[triplefour]

my car: 1991 Nissan NX 1600 Manual Trans.

ive got a weird cyclical rubbing noise coming from my front end whenever i am in gear that slowly winds down if i coast in neutral to a stop.
if im stopped completely and rev the engine, it sounds fine.
i put it up on jackstands and tested it up to 4th gear which sounds the worst but i still cant tell for sure where the sound is coming from...


is it the pressure plate? because it only spins when enganged, then slows down when put back into neutral?
the weird thing about that theory is that i would think the noise would eventually stop if i coasted long enough, but as long as ive been in gear, and i havent completely stopped yet, i can hear this noise......it seems like once the noise starts it slows down at the rate of speed that the tires slow down at...

i took off the driver side tire when it was on the stands and it didnt have any effect on the noise. i tugged on both my cv axles and they seem like theyre in there good....do i have to take everything apart to be sure the axles are in there good??

so im thinking its transmission or clutch plate but how do i tell?

also i should mention i just swapped the transmission a couple months ago and everthing ran fine for all this time.... after it started making this noise i checked the gear oil and i was down half a bottle so there is a slow leak but i dont feel like that should cause transmission failure...but maybe it was enough....

well is there any way to tell what it is without taking the transmission off again???

 

[HATEnFATE]

You're pressure plate is spinning as fast as your engine is revving, your clutch disc is spinning as fast as your transmission's input shaft is spinning(which will vary depending on many factors.

It's a tough call not being able to hear the sound and all but have you checked your backing plate for your front brake rotors? Sometimes those can rub causing the noise your decribing. Maybe the axle deflector just behind the knuckle is rubbing.

just check EVERYTHING you can before taking out the trans.

 

[triplefour]

thanks for the reply, i guess ill check that out a little better...
but as for distinguishing between transmission or clutch disc, is the only way to take the trans off?

 

[triplefour]

also, does anyone know where i might find a trans online? i asked the junkyard here and they said they would have to order from the west coast and it would be 1000 dollars... too much!

 

[greenbean699]

where are you located?

 

[IanH]

It sounds like the noise is wheel speed, what happens in different gear at same speed ?
If so its not the clutch!!
list is Wheel bearings, axles, final drive or tires ( and dust shield as mentioned)
If you are coasting and swing wheel from side to side does noise change depending on which way you are turning.
Look here for parts in your area......
Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

 

[HATEnFATE]

Also, I know this sounds really stupid but take a LONG screwdriver and listen to the end of it (put the tip on the part you want to listen to and the end of the handle to your ear). You can chase a lot of sounds that way.

 

[triplefour]

thanks for the help guys. well this is whats happened so far: i drove it as little as possible just around town to work and school and back. then a few days ago i decided to drain the trans fluid and re fill it with fresh fluid. there were metal shavings in the used oil but i know thats just normal wear and tear...they were really fine and you could hardly tell. so i put fresh 80-90 gear oil in there and for a couple of days i kinda felt like it was quieter and smoother but then just yesterday suddenly it started making the most horrible sounds..metal on metal scratching and sqealing and it felt like the whole thing was seizing up...i barely made it home. now im pretty sure its the transmission, just by the sound of it...it sounded like bearings in grease slipping all over the inside of the metal and scraping against it...horrible sounds no one should ever have to hear...
so i got it up on blocks and im gonna take the whole damn thing apart sometime tonite and tomorrow....anyone got a nx transmission to sell me for cheap???

 

[triplefour]

oh i forgot to mention i live in hawaii

 

[triplefour]

wow on that car-part.com i found a transmission in texas for 150$ but how could it be so cheap? i want it cheap but i want it to work...

 

[kizer24]

U r prob better off ordering from Japan if u r in Hawaii. Check out the tranny to make sure its ur issue. See if u just need a rebuild or gears need replaced. I would take it to a decent shop(preferably a shop that you know some one at) before I started shipping trannys from the US or Japan.

 

[IanH]

wow on that car-part.com i found a transmission in texas for 150$ but how could it be so cheap? i want it cheap but i want it to work...

Its a matter of supply and demand, small cars with manual transmissions are not popular here in Texas and the manuals last a long time.
When i had a 1990 legacy with a blown final drive they were rare here in Texas (1996-7).
I purchased the Car in New Mexico where they were much more popular.
But the wrecker yards had them in stock and complained they couldn't sell them. So i got a low mileage one for $300 out of a 1992 locally just by calling around.
I agree you need to try and find one locally, with a warranty, shipping the thing back and forth if you have a problem doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[triplefour]

i tried to find one locally, we really dont have much here. i took it to the transmission shop a friend recommended me and he told me it would be 1000 dollars to replace the gears and it wasnt worth it. and yeah i dont have 1000 dollars.
so i got pissed and took the transmission off yesterday. im getting better at taking transmissions off this car thats one good thing.. (or is it?) grease under my nails is getting to be the norm...
oh yeah when i drained it, the plug had tons of metal shavings stuck to it and even a pretty large peice of rubber that looked like a piece of a rubber ring of some kind. so im almost certain that when i changed the oil a few days ago, the new oil must have been too slippery and the old oil must have been the only thing keeping the bearings from completely slipping and tearing apart...so after a couple days of seeming to be quieter all at once it just totally crapped out and i almost didnt make it home...

so anyway to wrap it up:
i have 2 broken transmissions. the one i just took off, and the one i originally replaced. the orginal trans got locked up in 3rd gear, and it was also making strange noises...but i dont think it has the bearing problems that the second transmission has. so im hoping i can take them both apart and make one working trans!??

anyone think i can do this??

 

[greenbean699]

sure i think you can............just have faith

 

[triplefour]

sweet i think im going to start sometime tomorrow. need to get a ride to get my other trans at my friends house and i guess ill just go ahead at taking apart.
so maybe i take the good bearings from the trans thats stuck in 3rd gear?
or do i take something out trans #2 and put it into trans #1 ?

 

[triplefour]

well i got the cover off of my old trans...oh man...all those gears! i dunno if i can do this...
i did notice that something had exploded in there..theres peices of metal here and there... like it looks like a pencil sized rod was broken into a bunch of 1.5 inch peices...
and theres some peice of metal that looks like it came from a ring of some kind...
i think ill take a picture or something. this is intense...

 

[triplefour]

ok so i took the trans off, then i went and grabbed my old trans that died a few months ago. so i got both trans in my garage and i decided to start taking apart the original one first...it was only stuck in 3rd gear so i was thinking maybe i could just swap transfer cases.... so i took the housing off and oh my god...gears! ummm help??
i took pictures
Manual Transmission Job

 

[kizer24]

Yeah im as useless as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest when it comes to trannys.

 

[triplefour]

well its just sitting there.. i have no idea how to do any of this. the FSM seems to say i need all kinds of special tools.... pretty pictures tho, right??

 

[triplefour]

am i alone here?