I just noticed this sound when the car is stopped in neutral with the clutch pedal up. Sounds sort of like a bearing spinning, not loud just noticeable. It goes away as soon as I step on the clutch. Is this normal? TIA.

 

Hi,

my 93 R1 does the exact same thing, i'm not sure if it's a throw out bearing or a pilot bearing or something. I wouldn't think it's normal though.

Andrew Wojteczko
93 RX7 R1
87 944 Turbo

 

When the clutch is in there's a load on the throw out bearing if you have some noise when in neutral with clutch out I think its the pilot bearing but some cars including 3rd gens will have a little rattle.
If its going into gear smoothly I wouldn't sweat it.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=67851

Check my post on this thread. It sounds like your main bearing is starting to go. If it is not real loud and you cannot feel it through the shifter, it is not real bad, but the longer it goes, the worse it will get, and it can also cause wear on other parts (gears, synchro rings, etc)

Tim

 

Thanks for the straight info, I was afraid it was something like that. When you say "feel it through the shifter" what exactly would I feel? My shifter is very "notchy", but no grinding or vibrations. I'm just trying to assess how bad it is because the car and tranny perform flawlessly otherwise. Thanks to all of you who responded.

 

If you feel the grinding and vibration through the shifter when it makes the noise, it is bad enough to rebuild. If you just hear it and not feel it, you have a little time yet.

I have seen trannys for $300-$750 for sale. Probably this would be much cheaper than a rebuild.

Tim

 

If it sounds like an out of balance dryer then yep it's a main bearing failure. It will get worse and damage other parts. Peter Farrel said it's b/c of the Redline oil. I got a 94 tranny under ext warranty and waiting to rebuild my original one day.

 

No, it doesn't sound anything like an out of balance dryer. It sounds more like an electric motor whine but with a deeper tone, and like I said it's not very loud. I can only hear it with the radio off and the windows rolled up.

 

I have the same problem. my car has beed getting louder. it's an main output shaft bearing or something. you're gonna need a rebuild in a few thousand miles sadly. I have to spend my ECU money on my rebuild. My transmission still performs exceptionally, but awhile ago I had problems when trying to downshift into 4th gear. Tim, where have you seen trannys for $350? and were they new or rebuilt? I need one. thanks

 

Don't worry about the noise there dingleberry....
AINT NOTHING WRONG. So what? The bearing
maybe a little worn. YOU dont need a new
transmission or any crap like that. I get it all
the time with my OS twin plate, and I had it on my
stock on too. Welcome to the FD!! If you dont
like it you can change the way your clutch
ingauges from a pull to a push, and it will be gone
if it really bothers you that much....

 

I just saw a post the other day for someone selling one for $300 used (condition was "good" as I recall). I am not sure where I saw it. I have seen several in the past for $500 plus a few for $750. Just keep looking.

I rebuilt my 1985 Transmission. It was not as hard as I thought. The basic transmissions are very similar and it would not be too difficult to rebuild yourself. A few special tools are needed, but I fabricated them for myself. For example, the large bolt on the shaft says you need this huge socket (54mm) that is about 1 foot long. I bought a close american size equivalent in a 1" drive impact, drilled a hole through it (at work or you can die grind it out at home) and ground two flat spots on the neck to allow a pipe wrench to slip over it. Worked beautifully.

Good Luck,
Tim

PS Also, look for a tranny from a J-Spec Engine/Tranny place. I was calling around and they were selling an engine, computer and tranny for $2600. I asked if it was Automatic, and they said sometimes they were (I was looking for Auto since mine is an auto).

 

Are you still looking for an auto? I have one for sale, email me for details.

 

jr,

I am looking for an engine, not a tranny. I believe my tranny was rebuilt as it has a tag underneath mounted to it from a Tranny rebuild company.

Thanks,
Tim