Transmission Worries...

[TS Flea]

Hi there,

I have a little (large?) problem with my precious... :(

My 2001 Yaris TS has 77.000 km on the clock.

I had the transmission oil changed to synthetic (dealer recommended: Castrol TAF-X 75-90W) for the first time about 2 weeks ago. About a week ago my car developed a rather worrying loud grinding/clatter noise from the transmission area.

I first noticed it when pulling away in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear from low revs. The sound is drowned out by the exhaust in 1st and by the wind in 5th. When I take my foot off the gas the noise seems to go away. The grinding accelerates with the cars speed. Shifting action is unaffected.

I drove the car in this state for another 600 km due to being abroad on holiday when it appeared.

Yesterday I took the car to my friendly mechanic and he took it for a drive... He wasn't too happy. We got her up on a lift, started her up and proceeded to go through the gears as if I were driving it normally on the street… It reproduced the sound. We then turned the engine off and just spun the two front wheels individually by hand, again successfully reproducing the grinding at both wheels.

I’m dropping the car off on Monday so they can take apart the tranny and look inside. I’m hoping for the best…

Anyone experience or hear about such a problem?

Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome...

Thanks in advance. B)

TS Flea

[earpl]

if its grinding at the wheels its not the gearbox?

[TheNissanMan]

If it's just at the wheels with no power could it not be the wheel bearings ?

[echo_rs]

I would check the differential first...

[earpl]

i wouldn't i'd start with the little things and work my way up, cause i'd be ****** if i dove into the differential and then found out it was the wheel bearings. jack the car up hold the trye on the face at both sides and try to jiggle it round in all directions (obviously not including turning it) and if theres any play, get some wheel bearings ;)

[Yaris SR Kid]

my car developed a rather worrying loud grinding/clatter noise from the transmission area.

maybe you have a nest of mice in there and the grinding is when you squash one between the gears and the clatter is its bones falling all over the floor....

...just a thought really could happen to anyone :)

[SlaveToTheNeedle]

I changed my 5 speed gear oil at 2000 miles. I used Redline MT-90 which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Manual transmissions need a gear oil that has specific additives for use in that application. Simply because your using the proper "weight" of synthetic does not mean your using the proper synthetic. If it was me, I would immediately dump the Castrol and put in the MT-90. I am disabled and also own a 2006 MX-5 Miata. After 3000 miles I switched to Redline MT-90. Before switching I had to reach over with my good hand and shift into 5th and 6th gear. AFTER MT-90 I now shift using my disabled hand and arm with no problems! Even on the YARIS I noticed a dramatic improvement in ease of shifting after installing the MT-90.

WWW.REDLINEOIL.COM

[TS Flea]

Well, it turns out it was the differential making the noise...

There are four cogs within the assembly that rotate together.

The cog teeth were worn away a little and there was significant play of about 2-3 mm where there should have been none at all.

My mechanic said that the only thing he could imagine causing this would be jumping on the gas when the car is cornering hard. Well yeah, I'm pretty guilty of that...

I do get a little corner happy.

Parts are going to cost about $300, plus the labor... :!Removed!:

C'est la vie.