lvlearn@MCI2000.COM quoted from his email: << Mark publicly stated in his note that he DID hear bearing noises. Yet Joshua went on to say: "As for transmissions, I doubt it would be of much value to preemptively replace the bearings. If you listen carefully, you'll hear bearing noise long before the thing grenades." >> I disagree with Joshua. By the time you begin to hear bearing or other worn parts making noise in the gearbox the damage is done. Listen to an air-cooled motor and then to a water-cooled motor. Hear the difference? Most of the engine mechanical noise is blanketed by the water jackets. Same holds true with a gearbox and the gear oil. The noises of the beginning stages of failure that you might be able to hear can be muffled by the gear lube. By the time the worn part(s) are bad enough to make enough noise to be heard then its really toasted. Most failures are gradual and the driver grows accustomed to these noises. If a stranger (to the vehicle) drives the car then they tend to pick up quite quickly that something is wrong. I don't know how many times I've gone for a test drive and heard a mainshaft bearing howling like a banshee but the owner wasn't concerned or simply didn't realize that there was a major failure. What you allow to happen by not replacing worn parts as soon as you notice them is that other parts will be affected by this lack of maintenance and the job can end up costing you even more. -Todd Hill VolksWerks Transaxles Olympia, WA |
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