Okay, so it all started in December when I started hearing a nasty grinding sound when my '92 VX (D15Z1) was idling. It went away when I pushed the clutch in. And came back when I let off the pedal again. The sound slowly got less noticeable over the next few months, and I knew I needed to fix something (I was assuming it was the clutch). There was no slipping and all my fluid levels were fine, although my tranny did make some not-so-normal sounds at high rpms. Withing the last two weeks or so I started seeing drips coming from the flywheel dust cover, and just recently, entire puddles!! So this previous Thursday the weather was nice, I had the money and the day off from work, I pulled the tranny to replace the clutch. (By the way: Many, many, MANY kudos to westcoaststyle for the superb step-by-step guide!!). The clutch did look pretty bad... and unfortunately, so does the tranny. The input shaft wobbles around and there is in-and-out movement as well (you can't completely pull it out, but it moves maybe an inch or so--this is also apparently where the fluid leak was coming from). And the worse news: local auto shops want over $1,100 for a remanufactured one! Even used ones from junkyards are $600-800+, and that's an expensive gamble.

So I guess I have a multi-part question: A) Where can I get a reliable replacement for a relatively affordable price? (Maybe around $300?) B) What is the possibility and cost of rebuilding the one I have? (By myself, that is. There are places near me that can do it, but it could cost up to $1500, depending on the severity of damage done.) C) Do I have any other options? I'm ready and willing to spend up to around $400 or even $500 to get this thing back on the road again.

I understand that this would be a good time to just put a whole new engine in, but I don't have that kind of money available and, to be honest, the engine is just fine. So please don't suggest to do a whole engine/tranny swap.

 

the input shaft bearing always seem to be the first to go. you can probably get by with new tranny bearings, the syncros are usually good if they aren't rounded. you can rebuild it yourself if you're mechanically adept just check the DIY in my sig.

ps. don't forget to have the flywheel resurfaced for the clutch.

 

First off, thanks for the quick response. One more question: In your DIY, should I just get as far as replacing the Input Shaft bearing (about 2/3 of the way through the first post) and put it back together? It's a bit overwhelming and, to be honest, scary looking for someone who has never seen the inside of a transmission. If I could get away with only buying a bearing and few gaskets/seals instead of a whole rebuild kit, I would like to. Unless it's not a good idea. I've never done anything of this magnitude before.

Thanks! I never would have thought of doing that.

 

I have actually done that. Unfortunately one bad bearing means the rest of them are going to follow. So you could get by for a while but it's hard to say how long. You don't have to replace the syncros as long as it's been shifting ok. Replacing the syncros is the biggest pain in the whole process. You can certainly replace just the input shaft bearing if you want, there's just no telling how long the rest of it will last. However if you replace the following while you're in there it will probably last until you get rid of the car. I suggest you open it up and inspect the following. If they feel loose just replace them while you're in there. If you're lucky it's just the input shaft bearing. But chances are the other shaft bearings are worn out (the diff bearings might be ok).

counter shaft bearing

input shaft bearing

main shaft bearing

counter shaft bearing

diff bearings

 

Alright, it looks like Advance Auto has two different Pro King brand kits available for my S20 transmission: BK326 ($182, no syncros) and BK326WS ($272 with syncros). I have a neighbor with access to a hydraulic press (through a friend that works at a machine shop), so I've decided to opt for the syncro kit and go for broke (without, hopefully, actually breaking anything). Wish me luck!

 

Well, it looks like this whole attempt is doomed for failure. I got the tranny opened and there was entire chunks of metal (the remains of the input shaft bearing) sitting down by the magnet. So now it looks like I may need to replace the entire input shaft, as well as figure out how to get what's left of the bearing out of the trans' housing.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...er/p_00013.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...er/p_00012.jpg

Sorry the images from my phone look like crap, but I couldn't find AAs for my camera.

Any suggestions/ideas? (Other than going back in time and kicking myself in the face for not doing something about this sooner.)

 

I can't see it well enough, was the input shaft damaged?

looking at the pics closer. did the bearing seperate? The outer race(stuck in the housing) isn't held in with much pressure. You may be able to use pliers or a regular screw driver to pull it out. As I recall mine was stuck the same way. Don't panic yet. Calmly think of an attack plan then go for it. It's hard to tell but I'm pretty sure it's still repairable.

 

Unfortunately, yes. The bearings wore a bit of a groove in it.

I stole some batteries from my kid's toy. Here's some better photos of it:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...r/P1030303.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...r/P1030301.jpg

I am so upset right now. Mad at myself more than anything. I'm getting all these replacement parts and even a couple of tools and in the end, just buying a replacement transmission would probably have been easier.

I don't know what to do. It doesn't look like you can even replace just the input shaft. At least Google doesn't seem to think it's possible.

 

Sit down, have a drink, and take a deep breath. Chances are things were already getting ugly by the time you found out so don't blame yourself. The mainshaft can be replaced but it probably wouldn't be worth the cost. I'm a cheapskate so here's how I'd go about it.
1. knock the remaining bearing pieces off the shaft and try to polish it with some emery cloth or 220 sand paper. You ain't gonna make it smooth so just knock the high spots down.
2. pull the outer race out of the transmission housing
3. cancel the order for the rebuild kit
4. check the bearings I posted earlier, if they don't feel loose don't worry about them anymore.
5. order a new input bearing and input seal (#9, #14) http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...CLUTCH+HOUSING

At this point it's probably not worth dumping a bunch of money into, but I think there is still a chance to salvage it. That part of the shaft is just where the bearing sets. As long as there isn't any(or at least much) slop between it and the bearing, and it still provides a good interface with the seal it should work. The main area I'm concerned about is the where the shaft and the seal meet (circled) it needs to be pretty smooth and large enough to seal. When you get the new bearing and seal drop the bearing on the shaft and check for slop. Push the seal on the end and look for gaps.

 

I'm gonna log out for the night but I'll check before work tomorrow.