MR2 NA (S54) Gearbox woes!

[Doctor Hoon]

Something that has been driving me slowly mental recently. A metric ton of fiddling and testing (and fixing) has shown it to be unrelated to the following:

-Alignment
-Wheel quality / buckles
-Wheel bearings
-Brake disc back plates
-Lack of gearbox oil
-Suspension condition (if it isn't new, it's rock solid)

The symptoms the car shows are as follows (Chris can attest to the weirdness)

-When the car is cold it behaves perfectly normally, no odd noises, no vibrations; works fine. Once the engine (and by proxy the gearbox) has heated up, accelerating or putting the transmission under any load will make the car pull to the left, with intensity roughly in line with how much accelerating force there is (more beans, more pull). When coasting or moving at a steady speed, everything is fine.

-When moving slowly and turning (for example accelerating out of a T junction / full lock), there is a rough vibration / juddering from the rear wheels, again this is fine when cold, only when it heats up. This is both forward and reverse, but more apparent when moving forwards.

-When the vehicle is jacked up on one wheel or both, attempting to turn the wheel you will hear a loud crunching, and the wheel will be difficult to turn. After comparing this with Chris's two (The legendary shedmobile!) this is worryingly more crunchy and stiff than what can be considered 'normal'.

Some videos have been linked below for reference, showing the kind of noise / play in the wheels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwYDAtd31Q0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbdW_P7qbys

If anyone has a clue as to what this may be it would be appreciated, though at this stage I'm honestly considering ripping it out and slapping a newer one in that I know works...... Alternatively, get rid of the engine too and slap a lovely shiny 1MZ in there... :icon_smile:

[thomp1983]

sounds like a borked diff or diff bearings, does the box make any noises? knackered diff bearings can usually be identified by putting it on stands start it put it in first then carefully use your foot to stop the wheel rotating, if there damaged the diff bearings will be noisy as hell with the wheel stopped

[snowtigger]

Check your brakes as well see if your pads are releasing and that the cable isn't binding on one side, you don't have lsd do you?
Jack both wheels in the air once warmed up and rotate the one that's giving you the problem.
Trust me to not see the vid first face parm.

Diff sounds fucked it shouldn't be making that noise.

[Grenade]

That trans is done. It sounds like something is broken inside, LSD or not, that's not right. Take it out and take it apart or swap it with another. While you're at it, do the 1MZ.

[Torero]

Most cost effective is to swap it out Matt and check the clutch at the same time. You'll pick up a gearbox for £75 (more or less) all you need is a nice man local to Northampton and some Doombar and the jobs a good 'un.

[snowtigger]

Fubar borked or mmm 1mz vvti drool.

[Doctor Hoon]

Glad to hear other minds saying the same thing, show's I'm learning the difference between my arse and my elbow!

It's a shame because the gears themselves are quite solid. I'll start scrounging Ebay and possibly crack open the old gearbox afterwards to see precisely what's wrong with it... Expect gearbox gore pics sometime!

[Tommytank]

Things that kill diffs: Shite burnouts with no LSD's. The only time I've seen it, usually on XR2s.

[cdwood2010]

Prob matts driving.

:)

[Whore of Babylon]

Man that sounds Borked. I think its time for a reco box mate IDD sell ya mine but its in Tassie ;)