W56 transmission 90 4x4 pickup less than 5k on a rebuilt tranny.

New clutch, throwout bearing, and pilot bearing. Just got back from a 300 mi highway trip. Before I left, no noise, now that im back it sounds like something out of a movie.
Sound is all gears (except 4th), most audible in the first three. The loud whine only occurs in gear while accelerating. Changed the fluids in both transmission and transfer case. Transmission was blackish and contained metal shavings, transfer case was clear and amber.

Transfercase in nuetral, rev through all gears. No sound.

My questions:
A) Could it be the transmission even if the nuetral TC in gear run emits no sound?
B) Is this something that will blow in 1k or 50k? (tough to say I know)
C) Worth it to rebuild again .. if so how much am I lookin at? I paid 600 for this rebuilt tranny that seems to be crappin out on me now.

Much appreciated.

 

my buddy's truck does this exact thing its a bearing inside the trans, i was told it was a mid-shaft bearing not sure if thats 100% correct though.

 

Ed H. You wouldnt happen to know how long your buddy's truck has been doin that? Mid shaft bearing in the tranny would explain the metal shavings in the oil.

 

he just bought the truck he has had it for a couple months, it was doing it for awhile before he got it to not sure how long exactly.

 

I can't offer much other than not whining in 4th should help rule out issues external to the transmission. 4th is "straight through" in these, and from what I understand the last gear you're likely to experience failing tranny symptoms. In other words, when a transmission is on its way out, 4th usually works/sounds the best. A bad bearing makes sense.

Depends, but I'd guess somewhere around $800-$1000 for a quality rebuild done locally if you can find a good shop. A rebuild kit alone is a couple hundred, plus whatever other parts need replacing, plus labor.

Marlin wants $1145 for a W56. $400 core charge. Of course, there's also shipping both ways.

 

If i get a 6 ton h frame press ... could I do this job on my own? I know the FSm calll for the use of SST, but I have oxy-acetlyne torches, a work bench, and plenty of motor, axle, and suspension experience. This is a completely different beast, I realize, but I have time and they are lookin at chargin me 600+ again to rebuild this one.

Any experienced transmission ppl want to input?

 

i had the same issue on my 81 2wd.. i just lived with it. i figured i'd replace it once it blew up.

 

I'm having the same problem with mine, and was just gonna make a thread until I found this thread. Mine definately sounds like a bearing(scratching sound), just wasn't sure which one it was.

 

I haven't rebuilt one. Here is a writeup: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/r151f/

 

i had the exact same issue with my 93 when i bought it. sounds like a high pitched whine most audible in 1-3, nothing in 4th, then whines again in 5th? also sounds kinda like marbles jostling around when sitting in neutral? turned out it was the INPUT SHAFT BEARING. might have something to do with the tranny fluid being several quarts low when i inspected the truck on top of unknown service history at 160k (figured it had many more miles with the odometer being off due to 31s/4.10gears).

took it to a shop to get a rebuild and he told me it sounded like the input shaft bearing right away. upon disassembly they said the input shaft was chewed up and was ready to go very soon. he showed me a pic and it was pretty mangled.

they actually rebuilt the tranny and the input noise was gone, but 5th gear got messed up - sounded like a scoreboard buzzer so i took it back. he rebuilt it a 2nd time and it was all good but then the input noise came back after like 8-9000 miles - just under the 1yr warranty. took it back for a 3rd time and he ended up swapping in a different tranny (not my original core) with all brand new internals (to eliminate suspect parts) and filled it up with heavy weight redline synthetic to quiet the 'slight' input noise that was still there and gave me a 3yr warranty on everything BUT the input shaft because we were all stumped - the noise has definitely quieted and i think it's still there slightly though it's been a while since i've been in another similar yota to see if they make the same noises on the highway. i don't think it will be an issue though.

hope that helps, but that's my experience with input shaft bearing whine. oh yeah, i paid $1500 for my repairs but it did take several months to get it right and i made sure to get a free clutch job thrown in on top of the 3yr warranty.

 

The front input bearing exploded in my 1st transmission. This is a very different sound that i am having on my 2nd transmission (rebuilt) The marbles and rattling in nuetral is not my sound. Again space ship sound on accel 1-3rd. Its also a transmission problem though, and it seems we are all out of luck with used/remanned ones. Its very expensive and hard to find.

My input bearing made noise like both yours did for 4 yrs under heavy use then exploded.


I guess under 900 with a 12 12 warranty is a good deal.

 

Just source another transmission out of a different truck..
it'd be alot cheaper, and in the mean time you can rebuild your old one.

 

quality used transmissions are hard to come by in northern MN. Short of driving 3-6 hours one way to pull one, rebuilding is the reasonable option.

 

Not saying it isn't the reasonable option, but you could pick up a cheap used transmission for well, cheap, and drop that in while you rebuild yours. Then you have a backup transmission and a good transmission. And you can drive your truck.

 

Just to chime in with some info. When my w56 crapped on me two years ago on my 1990 pickup i said screw it and purchased a new one from the dealer for 1800.00. Hindsight being crystal clear i'm glad i did. No problems and it shifts like new. No returns and no hassle. Just food for thought. Time was a big factor and the down time of a rebuild was not an option for me.

 

I have got a transmission lying on the floor, and another one in the truck right now that's whining. So while i limp around on the whining tranny Ill have the original rebuilt and then have a spare that whines on the side. Time isn't a factor for me as i will have the bench unit rebuilt while the mounted tranny spins the last out of the bearing and I trust this machinist to do a decent job. the warranty is decent as well.

I wanna thank everyone for the opinions. It has been really helpful in figuring out that rebuilding it myself is timely, costly, and tough (as no one here has done it).

Good luck with everyone else's tranny problems, and if experience with a busted transmission has taught me anything it would be:
If it's making noise, find a replacement, stay in 4th gear, keep the rpms low, and keep your fingers crossed. It could go tomorrow or in 4 yrs.