~ Jeez, I seem to have the worst luck in the world… Anyways, I just put in a 100% rebuilt engine (fresh from reputable shop) and started the break in process. Engine is doing great (new 4" lift too), but 100 miles later, my transmission is making a damn clicking/whirring noise. Doesn’t make the noise in 4th gear, but 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th it makes the noise pretty distinctly. Doesn’t seem to make it as strong on acceleration, doesn’t make it hardly at all at steady speed with a no load, but makes it pretty noticeable when in gear and letting off the throttle (Engine braking). At at low rpm and letting off the gas, it’s a steady clickity-clickity-clickity nice and steady with the rpm… It shifts just fine, and seems to operate like before, but the noise is not a good sign I’m sure… defiantly not normal.

~ So, in your opinion, what the heck could it be? And how long do I have before it takes a crap. I have to get to work, and right now it’s my only vehicle. 50 mile round trip – not confident about this at all… <sigh> Hopefully soon I can get a new transmission, but for now, I have to pray it hangs in there for a bit… thoughts???

 

Any chance it could be your carb running a bit rich? Do you have a carb? I had a similar problem on my 1982 carbeurated 22R and it went away when I adjusted the timing and tuned the carb. It was after firing that caused the noise

I only heard the noise when decelerating and using engine brake. The noise also went away after the truck warmed up a bit. It was more of a pop-poppity-pop than a clickity-click-click if you know what I mean .

 

I just dropped my 83's tranny because of a whirring noise in every gear but 4th....looks to be a worn input shaft bearing which is causing the input shaft to hit the end of the crank shaft......the reason no noise in 4th because that ratio is 1:1, both spinning the same speed.....hate to tell you this after what you've been thru but the tranny needs to come out.....how long you can drive it?....its a crap shoot, could go tommorow or next year but I can't stand driving my trucks knowing something is not right.......good luck

 

Could be an exhaust leak..

I had the same clicking type noise only on deceleration and it wound up just being a minor exhaust leak.. I thought it was valves ticking or something, but was a leak on that little pipe thing on the stock exhaust manifold.

IMO if your tranny was going bad then it'd be whining or popping out of gear.

 

Howdy Dwill,
- Well, I have hence since purchased a rebuilt L52 form one of our local Toyota transmission guys. It turns out the noise was the result of the input shaft bearing that had gone bad, put extra pressure on one of the main gears, and sheared several teeth off. Every time the gear would rotate to that area, it would jump a few teeth making a horrible sound in the process. Oddly enough, it would drive and shift through all gears, with a bit of vibration I'll add... but it would have kept going for a little bit (until it really blew). The new transmission is a freshly rebuilt L52, and will be installed in the next few days.