I just bought a used w-56, installed it in the last few days, and what do you know it has the exact same 5th gear whine as the old one. No more used trannies for me. I think I'll get the first one rebuilt and run this one into the ground. If your debating over a transmission swap or rebuilding your current one, I hope this helps you make up your mind.

 

Is it possible to rebuild a transmission with bad synchronizers? I'm a noob and have no clue about transmissions.

 

Yes it is. However the one I put in was just a used one and I just took the word from the seller that it was good.

 

If you have access to a press, rebuilding manual transmissions really isn't hard at all.

 

Never done a trans before, what kind of a press, and where could I find basic instructions?

 

A press from HF will work, get the bearing clam shell separators also, I am thinking the FSM will be good enough, take pictures of the shafts before taking them apart, it will help a lot. It is intimidating but really straight forward, just take your time and document everything and you will do fine.

 

its in the fsm on how to rebuild trans.

 

OK then, While Im burning up the one I just installed, I think Ill attempt a rebuild myself.

 

try a bottle of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer http://www.lucasoil.com/products/dis...l%20Stabilizer

 

I just went through the same thing a couple weeks ago. Paid $400 for a used trans that made more noise than the one I yanked out. So while the bad used trans was still in the truck I took the original to a non-chain transmission shop. He replaced all the bearings for 3 hrs labor + $142 for the bearing kit (total cost of a rebuild was $40 less than the used trans). The nation-wide chain store estimated $700 for the rebuild. If it shifts OK, you can ask them to just replace the bearings.

 

Both trans shift fine, its that grinding and whining that makes me think its going to die at any second.

 

87 where are you located and how much did you pay?

 

I am just North of Salt Lake City. I paid 200 for the transmission, t-case, and front drive shaft, I bought it from a member of this forum, although he really had no guarantees. Doing some checking this am I found a quality trans rebuild guy who will do it for $350. The complete rebuild kit is $220. So the total would be $570, thats everything replaced except the hard parts. He paints the casing and has a year warranty.

 

Can't beat that for peace of mind and only having to tear it out one more time - I assume that price is with it already out of the truck?

 

Thats right, the original trans is sitting in my garage. The price mentioned is for bench work only, most shops that include the r and r have bids in the $1200 range. I'm thinking if he does a good job, I'll have him do the other one as well.

 

Hmm I had mine rebuilt and had 4 of these trannys they all whine or sound funny in 5th gear.

 

OK, maybe a whine is the incorrect term. Maybe a howl or a grinding noise. No matter, It does not sound right. My previous 87' never sounded like this before.

 

Might be bad synchronizers? I have a whine/grind/low rumble in my 1st, 2cd, 3rd, and 5th gear. When i brought it into a Toyota dealer to get it checked out they told me thats what it was. But then again it was a dealership, hard to tell if they know what they are talking about or just lying to get your money. They wanted $2500 to grab a used trans from a junk yard with 145k miles and install it.

 

If it goes away in 4th gear, it's most likely the counter or main shaft bearings. I've been told the input bearing is the most likely one to go bad first. Synchros don't generally make noise unless you're in the process of changing gears.

 

(partial thread hijack)

Would those also cause your gears to slip out?

Also sometimes when accelerating (in all gears) the transmission stays in gear but the engine revs up and it seems like only partial power is actually making it to the wheels. I assume this is a clutch problem?