So I'll be headed to check out some W56B trannies over the next few days, and thought I would ask the folks here if there is anything in particular that I should be doing. Of course, I'll make sure it goes into all the gears and that the shafts turn smoothly in each gear. But beyond that is there anything one can tell with the tranny sitting in front of you? How much play/wobble should the input shaft on one of these have when its end is not in the pilot bearing? Same for the output shaft? Anything else I should be checking out? TIA

 

Basically a wrecking yard tranny, is hit and miss!!! Impossible to know with any certainty what condition it was in when it was pulled. Might shift and feel ok but you won't know until you install and drive the rig. I have one a buddy gave me that felt pretty good and I am presently going thru it before I put it in, and I'm finding a lot of things. In my opinion wrecking yard trannys are for rebuilding before you run it. Hope it works out for ya!
Pigman

 

Most good yards provide a 30 day guarantee or something... but that doesn't pay for install, or removal if its broken.

Carry a rabbits foot.

 

wow, now that's the best advice I've ever heard on the forums...

lol

 

Yeah I hear you. I wasn't expecting twirling the input shaft by hand at maybe 5rpm was going to be as sure fire a test as 4000rpm coming from the engine. But can't really do that test until its installed, unfortunately. Perhaps the best I can do is confirm that it still shifts into all gears and neither of the shafts is particularly loose. It is a crap shoot. But not much else you can do, unless you can drive the tranny before buying it, and not alot of drivable cars are being parted out... I was hoping there would be some simple hand tests one could do to catch some of these other problems, but I'm not surprised if there aren't. Seems like beyond these simple tests, all one can do is avoid the sleazy yards/sellers. Like the ones who don't rebuild trannies but insist on a core return; wonder who ends up buying those. Or the shop with a 97K mile tranny from an 86, but no guarantees.

 

i always attach a drill motor and spin the input shaft while shiftting through the gears. that way you can kinda get it up to a slow speed to try and listen if any bearings are bad...