Bell housing crack [Merged 2-9]

[Black Venom]

Cast aluminum/ Mine spread to 2-3 inches before getting welded. It was welded inside and out.

 

[kwAlk23]

hi, i seen an ad on autotrader for a 97 gst, said that the bell housing was cracked and that they would fix it and sell it for 4200, I'm just wondering what would cause the bell housing to crack and what other problems there could be with the car since it cracked. Also what should i look for before considering it?

 

[hpram99]

A broken flywheel/clutch hitting the housing could crack or chip the housing. I don't know if crankwalk would be an issue here, I'd check for it anyway since its a 2nd gen. External abuse could cause it to crack, driving over a big rock, various mistreatment when replacing a clutch. In rare circumstances, you can have torn up internals that blow chunks out the side... ask me if you want to see pictures of that happening.

I don't think I would personally be worried about it, as long as the driveline still works without weird/loud noises.

 

[streetlegends]

hi, i seen an ad on autotrader for a 97 gst, said that the bell housing was cracked and that they would fix it and sell it for 4200, I'm just wondering what would cause the bell housing to crack and what other problems there could be with the car since it cracked. Also what should i look for before considering it?

If they fix it, it could be a patch job just to sell. I would look at the mods if any, milage and call call backs they the 97 GST might have and or had. See if all the call backs have been taken care of because I know the 97 Eclispes have a few call backs. If the bell house is cracked it could be because of to much enginee movement, mounts broken, and of improper shifts and that's just to name a few things that I have seen. See if you can get some more insight on the ride for you buy it. Good luck!!!!

 

[roadrunner2176]

If the cars worth it, assume the worst and make an offer minus a trans replacement. If the trans has a crack, more than likely it will spread. The crack can be welded, but who knows how warped is has become. A new housing would be best. From my experiences with trying to find housings, its 5X cheaper just to have the trans replaced. Or get your hands on a used one and have it rebuilt.

Just your luck, its gets welded, you drive a few thousand miles and boom, you've got a whole the size of a basketball in your trans.

 

[kwAlk23]

i went and looked at it, it looks like someone had no clue what they were doing when they modded it. The whole intake was completely gone, so the turbo was just sucking air from inside the engine bay i'm guessing, the bov was venting, what ever kind of boost controller it had looked very cheap, it didn't have any gauges installed, body was in ok condition i guess, but the car did look like it had been abused quite a bit. I asked the guy what caused the bell housing to crack and he said that the car had too much power that it just cracked, which i don't really buy. The guys that worked there could really care less about anyone there, i don't request going to ASC in Hudson FL, place seemed like quite a dump.

 

[roadrunner2176]

Walking away is the best thing you could do from that car, besides a complete rabuild. From what you mentioned you'd just have one problem after another. Bellhousings dont just crack out of the blue, whomever you spoke with is Full of it. Previous owner probably owned a honda, bought a dsm, pushed every bit of boost to it and broke the tranny while trying to launch at 8k every time.

The no filter on the intake is typical with those who turbo a b18 due to lack of space, they usually just put a piece of screen over the turbo intake housing.

 

[Fastazzevo]

I noticed the last few days that it was difficult to get into any gear. Now, I can't even get into any gear. I replaced the slave cylinder with no help.

I am now pulling the tranny and I noticed this there is a crack in the tranny from one of the bolt holes , which apparently there was no bolt on top of the tranny near the rear of the block to the font near one of the breather boots.

Is this fixable with welding. I still haven't pulled the tranny off yet completely, but will soon and post some pics.

It is important to know this is a completely stock car. So I know it wasn't beat on. I am trying to find out how this could of happened on a stock car, but I assume it could of been a lot of different things.

My main issues is I want to weld it I don't wanna buy a new tranny for a car that right now I'm using for my DD.

Thanks for any insight on this issue.

 

[_97tsiawd_]

So I was just getting done putting my six bolt in when I noticed that my trany bell housing was cracked so bad by the starter bolt holes that its impossible to bolt on the starter completely and safely, how screwed am I? Can I drop the trany out w/o pulling the engine? (I no longer have the use of a cherry picker) Also how much is it gunna cost to swap the internals into another bell housing? Its a 2g AWD auto.

Thanks

 

[92AWDHX40]

mine cracked i got it welded it worked just fine, first try to get it welded.

 

[92AWDHX40]

yes you can pull the tranny out without removing the engine.

 

[_97tsiawd_]

yeah I could try that but would really reather have a new one.

 

[slowgsr]

Just get it welded, it will be fine.

You can drop the transmission out the bottom with hand tools and a floor jack.

 

[roadrunner2176]

Drop it and weld it, it will be fine. A new half case from the dealer will run you the price of a shep stage 1, so plan ahead if anything. A weld will hold just fine, but if you see a crack on the case itself, than you better start looking for a new trans. You can weld a manual case with good outcomes, but theres to many passages and ports in an auto case to have a desirable outcome. Just more problems down the road.

 

[nfernotalon]

Weld it

 

[4pistons]

I welded mine over 5 years ago and it's still all good. Just make sure the trans is seated properly and ALL bolts are in and tight.

Swapping everything into a new bellhousing is the same labor as rebuilding the trans. You have to take out and reinstall everything.

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[92AWDHX40]

yes he's right^^^^make sure you put the dowels that align the trans to the block i learned
that the hard way, couldnt figure it out. I know now.

 

[My1GLaser]

Mine's welded and holds fine. I weld railcars that get dropped in a rollover dump. You wouldn't believe some of the shitty welding I see that actually holds. If it is done properly, there is nothing to worry about at all.

 

[CompuBob_TSi]

my bellhousing is cracked, I have not welded it yet, but I drilled a hole at the end of the crack so it would not get any bigger.

 

[_97tsiawd_]

Ok thanks guys.... I'll drop it this weekend.

 

[thorlief4g63]

Used transmissions off ebay or craigslist is also an option. less then $400. Good Luck

 

[M3BEAST]

Tig weld

 

[Dave532]

Welding the crack by a competent welder should be fine. I would be more concerned what caused the crack. The last time this happened to me, the bolts holding the intermediate drive shaft (bolted to the back of the block) were walking out and the driveshaft was becoming eccentric.

Just a thought.

-Dave
#532

 

[EVOL2003]

how many differant types of bell housing are there for my car? it cracked right where the clutch slave bolts in. it a 92 with a 6bolt motor, 4 bolt rear end if it matters
please help guys i though my clutch slave was leaking, upon further inspection i noticed the crack.
5 speed of coarse

 

[92AWDHX40]

Lets work on our spelling ok, i had the same problem on my talon, you can use 90 to 94 transmissions. Just make sure you get the cables right, and the bracket, from the top of the tranny, and in the console.