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M50D-R1 Grinding Sound when clutch released Help!


sliver9

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My 94 Mazda B3000 3.0 was running fine and the Manual transmission has never given me trouble. The other day i put the car into neutral while coasting and went to shift from 4wd to 2wd and then the transmission didn't want to go into gear after. When i was able to get it into a gear it started making a grinding sound and would kind of drive but would jerk real hard and then wouldn't move, kind of like it was slipping.

I towed it home and thought I'd check the transfer case first. I removed the TC and started the car and let off the clutch and the GRINDING noise is still there, (so its not the Transfer case) and I can see the transmission output shaft spinning. When I press the clutch in it quits. No matter where I move the shifter I get the grinding sound, even when I'm in neutral. It only stops when I press the clutch in. Is my transmission a goner? can I possibly make some adjustments somewhere? If i'm low on tranny fluid could it cause this problem? would adding fluid do anything or is it just a shot transmission at this point?

Any advice, recommendation, ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. Oh also, anyone ever rebuilt a M50D-R1 before? Is there a guide somewhere? Does it take special tools? I just looked at kits on ebay and I could save a lot of money.
 
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AKBroncoII

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Sounds like your synchros welded themselves to the gear, just as mine did. Mine was partially stuck in third all the time, so it wouldn't want to go into any other without grinding. Supposed to be a very common problem with these tranny's. Hopefully you have better luck finding a good one in your area or are able to get it rebuilt.
 

Iron Ranger

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sounds like it's the clutch giving you trouble. Remember how a clutch works? Push in the pedal, depending on if you have hydrolic or cable clutch, a carrier bearing puts pressure on the clutch springs which seperates the pressure plate from the friction plate, now it's spinning freely. Let go of the pedal, and the clutch squeezes the friction plate between itself and the flywheel.

So, I would check all the clutch components and such first. If thats not the problem, then something is screwy with your imput shaft. Maybe the gear broke and the "grinding" sound is the gear trying to connect with the gear cluster, or that's gear fragments murdering your whole tranny. One good way to check is to drain your tranny fluid and see if there are any excessive metal fragments in the fluid.

Either way, you can spend some $$$ to rebuild it, or you can just buy a whole new tranny. The choice is yours.

Hopefully this was helpful for you.
 

rboyer

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Only way to know for sure is to start ripping things apart even more. Pull out the trans and take off the top cover. If you see tons of carnage then there's your problem.
 

sliver9

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Thanks..,

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll drain the fluid and see how it looks. I'll probably just take the whole tranny out and take the cover off and inspect. Is it a lot of work to take the transmission out? I already have the transfer case off so it may make it a little easier. Anyone here rebuilt one of these or can post a link to some information? Thanks again.
 

Iron Ranger

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it's very easy to pull out a tranny.
Make sure all lines and electrical are disconnected from the tranny,
unbolt the crossmember,
put a jack under the tranny and equalize the weight,
unbolt the bellhousing from the engine block,
and carefully pull the transmission straight back or you'll get caught on the clutch splines.

That's pretty much the basic steps of the removal.

Here's another thread here:http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=207711
Looks like he's having the same problems you are.
 
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Iron Ranger

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Oh, one more thing:

If any of the gears are shot, broken, whatever..........put the tranny aside for a core charge(some shops will do this),and buy a new one. I went through the same mess with my T-5 for my conversion. I put $900 into the stupid thing when I could have bought a completely rebuilt, better one for less.
This model of tranny is relatively cheap on ebay for a remanufactured one, just make sure that there is a warranty on it.
 
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MAKG

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It sounds to me like a dry pilot bearing.

There are few parts of the transmission that do the same thing in all gears. In particular, MOST transmission noises are absent or greatly reduced in 4th, as that is the 1:1 gear and there are no transverse forces on the shafts.

If the pilot bearing has died, it may have damaged the input shaft. Look into "sleeving" it or sanding it prior to any disassembly/replacement (I don't know if Redi-Sleevs exist for that application, but that's what one does for leaky crank seals). Regardless, unless the clutch is PERFECT, it should be replaced when the transmission is out, along with the pilot and release bearings.
 

ItsA5Spd

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where is the check/fill plug on these things? I need to check mine
 

sliver9

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Thanks everyone for your input and advice. I got the transmission pulled out and I can see a gear is in bad shape and some syncros so I'm going to attempt to rebuild with some help from a friend who has the tools and some knowledge. Clutch appears to be in good shape but will replace it all while i'm this far in considering its not that expensive.

To answer your question about the drain/fill plugs. They are located on the drivers side about half way back on the transmission I believe. They are pretty noticeable and are labeled accordingly.
 

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