Manual transmission: How hard is it to overhaul one ?

[woodrat]

So when I bought my legacy wagon, it had 257k miles on it, and a noisy bearing sound in second gear. No big deal, I thought, and got another clean looking tranny from a u-pull-it yard for $100. Slapped it in there, and then promptly blew a head gasket, so I went ahead and dropped a low mile engine in there.

Swear to god, 2 days after the engine went in, and about 1 day after the u-pull-it 30 day warranty was up, second gear broke a tooth and now sounds like a card stuck in your bicycle spokes, but way louder.

So I still have the first transmission and 25 years of working on cars under my belt. Is it that hard to overhaul one of these transmissions? Shop wants about $600 to put in seals, synchros and bearings if I bring them the transmission. How much would a parts kit cost?

I sure do miss second gear....

Thanks

[Soul Shinobi]

I have a 5 speed with a bad bearing sitting my garage, not sure what to do with it. I'd also like to know just how hard it is.

Gasket kits are only around $70 (link), don't know about other parts.

[Matt Monson]

If you need a second gear that means you need a mainshaft which requires first and second gear. That's $500 in parts right there, not counting synchros or bearings, which at your mileage are pretty much a given. If the shop will do it for $600 you're getting a pretty good deal. That's probably using used parts from a pile of cores that they have because there's no way that's all new parts.

Given the mileage I'd go find a used tranny before I put any money into that one. Properly doing it will cost you more in parts than you've been quoted and I suspect that the shop that gave you that quote may move it up a fair bit once they get into your gearbox, unless they're just giving you an exchange price on yours and giving you something they've already opened up and resealed.

That said, they aren't that hard if you've got a good press. The detents are a little tricky if you have to adjust the forks at all. An experienced mechanic can do their own and be pretty sure it will it will go together right if you use the factory manual. This is one of the few jobs I say is beyond the information in the Chiltons/Haynes manuals. But like I said, given mileage on the box, toss it and find something fresher. your $500-600 will be better spent that way.

[Soul Shinobi]

What kind of non basic tools might be needed? Basic as in sockets, wrenched, pliers, hammer, simple stuff.

[log1call]

There should be a manual here... http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/s ... FSM_Scans/

[log1call]

Or here... http://pdftown.com/

[RJ93SS]

how bout a rex tranny swap