Possible Gear box problem ?

[clioamr]

Hello Guys

I had a strange problem in the car during last 5 months......its a 1.2 16V ph2 2003

I usually begin to drive the car when the engine temp is optimal and when driving slightly I feel a slight knocking under my foot and when I begin to accelerate hard the knocking becomes worse and loud and the whole car is hesitating.......the strange thing is this problem disappears after driving the car for about 15 to 20 min and the car drives very smoothly without any problems

I changed both drive shafts and still problem exists and I'm beginning to think that it is gearbox problem as when gearbox oil begins to heat up the problem disappears

I changed the gear box oil last night and will see next morning if this problem still exists

Any help or suggestion will be appreciated :approve:

 

[tom172cup]

They are rubbish when cold. I'm having a similar problem at the moment but the knocking is still there when warm

 

[clioamr]

This morning problem disappeared

As I thought......last night I changed Gear box oil with a thicker one, the original oil is 75W80 and I put 80W90 and I hope this solved the knocking issue when the box is cold

note: last night when draining the old oil it was very dirty and was very light.....I think it lost it's viscosity

 

[clioamr]

Hello everyone

OK....since last post ( 10 months ago ) I changed the gearbox oil with a thicker one ( 80W90 ) to avoid the knocking issue when the box was cold and it solved the problem

Now it began to appear again also when the box is still cold and after 20 min of driving it disappears and everything is fine

I also noticed that when I release the clutch from first gear or reverse there is a knock like sound or clonk from underneath, before this issue this sound was not very noticeable, but now it is very clear and loud

As you know from my first post, I completely changed the whole both drive shafts and recently engine mounts and dog bone, I guess all these signs are the beginning of a Gearbox worn or failure

In the mean time I'm going to have a clutch kit change......should I consider finding a Gearbox in good shape from yards while the mouth is open ??

Thanks for your help

 

[clioamr]

Hello......anyone out there ??? :approve:

 

[DaveDreads]

A loud knock or clunk is usually mount related,
I only got rid of my clunk completely when I polybushed the dogbone
and fitted K-Tec (vibra-technics) engine and upper gearbox mounts.

 

[clioamr]

Thanks Dave, I doubt these mounts would be available in my country, I think I can get used to live with this problem

OK.....any ideas about the signs of the gearbox getting worn ?

 

[DaveDreads]

Crunchy gears or loud whines are the usual symptoms.

 

[clioamr]

Hello Everyone

New updates......

I have managed to find a Renault dealer that imported a whole lot of brand new 1.2 16V D4F engines with their Gearboxes ( JB1-513 ) from a faced out product line of Renault factory which ended up in their stock warehouses

I have checked the engine myself and believe it or not, coolant hadn't enter these engines and gearboxes are brand new

I bought one of these engines with it's gearbox ( without accessories ) and swapped it in my Clio......WOW...I remembered the good old feeling of a brand new car :clap:.....everything just went fine and the car is great and horse power is awesome and shifting is brilliant.....but....

I noticed that the same old symptoms of the gearbox slight knock under my feet in the morning when the car is cold and after driving for 15 min. it disappears and everything is fine......the oil I used in this new box was Valvoline GL4 75W90 and as I know 75 is good for cold starts and shifting

OK....what am I facing here ??? :S .....I really am very confused and don't know from where to start investigation

A year ago I changed both right and left drive shafts with their CV joints....I think the brand name of these shafts was ANKA and it's made in China :quiet:......could these shafts cause this issue ???

Kindly help and advise as weather is getting colder these days and it takes time for this knocking to disappear

 

[clioamr]

Kindly HELP

 

[Alex H]

Have you ruled out the knocking being something fouling bodywork, such as exhuast or heatshields?

 

[clioamr]

No, it's nothing to do with bodywork or exhaust system

I forgot to mention something very important in the swapping procedures

My gearbox version was the speedo version that had the speed sensor in it, but the one I purchased was the non-speedo version ( JB1-513 )

Solved this issue by swapping the right side casing of the gearbox with my old casing that had the speed sensor opening

OK....swapping was successful and was a piece of cake conversion

After doing some searches on the web, I found similar symptoms of my knocking when the box is cold and turned out to be bad pinion bearing, as the box warms up the seal expands and doesn't allow the drive shaft to play and knocking stops

As you can see from the pic below, the right housing of the gearbox has the pinion bearing in it, and not lucky me....I took my old housing with its bearing and thought it was just a metal casing and totally forgot the bearing issue

The Red arrow shows the pinion bearing
The Green arrow shows the place where the speedo sensor should be installed ( that was disabled in this box )
The Red line shows the right housing part from the left housing part of the box

OK....I think the problem is getting clear hear cause this is the only part in common between this swap

Can this pinion bearing be replaced without getting the box out or I'm facing a nightmare

Any suggestions will be much appreciated

 

[Alex H]

See here for a workshop manual. It looks like you could do it on the car, if you can get the puller in.

http://www.r21club.com/download/r21organes/prevodovka2_ang.pdf

 

[Alex H]

Oh, and it looks a b*****d of a job.

 

[clioamr]

See here for a workshop manual. It looks like you could do it on the car, if you can get the puller in.

http://www.r21club.com/download/r21organes/prevodovka2_ang.pdf

Thanks Alex

Very helpful guide, but as it says : This operation is carried out after separating the housings.

Guess I'll face another whole day off in the garage.......God help me :approve: