tranny/clutch problem

[rossabi]

I looked through all the posts here for anything that could be the problem I'm having but I didn't see it so I figured I'd give posting a try. Great forums by the way.

An 86 D-50 is the auto I'm workin on here. When it's running it makes a very audible noise that resonates or comes from the bell housing, it sounds like metal rubbing against another material. Push the clutch in, it stops. In R,1,2,3, and 5 gears it makes this noise, but in 4th it runs fine.

We tore it apart and found that the clutch and pressure plate had been rubbing each other pretty bad as if out of alignment, put some nice scratches on the plate in an off center circle but still had a lot of clutch left. Got the clutch kit, put it in with the align tool it came with (pretty handy) so it was dead center, and reassembled everything to working order. Took it for a drive and the problem is still there. Same noise from the same place, and 4th gear still is the only one that doesn't make it.

I'm not mechanically inclined enough to figure this one out. It's not a hobby pickup or anything, it's a regular driver around the farm and will see heavy use this october during beet harvest. Any ideas would be a great help. Thanks!

[farmguy]

Did you check the pilot bearing thats in the flywheel?? If its worn, oversize, or egg shaped, it could cause those problems.......Lets the input shaft from the tranny move around, which would knock your clutch alignment off.......I always replaced the pilot bearing when doing a clutch job, and its a good idea to put a LITTLE high pressure grease in it, to provide some lube....Also , lube up the input shaft a little too, and ALWAYS replace the throwout bearing...........On the D 50 you have the clutch linkage arm going thru the bell housing, good idea to remove it, and lube that also..........the linkage arm runs sideways, from drivers side to pass. side.......

[mlauk]

It might be a bearing in the transmission going out. 4th gear works because it is 1:1 drive. It happened to me, made noise in every gear but 4th. I kept driving it till the transmission went out (about a year), and got home in 4th gear (no other gear worked). I took the transmission apart for grins and it was a bad bearing, but just bought a used transmission from the junkyard and put it in.

[rossabi]

Yeah, the kit came with a pilot bearing, but the one already in there looked ok and it's bearings were good (it rotated where it should have as far as i know). We tried pulling it out but couldn't. I bent the aluminum puller I was using to try and get it out it's so snug in there, or jammed maybe, not sure.

As for the bearing going out in the transmission, is there anyway to test that or a way to fix that? Tearing apart a transmission sounds like it would be fun, and if that's the case it's gonna die out anyway so something I should look for if I do decide that's the deal and go at it?

Great info, thanks a lot.

[mlauk]

Other than opening it up and looking for a bad bearing or a sloppy shaft, I don't think there is another way. Since mine had failed when I took it apart, it was pretty obvious, plus I didn't have to put it back together since I bought a used one. If it does fail, hopefully it doesn't damage anything else. It might help to get a manual if you decide to do it.

[rossabi]

Alright, thanks. I'll give it a go and see what happens.