5 Spd. Rebuild

[circuit1]

New to Vibe and new to this forum. Was recently given a 2003 Vibe with the transmission making noise. The people who gave it to me said the vehicle had a bad transmission. I thought it was a wheel bearing, but after putting it on jack stands and letting it idle in gear and rolling underneath , discovered the noise coming from the transmission. How difficult would it be to rebuild the 5 speed transmission in a 2003 myself? Would I need any specialty tools specific to this transmission? I see on ebay some bearing rebuild kits for sale, any thoughts on these?I rebuilt a four speed a few years ago, so I am proficient in working on vehicles, and have an extensive selection of tools.

[Bedlam]

There are bearing kits available but installing them without damaging the gear sets is difficult and you might just need to track down a replacement anyway depending on how bad your unit is. Look for a 6spd and ditch the 5. It is a direct replacement and doesn't have the same bearing issues.I did find this information available on one of the common bearing issues. I did not write this and have no implied guarantees on its effectiveness."Now, here is a warning for those who have not had trouble: Don't continue to drive until the tranny self-destructs. This will cost you $3000+. When you first hear a strange sound-like a muffled rattle, get the transmission repaired. I did this with a reputeable local shop plus new clutch for about $1400. I've put 7000+ miles on it since with no problem. There is a fool-proof test for the suspect bearing. Start the car with the transmission in neutral and the parking brake set.. With the engine at idle, engage the clutch and listen for that muffled rattle. Then disengage the clutch and listen carefully. If the frequency of the rattle and sound level diminish to nothing, it is the countershaft bearing. It is not the throwout bearing, since that bearing is loaded and running at engine idle speed with the clutch pedal depressed. The problem is in the front countershaft bearing, not the input shaft bearing. The countershaft is constantly thrust loaded except in 4th gear. In all other gears, the torque goes from the input shaft into the countershaft, then to the output shaft. Helical gears in the box generate the thrust load in proportion to the torque being transmitted. In 4th gear, the torque goes straight through from input to output shaft, therefore no thrust load on the countershaft. The countershaft bearing is accessible without pulling the tranny, so you don't need to replace the clutch. Your mechanic can pull the driveshafts and remove the back cover. The contershaft, gear, and bearing can then be removed. The bearing will have to be pressed off. A new bearing is only about $50, so the parts are cheap. Labor is 2-3 hours. Make sure the mechanic puts new axle seals in before putting the whole thing back together."

[circuit1]

Thanks for the information Bedlam, I read your story on swapping out the 5spd. what a bummer. I will probably check out the countershaft bearing mentioned in your repost from someone else. What do you know about the 5 to 6 swap? Becoming versed in manual transmissions was something I had not intended when I became the second owner of a Vibe, lucky I have little to nothing invested.

[Bedlam]

Quote, originally posted by circuit1 »Thanks for the information Bedlam, I read your story on swapping out the 5spd. what a bummer. I will probably check out the countershaft bearing mentioned in your repost from someone else. What do you know about the 5 to 6 swap? Becoming versed in manual transmissions was something I had not intended when I became the second owner of a Vibe, lucky I have little to nothing invested. yea, the whole "unreliable manual transmission" thing caught a lot of us off guard. Normally the manual trans is the one thing you do NOT have to worry about on a car. Regarding the 5spd vs 6spd you just put it in. It swaps identical and you'll have no differences other than another notch in the shift pattern.

[joatmon]

http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=23292 has various gear ratios.the top gear in the 5 speed is the same as in the 6 speed, but the final drive ratio difference is important, RPMs in top gear will be 15% higher with the 6 speed than the 5 sp, which will affect fuel economy. However, I would not dispute an argument that the decrease in fuel economy is acceptable compared to the cost of replacing a second 5 speed .

[Zvibe04]

im glad i decided to look on here before tracking down a trans to swap out the auto on mine with. with all ive seen about the 5 speeds im definately gonna get a 6 speed now, but i gotta get all the stuff to make the trans work too =/

[circuit1]

I recently found a 5 speed from a 2006 Toyota Corolla at a local auto parts yard. It has 46,000 miles on it. My question is....Is the 06 transmission free of the defect that resides in the older 5 speeds.Thanks