[s-cars] tranny noise

[Charlie Smith]

Earlier, Paul Krasusky wrote:
>
> Ah, thanks Mr. Pastore for referring me to Charlie Smith's excellent site.
> I KNEW I'd read about this crap somewhere out there, couldn't remember
> where.  ANYway...
>
> >From Charlie's site, below is his description of what he experienced:
>
> <<<<The noise began as a very faint tic, tic, tic noise - but just when
> beginning to move in 1st gear when the car was cold and when it was 20F or
> 25F degrees outside. Sort of like the noise you made as a kid by putting a
> playing card into the spokes of a bicycle, but not that loud. Since it was
> cold, of course the windows were rolled up. I dismissed the noise, as
> perhaps being due to something that oil had not yet reached, because once I
> would shift into 2nd for a few feet, and then back into 1st - the noise
> would be gone. I would only hear it on the first motion ... when I would be
> traveling at 2 or 3 MPH in a parking lot with very light throttle. Anyway,
> by the time I had driven another 2000 miles, the noise was quite apparent,
> particularly if I would drive away with the windows rolled down. On
> disassembly, the damage to 1st gear was quite apparent. The rubbing surface
> of one tooth on the mainshaft was very badly galled away. >>>>>>>
>
> Now, I'm not getting a tick-tick, card in the spoke sound.  Mine occurs not
> just when going the 1st 2-3 mph, but at any speed in 1st, IF I'm applying
> the throttle.  And it's more grainy in sound than a tick.  Am I getting
> experiencing the same fault?  Based on Charlie's (terrific) comprehensive
> research (mine being 12/94 build), my guess is yes, I'm screwed, and mine
> just makes a different noise.
>
> Bob speculates I can just live with this for some time w/o worrying of
> roadside meltdown.  Charlie, does it get louder to the point of unbearable,
> or is this it?  I can simply live with it?  I do (still, of course) do hard
> 1st gear starts, but like you refer to in your write up, ONLY after the
> clutch is engaged.  Am I only accelerating the wear (pun intended)?

Paul -

I'd just keep driving it for a while.  If it's the first gear problem,
it will get louder.  I think it would have to get terribly loud before
a tooth would break off or something disasterous like that.  My first
gear had one tooth that was failing.  If there were several teeth that
had galling occuring on their tooth surfaces, the noise would be a
little different.

I think I'd change the gearbo oil, and see if you get any metal particles
out with the used oil.  Try draining it through cloth to catch anything
that's in the oil.

    - Charlie