Throw out bearing or Gearbox??

[jambij]

Hi all. New to the forum and have owned my TJ since late last year (04 model). 2 Door, dickie seat removed (awww, sorry, can't take anymore than one person so it's you or your wife..... No? Okay, hehe).

When I bought it, there was a slight noise in the gearbox region which the "dealer" said was a throw out/thrust/pilot bearing and to repair by replacement (which they won't do because they're "warranty" doesn't cover gearboxes. Actually, it doesn't cover much!!).

I had it service recently by my local mechanic I've been to a few times with my Rodeo. He told me it was a gearbox bearing and it may cost minimum of $3500!!!!! to repair.

So, my question is:
What is the likelihood of it being a thrust versus gearbox bearing? Should I get a 3rd opinion? I'm not exactly excited about spending a bucket load of cash to repair something that doesn't need doing.

Great car but I'm not very trusting of it offroad at the moment with this issue. I'd hate to be stranded (again) in the middle of nowhere with a non diagnosed problem.

Any advice would be muchly appreciated. Thanks, team.

[crawl3r]

hey mate

my thrust bearing is fooked, what sound does yours make?

when your foot is off the clutch its like a rattling noise and once you push it in aout 2cm's the noise goes away, this is a sign that you clutch bearing is stuffed and its quite common in the jeep

its not gonna cost you 3500 to fix hahah dont go to jeep, its a easy fix but the issue is that they have to drop the tranny to get to it and thats why they charge a shit loads for labour but it wont be over a grand of labour 350-400 labour and then like 40bucks for the bearing,

if i was you i would replace the clutch with a HD one while your dropping the tranny, mines done about 80 000k's and then bearing is stuffed and i think my clutch might be on its lasts legs too, so why the tranny is out i would recommending replacing the clutch too, so you save on labour when your clutch ends up going

if you can record the sound and post it up, we will be able to tell you if its the bearing or not straight away man

its so annoying hey haha pisses me off when im offroad

[bally12]

how many klm's on the wrangler???if its under 160 000klm it should be covered under statutory warranty....... i worked in used car yards for a while soi know those sort of things. i replaced my gearbox a few months ago due to it starting to grind through every gear and eventually not being able to even change into some gears. i also had a stuffed throw out bearing, it was very audible while sitting in the car or standing outside of it you could hear a loud whirring/winding noise, cost me $500 to have the clutch changed and new gearbox put in......

[bonza]

clutch throw out and pilot bearings typically have a certain life span determined by kilometers as does the clutch.

other factors such as being submerged in water shorten their life.

therefore how many kilometers are on the clock?

based on what you said most likely it is a one of the clutch bearings

have you done the basics like checking the oil level in the box?

[Auberon]

This is hard but generally:
On any manual gearbox a throw-out race should be totally static unless you have some preload on the clutch pedal. That could be an adjustment thing or a driving technique...if you have had the truck from new and are not a clutch rider, then the throwout race should have fair longevity, assuming the above.
I have seen lots do tough traffic stop go for 250000kms.

A gearbox race will be heard as load conditions vary and may even be heard as a rumble but harder aganst engine noises.

If it is the synchro you will hear a quietly whispered metallic or harsh woodooooodood getting quieter to the end when you push the clutch in and let the shafts slow by their own inertial changes also you might pick it up when you change gear thus engaging synchro as the synchro rings / cones whatever you choose to call them wear. If the synchro is at fault there MAY be some clipping of gears especially when changing down when you ask it to do so a bit quickly. One test for this although not at all conclusive: is it cured by double shuffling?

So does the noise continue when running along as this could be indicative of a lay shaft unless you can pin it to one gear.

This could become a very long treatise of gearbox operation and diagnostics I just hope this helps you narrow it down.
Cheers
Auberon

[cj5350]

Given that it's a '04' model so should have a 5 speed NV3550..I've heard those boxes make some funny noises that are not necessarily anything wrong but sound like it.. Does it make a simmilar noise when that box is cold and you shut off the engine??

[crawl3r]

Originally Posted by bally12

how many klm's on the wrangler???if its under 160 000klm it should be covered under statutory warranty....... i worked in used car yards for a while soi know those sort of things. i replaced my gearbox a few months ago due to it starting to grind through every gear and eventually not being able to even change into some gears. i also had a stuffed throw out bearing, it was very audible while sitting in the car or standing outside of it you could hear a loud whirring/winding noise, cost me $500 to have the clutch changed and new gearbox put in......

hey bally is this right? so if i go to jeep and say my gearbox is stuff( which i think it is, cause it struggles to shift into 5th and 6th ) they have to replace it under staturory warranty

mines a 205 tj 6speed manaul with 80 000k's on the clock, i bought it private sale