Chunks in my Gear Box Oil

[jimmytx]

Hey everyone. My 82 280zx has a terrible rattle/chatter when running. The noise quiets down considerably when the clutch is engaged (pedal down). There is total slippage, 5% power when the clutch is let out. I just push it around my driveway. PO told me he had the clutch replaced by some monkey who put in the wrong side "throw out" bearing (assiming thats the release bearing). I waited until its hot enough to fry eggs on the hood of the car to start the job of replacing the clutch. Drained the gear box oil and to my horror I saw lots of shavings attached to the plug (looks like a fuzzy catapillar) and the remanents of something round and metal (attaching a photo here). Do I need to start looking for a new gear box, or could this be related to that incorrectly sized throwout bearing? Thanks for your reponse. Jim.

[Zed Head]

They look like odd-shaped blobs of oil. Wipe the oil off and take another picture. Edit - put a dime in the picture for scale also.

The piece on the upper left looks a little bit like a piece of retainer from a ball bearing. Not uncommon for these transmissions to destroy their bearings. Probably not directly related to the clutch problem except for the fact that people tend to get angry when their clutch doesn't work and start banging gears.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Zed Head

[tlorber]

The throwout bearing is located within the bell housing, so none of its remnants would end up on the drain plug.

I hate to interject race into this, but those are probably shards of one (or more) of the bearing races. It would be wise to rebuild the tranny with new bearings, seals and baulk rings. Once pulled, you could do this yourself for around $140.00 if you have the tools, motivation and courage.

Otherwise, shops charge around $600.00 for it.

The slippage could be caused by the clutch, but there could also be so much play in the bearings that the gears slip out of alignment and do not allow power to transfer through. Kind of hard to know with only the description provided.

[jimmytx]

They look like odd-shaped blobs of oil. Wipe the oil off and take another picture. Edit - put a dime in the picture for scale also.

The piece on the upper left looks a little bit like a piece of retainer from a ball bearing. Not uncommon for these transmissions to destroy their bearings. Probably not directly related to the clutch problem except for the fact that people tend to get angry when their clutch doesn't work and start banging gears.

Thanks for the speedy reply. Heres another picture.

I guess its down to replacing the clutch parts vs rebuilding the box/locating a donor. I will perform a compression check on the motor before proceeding. The car suffers from some rust in the frame rales, and I don't know if some welding/patching can pull that together or not. The body is good. I bought the car for $1000 a year ago and have not put any money into it (yet). I have medium skills, and lots of courage. Thanks again.

[Zed Head]

The bottom three pieces look like chunks of ball retainer from a bearing assembly. I don't know if they can pop out without a ball pushing them out or not.

The top piece looks little like a piece of reverse gear. I've seen a smaller piece from my old 4 speed.

The piece of reverse gear is not a huge deal but the bad bearing is. There's probably more in there that didn't come out with the oil. I wouldn't use that transmission any more, it could self-destruct at any moment.

Where I'm at, it's not too hard to find a used 5 speed for about $150 at the various wrecking yards. Rebuilding takes some skill, and ingenuity if you don't have the right tools. Gear pullers and presses designed for long shafts. People do get it done though, some from this forum.

[Travel'n Man]

Transtar Rebuild Kit 80-83 5 Speed FS5W71B / BR104WS = $128.67. Order it direct form Transtar. If you are having shaft and cog problems then you will have to go to Nissan to see what they still make - or find another donor tranny and piece them together with a new rebuild kit - best of luck

[EuroDat]

Looking at the photos, the second photo helps a lot btw, I would look for another 5spd transmission. Or at least pull it apart before ordering any parts. If its beyond repair you can spend the money on a recon unit or another tranny.

It looks very much like a bearing race and my guess is its from the main bearing in the adapter plate or the bearing on the input shaft. Going by the photos they are the only bearings big enough for that race. The other bearings are probably not much better.

The races can break up when small pieces of metal get into the bearings and the balls push them out the side destroying the race.

[Zed Head]

I think that we may be using different words to describe the same parts. Attached a link below that offers definitions. What is defined as the retainer also acts as a spacer, keeping the balls located in the races, spaced evenly around the races. A piece of metal could probably jam between a ball and a race, causing it to move in the race in relation to its neighbor, popping the retainer out. Once the retainer is out the shaft is no longer centered because the balls can all move to one side, causing more damage.

Doesn't help the OP, his transmission still needs work.

Bearing Parts – Component Descriptions and Terminology - NMB

[EuroDat]

Zed Thanks for clearing that up. Here its called a "kooi" in dutch, but I meant retainer?

Chas