more tranny trouble

[datsunfish]

I recently noticed a noise in the tranny in my 521.It sounds fine until I let off the gas pedal and begin to decelerate.It is perfectly matched to the speed of the vehicle.Sounds like a baseball card in bicycle spokes(anybody do this as a kid?)Lightly give it gas and it goes away.Upon inspection I found the tranny to be leaking out the rear shaft seal.No signs of a leak on the ground as it is spun onto the bottom of the truck and the road.

I threw some fluid in there and it changed nothing.I got a new shaft seal but,since having issues with these trannies recently I dont know if I should trust it to get better or just replace it.

I would have to take the dogleg out of the 620 unless somebody has a decent 4 speed.

[lynchfourtwenty]

mmmmm baseball card in the spokes... i was always the kid that ran the pop can over an did it that way.. but those 521 trannys and rear ends seem to blow alot.. i'd switch to a 620 or 280 tranny.. just my opinion.. its simple.. cheap.. and effective..

[lynchfourtwenty]

oh shit your the guy from blue lake with the white 521 arent ya??? man you do have tranny problems dont ya.. that sux.. either way i'd upgrade to a newer style tranny..

[datsunfish]

The newer long shaft tranny is not that simple in a 521.I stuffed a 620 5 in there once and it had absolutely no clearance for any sort of flex at all.The 4 speed is a bit skinnier than the 5 but either will relocate the shifter and make the cool stock shifter plate useless.I would also have to make a custom mount and switch to the short front drive shaft.The dogleg would also require a custom mount.maybe a stock 4 would hold up better if I took better care of it.I think I might take apart the one stuck in 4th and see whats up there.

[lynchfourtwenty]

yeah it was just a suggestion really.. i wasnt aware of the differences.. but all these 521's seem to have the same tranny / rear end issues

[datzenmike]

The newer long shaft tranny is not that simple in a 521.I stuffed a 620 5 in there once and it had absolutely no clearance for any sort of flex at all.The 4 speed is a bit skinnier than the 5 but either will relocate the shifter and make the cool stock shifter plate useless.I would also have to make a custom mount and switch to the short front drive shaft.The dogleg would also require a custom mount.maybe a stock 4 would hold up better if I took better care of it.I think I might take apart the one stuck in 4th and see whats up there.

 

Never seen a seal heal itself. I once saw one not get worse.:D

Well let's look at the good and the bad here:

 

Do I replace with another 35 year old tranny?

Do I replace with a notoriously weak dog leg?

Do I want a 4 or 5 spd..... do I even need to ask?

If I'm going to all the trouble of swapping a tranny, should I up grade?

If I had a 620 5spd in there once ... should I do it again?

Should I get an equally cool shifter plate from a 620, or move it back and fill in the difference.

[lynchfourtwenty]

hey now, i would take my 4speed over a 5 speed any day... some ask why.. well because unless i use a 620 5 speed or the right year 280 5 speed i loose acceleration.. which is not an option for me.. finding 620 5 speeds isnt easy from .. i rarely find a good one if i find one.. an they usually have stuff missing.. im content with my 4 speed.. if gas mileage is all i loose then so beit.. maybe one day when i find a decent 280 or 620 5 speed that everyone an they're mom hasnt molested i'll make the switch.. oh did i mention im poor..

[datsunfish]

What I meant by getting better was the noise after replacing the seal and filling it up.Not the seal.I had the 620 ls 5 in there but never completed it after I dropped it on my finger getting 13 stitches.I sais fuck it at that point.I dont care if it is a 4 or 5.I wouldnt assume the dogleg is any worse than the short 4.After all I am only runnling a l16.I have never heard of issues with the rear end but tons of blowouts with the short 4.

[dat521gatherer]

i've replaces the rear end in my 521 only once. never had trouble with the 4 speeds. although it did whistle at a certain speed for many years and then the noise just went away. usually when a noise disappears it's a bad sign that it's about to get a lot worse.:eek:for me anyway.

 

usually the biggest hassle for me ends up being the shifter slop.

 

nope never heard of a tranny making that noise.

[lynchfourtwenty]

my shifters got more slop then a pig in a whore house... ok that sounded funny to me so hopefully it does to you guys.. either way its got ALOT of slop.. i do lots of hard shifting .. i will fix it one day if its lucky.. maybe.. anyone got an idea to rid me of the slop?? stock 77 620 4spd.

[71-521]

I

I would have to take the dogleg out of the 620 unless somebody has a decent 4 speed.

I'll trade ya a good 4speed for that dogleg you gots there:D

[datsunfish]

better yet Paul,I keep the dogleg and you sell me that 4 for cheap.Or trade?

[banzai510(hainz)]

Lynchfourtwenty

pull the pin out at the bottom of gear shift lever. I installed a bolt inthere and it squeezes the EARS to hold the lever in better. thats about it any more slop you just got to live with it

[Cruzn620]

my brass bushing was missing in my datto when i got it, so i had my friend at the machine shop press a new one in, but there is still a lot of slop...its just part of owning a beautiful old truck

[]2eDeYe]

Bronze shifter bushings will help with the slop.

 

Datsunfish, do you get the same noise in all the gears under the same conditions or is it just 4th?

[71-521]

better yet Paul,I keep the dogleg and you sell me that 4 for cheap.Or trade?

check that..the 2 spares I have are for the 510...sorry

[datzenmike]

hey now, i would take my 4speed over a 5 speed any day... some ask why.. well because unless i use a 620 5 speed or the right year 280 5 speed i loose acceleration.. which is not an option for me.. ..

 

Ooooh,... that's right. Those L20Bs need all the help they can get.:lol:

[datsunfish]

The noise is in all gears.Goes with the speed of the vehicle.Maybe not the tranny but it goes away a bit when out of gear or the clutch is engaged.As for shifter slop I have only had an issue with the short shaft 4 speed.New bushing and washers will help.So will a nice shifter boot.

Good idea keeping some spares around Paul.What did you end up puting in your 521 anyways.

[lynchfourtwenty]

Ooooh,... that's right. Those L20Bs need all the help they can get.:lol:

 

yeah yeah mike.. bet ya my truck would take yours :fu: haha!

[datzenmike]

That's no bet on your part, more like a sure thing.:D

[Jason]

For the dogleg 5 speed tranny, short tail version you can still get a set of new bushing from the dealer. I changed these and they made a hell of a difference. I think they cost me something like $5. When I get power back on at home I'll post the part number.

[lynchfourtwenty]

only problem is mine is the stock 77 4 speed, so not sure if it'll work out

[datzenmike]

Jason, are they plastic or brass, or are we talking about these type:

 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q251/datzenmike/A1.jpg[/img]"]

 

or these:

 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q251/datzenmike/Btype.jpg[/img]"]

[lynchfourtwenty]

Jason, are they plastic or brass, or are we talking about these type:

 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q251/datzenmike/Btype.jpg[/img]"]

 

mike mines like this one... its not the "Cup" type.. what do i do to tighten it back up.. shes loosey goosey.. like throwin a hot dog down a hallway.. :P

[Jester]

The noise is in all gears.Goes with the speed of the vehicle.Maybe not the tranny but it goes away a bit when out of gear or the clutch is engaged.

 

Sounds more like a throwout bearing to me.

 

Isn't there a guy on ebay selling rubber bushings to fix the slop issue. Pretty cheap if I remember right.

 

Jester

EDIT:

 

Here you go

 

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Roadster-240Z-521-Shift-Bushings-NOS_W0QQitemZ220171699019QQihZ012QQcategoryZ33733QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem