zogster

I can hear a kind of rattle-going-on-tinkle sound in the transaxle - I think there's always been something of the kind back there, but I'm noticing it rather keenly right now as I'm standing around with the engine idling while doing post-head gasket cooling troubleshooting etc. Sounds as if a metal ring of some kind is spinning in a space that's just a little too big for it...

It's not constant, and comes and goes a bit - is this normal? I don't have any trouble shifting gears, and I can't think of anything way in which the transmission misbehaves.

KevinGross

This is pretty common, if it sounds like chains on a grate when the transmission is warmed up. My preferred theory is that it's fifth gear nicking the end plate (steel center section): I frequently see marks here when rebuilding these gearboxes, and the factory seems to have consistently undersized the shim under the gear.

Kevin
Catellus Engineering

zogster

Thanks Kevin, in that case I'll just keep on truckin'