gearbox rebuild or something else? prices and problems!

**Alexplicit** · 29-06-2012 07:43 PM

hey guys

now i have seen some seriously quick b series cars, like bullshit quick ones all using factory b series box's, yet in my daily, which i dont even thrash seems to have a ****ed box lol...

so here's the problem.

most 2/3 (very high rpm) 3/4 (at very high rpm 7-8k ) crunch 4/5 crunch ( at high rpm, 5k )

but thats still not the main issue..

main issue is!

at idle or with the car off. reverse gear is nearly impossible to get in? like really really hard to get it in there. same with 5th, but whilst driving 5th goes in ok.

ive taken the linkage off at the gearbox side and tried to get it in with my hands. could get all gears bar reverse. not sure if thats because them 2 gears are kinda spring loaded or something... i know nothing about gearbox's

ive drained oil and put in new oil. and still the same?

any thing else i should be doing before i send this away to get rebuilt?

which leads to my next question?

what does a rebuild cost? and who is recommended?

**infurNOS** · 29-06-2012 07:50 PM

Have you inspected your clutch slave cylinder?
All of my hondas have been hard to get into reverse from neutral, so i always put it into 3rd than reverse and slots in like a charm

**Alexplicit** · 29-06-2012 09:38 PM

hmm ill try that i guess. i think i have a new one somewhere...

but is that to fix driving crunches or reverse, because reverse is happening even when car is off

**dougie_504** · 29-06-2012 09:43 PM

If its a daily why are you shifting into 3rd and 4th at 7k rpm and 5th 5k rpm? lol

Reverse always sucks. Is it easier to shift if you put it in 1st or 3rd first without de-clutching?

I'd just drive it softer if I were you otherwise all those synchros will be expensive to replace

**SLOBRO** · 29-06-2012 11:16 PM

heres a site with all rebuild kits pretty cheap too
http://shop.synchrotech-transmission...Series_c18.htm

**EG30** · 30-06-2012 04:11 PM

shifting from the gearbox shift rod instead of with the shift linkage attached would only making the shift more difficult with less leverage, I guess you were trying to isolated the shift linkages being the cause of the issue or not.

if you get gear crunch at 5k rpm shifting from 4th to 5th, your 5th gear/ Rev gear synchro set needs replacing. Synchro set meaning synchro rings+synchro hub+sleeve pair+synchro springs. People very often expect just by replacing the synchro brass rings ( or carbon lined ones )1-5th gear avail aftermarket would fix all crunching problems; Honda sells the synchro set only as sets of 1-2, 3-4, 1-R for a good reason...

When you start to crunch gears every time the "gears" crunch it's not the main gears that crunches but rather the synchro sleeves and hubs themselves + dog teeth on the gears and doesnt take many crunches for the dog teeth inside the sleeves to get badly hammered and there is no magic cure for that other than removing them and replace with new ones. Some repairers try to repair them though but I won't bother.

Synchro springs/rings get hammered too.

When I stripped my box myself to installed Kaaz lsd last year I replaced the 3-4 synchro set as it was giving me probs shifting to 3rd at high rpms at the tracks and often even at 5-6k rpm on the street. To my surprise the sleeve and hub pair was no wear near as bad as I was expecting ie I was expecting the teeth to be totally fcked and almost stripped but there weren't... And yet the shifting was greatly affected with very regular crunches. The synchro brass rings however were 85-90% new with lots of meat left on the ring grooves and they were still nice and sharp. Synchro spring/rings were however a bit chewed up. My main gears' dog teeth still in good shape ie not pristine sharp but still in good order.

Has your gearbox been apart before to your knowledge? Has the reverse selection problem always been there or only started when the 4-5 crunch started?

By the sounds of it you'll be needing a whole complete set of 3 qty synchro sets from Honda or synchro-tech; and while box is apart it would be wise to replace the oil seals and the major bearings. Assuming also your shift forks are still in good condition and not worn, and the mainshaft 4-5 gear distance collar still within spec.

As you can see the costs build up rather fast in parts alone and about $800-$1K worth of labour at a gearbox shop alone. Finding a good gearbox for a B series is getting hard these days and very much luck of the draw; comes down to how much you are willing to invest in a car you might or might not keep for the long term.

**FastFwd** · 03-07-2012 04:38 PM

Sounds like shift linkages mate. These just go at any point really. my first d15b4 original motor with 93hp crapped itself with nanna driving after 150k. Eventually the gear likes to pop out into neutral which is worst case scenario and you need to hold the shifter into gear to drive.

on the other hand I was running 300hp atw's for a good 3-4 years with daily thrashing and had no issues what so ever until i tuned upto 397hp atw's and one day decided to throw gear changes willy nilly and the syncro's totally crapped themselves. Gearbox was winging and crying like a new born gazelle running away from a hungry tiger on heat trying to impress the tigress's.

took the box out, took it appart and found 1/2 syncro's totally worn away and also caused some issues with gears from me jamming the sh1t in an out like a siko.

Replaced all gears and syncro's myself with 2 dogs gears for $1700 in parts. Got quoted $4500 from a shop.

normal rebuild of bearings and syncro's is around $2800 if you give them the box.

if its a daily its best to purchase a second hand box for 600-800 from a wrecker and be done with yours.

**bennjamin** · 03-07-2012 05:35 PM

the OP failed to tell the whole story -

this box has been starved of oil (IE fluid drained while in motion/drag racing)

Alex , best to get a new/second hand gearbox. I dont like where this is heading (financially)

**FastFwd** · 03-07-2012 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by bennjamin

the OP failed to tell the whole story -

this box has been starved of oil (IE fluid drained while in motion/drag racing)

Alex , best to get a new/second hand gearbox. I don't like where this is heading (financially)

:| second this....sometimes u can find wreckers with pre-rebuild box's but always unsure about the integrity of the work done. Thats why i did mine myself.

Best just get a used second hand one that comes with a warranty of some sort...even 1 month.