tranny rebuild questions...book isn't real specific
 

Ok...my tranny's not that bad off. I had that noise checked out, and the Honda guy said exactly what I thought, that it's nothing serious, just that I accelerated the wear curve ahead a bit, and to just keep an ear on it.

Anyway, I'm curious about taking on a transmission rebuild, simply becuz buying a used tranny that already has wear and tear on it only fixes the problems for a little while.

The Helm book of course says that I need to replace everything, including the gears themselves, if the wear is bad enough. But...

What parts are really necessary to replace? obviously the synchros and the bearings, and probably the detent springs. But if a transmission hasn't ever seen extreme abuse, was just a daily driver with monthly autocrossing, do any of the slip collars or spacers or those things really need to be replaced? I can see how a tranny rebuild could get very expensive.

If I were to rebuild the tranny with only new synchros, detent springs, and bearings, would those new parts wear down prematurely if anything else were worn and wasn't replaced? Any other parts yall can think of to definitely replace? Anyone got a ballpark estimate for a tranny rebuild? My tranny has about 170,000 miles on it, and has slight bearings noise and a worn 3rd and 4th gear synchro. thanks :)

The Helms manual suggests a lot of stuff for a rebuild. There's a ton of needle bearings and various things in there, and a gaggle of clearances you have to check, if those clearances are off, look at spending some serious cash on new parts. Taking it apart and putting it back together isn't terribly difficult, although you'll want an extra body and a manual press... as well as a puller kit.