2GNT drivetrain vibrations help!

[rowlex]

Ok so I purchased a 2GNT 5 speed a while back, with engine probs so I had to toe it home. The previous owner was a retard. He ran the car into a guard rail but replaced most of the damaged body parts. After I got it running I had an allignment done and I asked the shop to check out the front drivers side area which was in the crash they said nothing is wrong but I dont know if they really looked.

Here are the issues:

when I accelerate hard in first or second gear it makes a grinding noise and vibrates(the grinding noise is best described as the same grinding your brakes would make when the pad material is gone and rivets are eating your rotor). The vibration is enough to annoy me and rattle things inside my dash. I can feel it through the clutch pedal. Also if i accelerate hard in second when i try to quickly shift to third it feels like the gear is "blocked" so I am unable to shift to that gear for a second, then I can easily shift to third after waiting a second or two.

Sometimes I can make it do a clunking noise altho my girlfriend does it best.

It doesnt do it under light throttle or in 3rd, 4th, or 5th -- however if i let off the gas in third and then get back on it it will jerk the car and make the clunking noise.

That's all the symptoms I can think of right now, I've visually looked at most everything I can and I can't see any clean spots that might come from the "rubbing"

P.S. The front end of the car seems to be kind of loose when driving at highway speed -- could be the semi-wide tires on it, or the lowering springs that were already on it when I purchased it.

A buddy of mine said it might be something to do with the differential or spider gears
Any help is appreciated thanks!

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

First thing, check your transmission lubricant level. Clunking, grinding and jerking? Sounds like possible transmission gears or differential. Clutches historically do not make horrible noises and clunking. Shuddering perhaps, slipping sure, but not grinding and jerking. Hard shifting? It could be the gears are chewing each other up and shifting is going to get worse quick if the gears are doing this. Real quick. I rarely see differentials on stock ones go out, not to say they won't. Usually the gears as the counter and input bearings go out which mis aligns the gears and counter gears and after running real loose they get real hot and start getting soft due to heat. Usually while this is going on you have gear howl when you are going down the road which you did not mention. Either way, if this is the case you are going to have to pull the trans and do a tear down or replace with known good component.

Alignment will almost assuredly catch steering, wheel bearing, and suspension problems as all these affect alignment. If the tech was thorough. Get a before and after printout with specs to see for yourself.


Good luck

 

[rowlex]

First thing, check your transmission lubricant level. Clunking, grinding and jerking? Sounds like possible transmission gears or differential. Clutches historically do not make horrible noises and clunking. Shuddering perhaps, slipping sure, but not grinding and jerking. Hard shifting? It could be the gears are chewing each other up and shifting is going to get worse quick if the gears are doing this. Real quick. I rarely see differentials on stock ones go out, not to say they won't. Usually the gears as the counter and input bearings go out which mis aligns the gears and counter gears and after running real loose they get real hot and start getting soft due to heat. Usually while this is going on you have gear howl when you are going down the road which you did not mention. Either way, if this is the case you are going to have to pull the trans and do a tear down or replace with known good component.

Alignment will almost assuredly catch steering, wheel bearing, and suspension problems as all these affect alignment. If the tech was thorough. Get a before and after printout with specs to see for yourself.


Good luck

Man Im glad your here You have a wealth of info thanks! I think the vibration im feeling is more like a shudder -- a constant one thats a better way to describe it. It shifts beautifully as long as im not going all-out from second gear and rapidly shifting. Partial throttle is all good 3/4 is fine only when im really on it shifting from second to third have i not been able to get it in. I've been driving it like this for 8K miles now

Audibly it sounds like the noise is not coming from the engine bay but their is no way to be positive. I have not heard any howling..

I will check the trans fluid soon

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

OK, is the shudder engine speed or wheel speed? Does the tach raise real fast when you experience this? You would almost assuredly have howling and growling if the trans was as bad as I had suspicioned. You would not get 8k miles from one doing this. This could put you back to the clutch or perhaps an axle de-splining with the clutch being the longer lasting of the two. De-splining axles will strand you pretty quickly. If you pull the axles and the splines are good, then you may have to pull the trans. These transmissions are very easy to pull as far as transmissions go. On good jack stands and a little determination you should have it on the ground in 1 to 2 hours. The springs in the clutch disc is the first thing I would look at and if I go that far and the disc is not pristeen, I would replace the clutch, pressure plate and for sure that throw out bearing. Watch the retainers on the throw out bearing as they can confuse you when you go back on. I would take a digital camera close up. Grease the input housing where the tob rides and hopefully by this time you have laid eyes on the culprit. As far as the shifting goes, assuming the trans is ok, use some type of synchromesh fluid. I have recommended GM synchromesh as that's all we had back in the day. Others manufacture it now by various names. It's in several posts. This was a common problem on 1g's for a long time.

Good Luck

 

[rowlex]

Again, thanks for your help with this. I know no-one else could have helped me with this problem. I really havent noticed any whining--thats excessively loud.

The shudder seems to be a load based thing--the shudder/vibration is constant and unchanging, only does it in first and second gear I assume because of the amount of power I can put to the wheels in those two gears from about 2000rpm all the way to the end of the gears it will do the vibration/shudder. It will not do it in third or any gear after that. If I'm light on the throttle (easy driving) it will not make the vibration.

More info I had forgotten to mention: I do suspect something wrong with the clutch altho other then strange noises I have not noticed anything wrong shifting. But at idle with the clutch out it will make a pretty noisy "clicking" noise, a lot like lifter tick on the 4g63. If I push the clutch in the noise goes away - if im in gear and moving the noise does not happen - if im moving at all the noise does not happen - Sometimes if it starts making the noise and I *very* slowly let the clutch out the noise will not happen (this I have not tested much so dont put too much thought onto it.)

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

Well, one last thing that comes to mind. Check the inner cv joint on your axles. If these go bad you will have a load based vibration and if bad enough a clunking noise to go along with it.

 

[rowlex]

Well, one last thing that comes to mind. Check the inner cv joint on your axles. If these go bad you will have a load based vibration and if bad enough a clunking noise to go along with it.

cool, will do thanks!

I have gone under the car and shaken things/looked at things on that side of the car but never found anything out of the ordinary. I wonder if the CV joint could have been damaged when the wheel hit the guard rail. When I purchased the car everything visually had been fixed so I don't know how hard he hit it.