Gearbox dead

owen080808 · Post by **owen080808** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:32 pm

Hello,

After a bit of an absence from the forum lately i'm back! but sadly bearing bad news...

My 480 has had a droning/whiney sound for a good while now, i always thought it was a wheel bearing and that i would replace it when it got noisey. In the last week or so the noise has become lounder and more 'rumbling' as well. So off i went to volvomax this morning to ask if they could fit me a new wheel bearing. But it turns out after running a road test and on the ramps it is the gearbox which is noisey, and it doesn't sound likely to last.

What does everyone think it a reasonable price for a used gearbox? or does anyone local have one for sale? (glasgow-ish) Is it even worth doing? somewhat nonplussed at the moment.

ps the box has oil, and has had the correct amount of oil since i first picked up the noise, it was one of the first things i checked. but i'm now thinking that at some point prior to my ownership someone has filled it with the 'wrong' oil, i guess the premature failure is the result...? any thoughts?

VanDerGraaf · Post by **VanDerGraaf** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:22 pm

Sorry to hear that Owen. I wonder if a 2 litre box would fit, might be easier to find, suppose the ratios are different but need to see them on paper.

At least the 'Max won't financially cripple you to fit another one.

The "wrong" oil could be the culprit, or maybe the Rich mod and your right foot have done some damage?

I suppose your car has the earlier Turbo gearbox which isn't quite as strong as the late one.

owen080808 · Post by **owen080808** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:07 pm

yes, no doubt my driving style has contributed somewhat.

and what news! i'm away for ten minutes and rohan is driving a saab. just joking, looks a nice comfy car, no slouch i'm sure too.

i'm pretty sure i have the later type clutch, so i'm assuming that means later box, but who knows with these strange 92 cars! i'd like to know if anyone has ever tried the 2ltr one, cos i think i read it has taller gearing? but then i guess it would probably get chewed up pretty quick when the turbo torque potential is used...

VanDerGraaf · Post by **VanDerGraaf** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:41 pm

I don't know, how much weaker can it be? From the factory the power/torque difference between 2.0 and Turbo is only 10Nm/10 bhp, though I cant remember at what rpm etc.

The 2.0 clutch plate is 208mm or 210, again, bigger than the original Turbo cluch and only slightly smaller than the late turbo one.
Turbo/2.0 use the same flywheel too so it must be possible....

macaroni · Post by **macaroni** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 7:55 pm

My gearbox too whines in all gears, I'm guessing the bearing on the output shaft. Does anyone have experience of these boxes actually dying or do they just rumble and whine for years?

I changed the oil and the old oil was pretty clean with no filings in it. My new oil was from Comma and they claim it is safe to use with bronze parts, but I guess the old oil wasn't.

lee · Post by **lee** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:41 pm

try salvo as i have previously bought a box from them and they can even get it delivered for you

owen080808 · Post by **owen080808** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:36 am

righto! i was planning to get a salvaged one, but hearing tales of replacing a gearbox with a used one only for it to last 2 weeks is not something i fancy. I'm going to get a reconditioned/rebuilt 'box. That way i will know its the right one for the car, and also that it should have another 100k before it lets go again.

On the subject of how long its going to last while being noisey, its pretty loud just now, but i think it would probably get a lot louder before finally going bang?

VanDerGraaf · Post by **VanDerGraaf** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:42 am

Good man, that's commitment for you!
If you are going the rebuild route, why not get them to strengthen / shot peen relevant parts? Insurance for extra power.
I don't know which parts as I don't know anything about rebuilds/boxes really.

I just noticed that the Saab guys with their modded 350hp+ Aeros get internals strengthened when they get a rebuild (no wonder- costs a small fortune!)

It may be well worth doing. Do you know who's going to do it? You?

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:16 pm

Oh it was you that needed the 480 gearbox , Dougie was asking me if I had a spare one but I wont be stripping my spares 480 until early January then due to a lack of an engine hoist I will be stripping it out layer by layer.

I am at the wrong end of glasgow for volvomax.

owen080808 · Post by **owen080808** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:36 pm

Ha ha small world! yes it would have been me that needed the box. Dougie was saying that he has a 480 in at the moment which they replaced the gearbox on, and now 2 weeks later its back again with the same problem, so i've been advised to go for a rebuild/recon. I like the re-assurance of this idea, it also strikes another major thing off the list of things that could go wrong with my 480, as clutch and gearbox will now both be (in theory) like new in condition. They're going to pass a curently noisey box onto a gearbox specialist (must confess i'm not sure which one) to be rebuilt, so that my car should only need to be off the road once its been rebuilt and is getting swapped into mine.

If only i had kept the parts car for another month i would have had a spare gearbox to strip and play with myself, but sadly i don't so expensive route it is!

Regarding strengthening, its a constant drone, not related to a particular gear, so i think must be the input/main shaft bearings, or something similar. i'd think shot peening would be used to harden the teeth of individual gears (although i could be wrong) to encourage them to continue to mesh under higher loads (i.e. make them stronger/tougher) but since its just bearings that seem to be gone in mine i'm hoping that they will just fit some new ones where required and clean/inspect the rest of the box. i'm pretty sure i dont have the Ã‚Â£Ã‚Â£Ã‚Â£ for a performance gearbox, but then i'm also pretty sure that i'll never be asking it to cope with 350bhp (or more worryingly for gearboxes the torque at that power!)

suddy · Post by **suddy** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:37 am

My gearbox too whines in all gears, I'm guessing the bearing on the output shaft. Does anyone have experience of these boxes actually dying or do they just rumble and whine for years?

My replacement gearbox has whined since I got it put on over a year ago, done 10,000 miles since and hasn't broke. Maybe they're meant to whine a little --they are renault don't forget...

Got my replacement for Salvo, the next day it came on a Pallet, so thumbs up to them lot...

eEm · Post by **eEm** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:05 pm

I'm trying to get my gearbox oot at the mo but I'm stumped. Can't seem to remove the driveshaft heat sheild bolts. They're smaller than 8mm and larger than 7mm!?!

Anyhoo, have you got a price for a rebuild? I'm tempted myself now, I've always had trouble getting in/out of gear when the clutch peddle is fully depressed, its fine when its not quite all the way down. I'm guessing its the clutch release bearing, which has now totally gone. Now that makes a whining noise