89 accord 5 speed tranny noise

[rocketman]

Hey! First timer posting here! My '89 Accord has 520,000 miles, original clutch, basically did all maintenance and repair work myself, great car. Anyway . . . this week my 5th gear started to whine, popped out of 5th once or twice, a little hard to get back into 5th. Only does it when warm. All other gears OK, engagement and shifting fine, other gears are quiet. I figure that since most of my miles are on 5th gear anyway, that it is just worn-out. Changed the tranny oil every year (about every 12-15k), careful shifter (original clutch), no towing. Am I looking at a complete rebuild? Swap a used one in? Can The repair be made without taking the transmission out? Costs of a rebuild? This one is beyond my talent, I'm afraid to say. Like I said, great car, did some minor mods and cosmetic stuff, love this car. Original owner. Rocketman

[HERBERT]

you should be able to just switch it out and i dont think its all that hard to get to

[Vanilla Sky]

If it's just a whine, do a trans fluid change. Use either Honda MTF or a Syncromesh type fluid. It might also be a good idea to pop off the 5th gear cover to inspect it and clean out the oil passages. You can do that without pulling the trans. If the gears still look fine, seal it back up and fill with the aforementioned oil.

[LiTtLe xOx BitT]

you should be able to just switch it out and i dont think its all that hard to get to

Just switch what out, a gear in the trans? its not easy if you dont know what your doing. You have 2 options if its not something simple, either swap in a used one with less miles that still works well or do a rebuild on the current one. I would have the current one rebuilt because if you just swap in a different one you dont know how long that will last either. I wouldnt just have one gear changed, it wouldnt cost too much more to have it rebuilt since it all needs to be taken apart anyway. But either way you go with it, its going to be pretty expensive and I would replace the clutch too. But try vanillas suggestion first, if that fixes it then theres no need to do any of the stuff I listed.

[Vanilla Sky]

Actually, 5th gear is very easily swapped at home, in your driveway, with basic tools. The only specialty tools you're going to need are a set of larger sockets, I believe a 19mm and a 21mm, or a 21mm and a 23mm and a torque wrench. If the gears are a pain to get off, you might also need a large 3 jaw puller.

No need to rebuild the transmission. Why spend the extra money to fix something that's not broken?

[LiTtLe xOx BitT]

Actually, 5th gear is very easily swapped at home, in your driveway, with basic tools. The only specialty tools you're going to need are a set of larger sockets, I believe a 19mm and a 21mm, or a 21mm and a 23mm and a torque wrench. If the gears are a pain to get off, you might also need a large 3 jaw puller.

No need to rebuild the transmission. Why spend the extra money to fix something that's not broken?

He said its beyond his talent, so I assumed he was going to take it somewhere to have it done because he wasnt comfortable with touching the trans. Thats why I said its not easy if you dont know what your doing, easy for some people is also really hard for others depending on their experience, knowledge and comfort level. I understand where your coming from, but not knowing his experience level I didnt want to make it sound very easy and then he tries it at home and something go wrong. I had the same problem in my car with it whining and poping out of 5th gear and I tried all of the easier solutions and they didnt fix it, so I swapped in a different trans and it worked fine.

[Vanilla Sky]

Rocketman, if you're local, I can help you out. If you want phone support, I can help you out there as well.

[rocketman]

Thanks Sky . . . . but I'm in Pennsylvania. I got a bunch of good replies . . . info which will help me when I talk to a tranny guy. I'm gonna change the fluid (actually it's 10W40 motor oil) this weekend and see the tranny guy next week if it still whines. The car has been good to me, never left me stranded and runs great . . . still gets over 30 mpg and only uses/drips 1/4-1/2 quart of engine oil between changes. I can't believe how well built these 3g honda cars are. I should post a picture . . . put some wheels, spoiler and stuff on it years ago, looks cool. What are you driving? Rocketman

[rocketman]

BTW . . what is Honda MTF? (I'm thinking manual transmission fluid). The owners manual calls for 10W30 or 10W40 when changing, that's why I use it. Do you think any additive like "Lucas" will quiet things down? Rocketman

[charliekuney]

^ Honda Manual Transmission Fluid. Best choice. Also, additives help, but make sure you get the right stuff and add the right amount. Should fix noise if fluid was the problem.

520k!?

