smarter or more experience has any input on them. thank you for yours

 

I don't know if you need to look at other trannys, I just think you need to look at yours, before condeming it. But yes, totally, knowing the weak points on these trucks is always a good start when you're trying to diagnose something.

Good luck and let us know what you find!

 

My truck started to make this same noise you are describing after pulling up a long hill in 3rd the other weekend. If I have my foot on the gas or clutch the sound isn't really there but if I do not have my foot on the gas or clutch it sounds pretty brutal. I found 2 tranny's for cheap so I'll probably pick them up and once this one is toast swap one in or rebuild one.

 

My 81 was the same, give Redline synthetics a try. Buy the thickest gear oil they sell and mix it with manual transmission oil they sell. Huge difference in noise from the bearings.

 

I agree the the other comments. I would check the fluid level and or drain the fluid and put some fresh StaLube GL-4 from Napa ($10). See if that makes a difference. If it does not it probably time for a rebuild since you cant 'adjust' a transmission.

If it is rebuild time, do it right the first time! I cant overstate that enough. Unless there are hard parts gone bad like gears. Buy a synchro and bearing kit, have it rebuilt and keep the oil level up to par. Now you will basically have a new tranny that will last you a long time.

If you buy one from a junyard or advertisement, you will have no idea what shape its actually in, and your now stuck with two bad trannies.

I just went through the same issue. The synchro and HD bearing kit with gaskets was $260. I paid a trans mechanic $400, So the total price was $660 for me. Some folks selling these junk trannies are asking $300-$400. Do yourself a favor, pull it once, have it rebuilt, install, drive it forever and keep the oil level up.

That's my advise

 

just noticed yesterday that my truck makes this noise in every gear except 4th. anyone know why? I changed the oil in tranny and tcase on the weekend. both drain plugs had metal dust on it.

Another question is how long will the tranny last like this? Still gotta find some time to do the tranny swap.

 

Use a thicker quality synthetic gear oil, my preference is Redline. Worth the extra few dollars for peace of mind. Went from howling bearings to nice and quiet.

 

I know why, your tranny is thashed, time to rebuild. Put all the different fluids you want in it, eventually, it's still rebuild time. Just do it right the first time!

 

Did someone piss your cornflakes this morning?? Give the dude a break. To the OP, have someone confirm a diagnoses on your tranny first. If it is the tranny (which seems obvious from all the other post) then you can have it rebuilt by yourself or any local reputable place. They pretty much are the same as a mustang T-5 tranny so any good shop can build one with their eye's closed. Price shouldn't be to bad.

 

Did I sound upset? Well I'm sure sorry about that. I'll admit, it boggled my mind a bit that he would post about noise, then have someone, over the internet, diagnose it as a tranny going out, and the guy wouldn't even check his transmission fluid before saying "ok, guess I need a new tranny then!".


So yes, that was the piss in my cornflakes. And thank you for coming in 2 months later with your observation on my post.