[lostforawhile]

they came out with the better fluids after the car was built, the Honda MTF is good, and the syncromesh you can get at most auto parts stores, it's GM but people here have had really good luck with it, it's designed to protect the soft metal parts in the transmission, it also has special friction modifiers to make the syncros work better. The Honda fluid supersedes the original recommendation of motor oil. If you take it somewhere and they try to tell you you need to have the transmission rebuilt to replace fifth gear, they are lying pure and simple. A transmission shop could replace that gear in probably under an hour, with the transmission in the car

[lostforawhile]

BTW . . what is Honda MTF? (I'm thinking manual transmission fluid). The owners manual calls for 10W30 or 10W40 when changing, that's why I use it. Do you think any additive like "Lucas" will quiet things down? Rocketman

I wouldn't put Lucas near your car, bad experience with it destroying my power steering system for a minor leak

[lostforawhile]

is someone near him able to help? I don't want to see this guy get screwed over by a mechanic, who may or may not know whats he's doing, and possibly see a nice car screwed up

[LiTtLe xOx BitT]

where in pa are you at?

[w261w261]

500k miles on the original clutch? My hat's off to you!

[rocketman]

Pocono mountains. Getting ready for an ice storm tomorrow. Hey . . . thanks a lot for your replies guys. I'm gonna try a fluid change before I go to the tranny guy and I'll locate the Honda MTF somewhere. I'll post a picture of this '89 . . . you'll see how well it's been treated, nice ride. I'll post back as soon as I get the fluid changed and let you know. Thanks again! Rocketman

[Dr_Snooz]

Wow. You've taken such good care of your car! That's awesome. Please do post pics soon.

Before you take it anywhere, do a quick visual inspection. You should be able to pull the end cap off the trans without removing it from the car. It's held on with a few 10mm bolts. You'll just need to drain the oil and buy a $3 gasket for reassembly (or just use RTV Black and you don't even need the gasket). Take a look at 5th gear to see how worn it is. If you don't know what that looks like, snap a few pics and post them here. If 5th is worn, then you can just replace it and drive on. If it's not worn, then your problems are probably deeper in the transmission and you'll need to do a rebuild.

I would rebuild the one you have if it's still running good generally. You are very unlikely to find one elsewhere that's been better cared for.

[AZmike]

A 10 mm socket, 30 mm socket, a 5 mm punch, and something to un-stake the old 30 mm nuts are the only tools you need to swap out the fifth gear set with the transmission in the car.

I know I've discussed this in the past. Search for my user name and there should be several threads.

[Vanilla Sky]

A 10 mm socket, 30 mm socket, a 5 mm punch, and something to un-stake the old 30 mm nuts are the only tools you need to swap out the fifth gear set with the transmission in the car.

I know I've discussed this in the past. Search for my user name and there should be several threads.

Thank you for the clarification, AZMike.

[Dr_Snooz]

Which one is the reverse thread nut?

[AZmike]

The mainshaft nut is left-hand threaded.

[voodoocars]

i have a wined in 5th and only 5th ?????any clue?????

[lostforawhile]

i have a wined in 5th and only 5th ?????any clue?????

possibly fifth gear itself, the problem is it doesn't get the lubrication it needs due to poor design, thats why you keep hearing about fifth gear failing

[rocketman]

I just wanted to get back to you folks about my tranny issues. I did the fluid change as per the suggestions here (used the MTF instead of regular 10W40) and did an engine oil change as well. 523,000 miles! Two days of driving, nothing too far . . . just a few test drives, and it seems to have fixed the problem. It is pretty cold here in Pennsylvania, so I will take it for a longer ride tomorrow, warming it up like when I first experienced the issue. I'll let you know, but wanted to say THANKS to everyone who contributed to the conversation. Rocketman

[rocketman]

Just thought I would report back on my transmission issues. About 2 months ago I posted about issues with my '89 Accord 5-speed . . . suggestions by folks on this board were various but the first thing I did was follow the advice of you folks and drain/re-fill with Honda manual transmission oil. After two months and about 1500 miles . . . drives great, shifts great . . . a little tranny "whine" in 5th gear (maybe it's my imagination, nobody else can hear it, but I've been driving this car since August 1989!). . . . seems like the transmission is OK. BTW . . . this '89 Accord, carb'd, 5-speed has almost 525,000 miles on it! I'll post a picture as soon as I can take one without snowbanks in the way . . . snowbanks here in Pennsylvania are all over the place. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions . . . I'll post when I can help or when I need help. Great board, great folks! Rocketman