Gear noise

Wow,

I thought that I had excellent hearing but yours is superb.

I cannot hear anything over the roar of the engine. Since I purchased my car almost a year ago, I have only turned on the radio once-because I cannot hear the damn thing over the roar of the engine.

Sorry that I could not help you with an answer to your question, but good luck!

I really could not hear gear noise from my ZF.

I have been told however that gear noise can be heard in some cases.

When I was considering a ZF rebuild, (syncros) I was considering the options you are. After weighing all the options, I decided that the best course would be to ship the ZF to one of 3 shops who have the tools, training and parts to support a ZF rebuild:
1) Steve Wilkinson
2) Cory Gheling in Wisconsin
3) Dennis Quella

Personally, I wouldn't bother with RBT.

Since your in Nor Cal - my first choice would be Wilkinson's.

Thanks for the advise. My car was kinda sedentary for about 10 years. After I acquired it, I lost ring gear bolts and had it safety-wired (last June). I'm concerned about the level of corrosion.

I'm trying to weigh rebuild vs exchange/replacement. I'll ship it to an expert and go from there.

Brian

My car has had mild gear whine for the last eleven years. The noise hasn’t gotten any louder and is not noticeable on the freeway. Mostly noticeable at slower speeds. People have spent a lot of money to get rid of gear whine and sometimes with little success.

Mike

Brian,

I was trying to be polite ... but you mentioned it. A common problem that causes gear whine in the ZF is corrosion on the gear teeth. When the ZF sits, its good to turn it over once in a while to keep the gear teeth coated with oil.

HTH.

Thanks. I'm tuning into the gear noise as the 350Z, when new, had similar noise issues. My ZF's behind a mild 351C, so I don't have big torque on the trans. If the synchro fix is reasonable, it's worth it.

However, I planned to look at a hotter motor (1-2 years) after I upgrade suspension. I don't want to spend big$ on a ZF that won't handle the new motor. At least the ZF demand has dropped with the economy. I'll give Wilkinson a call and get this rolling.

I agree about running the car monthly. I've had the car for a couple of years. Barring major problems, I've been slowly tinkering/upgrading and driving every couple of weeks.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gen2pantera:
Brian, As you may or may not know the Northern Cal chapter of POCA has regular "tech sessions" a euphemisim for working on each others cars in the Bay area. the PCNC chapter has many very knowledgable Pantera folks who could help you. I would explore that avenue before sending my ZF out and committing to what could be a huge bill. Guys like Mike Drew, Chuck Melton, Roger Sharp, and others could give you some guidance I'm sure

7052 has mild gear noise only in 4th gear. Over the last several years, with no change. I change lub every spring. JD

just open up the exhaust more and your gear noise will be cured!

sorry, couldn't resist.......

JD, noise from a ZF in a particular gear will usually come from two sources, both serious. The first is worn or chipped gears running against each other and the second is from a failing bearing or a cracked thrust washer. These all need a total tear-down to correct (or even to properly diagnose). Possible other reasons for noise are low lube- checkable by simply pulling the side fill-plug in the ZF. If lube drools out when the plug is pulled, the level is correct. If not, fill until it DOES drool out. Several fills with waiting periods between are needed 'cause the thick lube does not instantly find its level inside the cases. Or maybe the wrong lube: use 80W90 gear lube, preferably with anti-slip additive in it. This additive is nowadays commonly added by the lube mfgr. Note- 80W90 from a major mfgr; I am not a big fan of experimenting with magic lubes in a worn $8,000 ZF...

Hmmm, guess I should see if there is a whine, just changed my fluid last weekend.

Thanks for PCNC info. I'm more of a send it to the mechanic type on the major stuff.

I lost ring gear bolts and safety-wired a year ago. I saw the corrosion issue then. Now, with the synchro in 2nd, it seems like it's time to make the ZF right.

Brian

THANKS TO THE BOSS! I will check fluid level again JD

I have had two ZF's rebuilt by RBT in the past with great results and no problems.

I am a new member of the DeTomaso Internet Community and the fairly new Director of Communications for RBT / High Performance Gear.
I was wondering if Brian was able to get his "gear noise" issue resolved. If not, I am confident that RBT, whose product quality and expertise is unsurpassed, can provide the service you need. I am happy to be of assistance.
BLT

...then there are the owners who think they impress someone by 'Speed-Shifting', Doing 'Burn-Outs' and 'Slaming' the Gears Hard! And then Wonder Why their ZF whines?...

No speed shifts or burn outs here, these old girls like a "SLOW HAND" JD

Amen, JD- I can't tell you the number of times I speed-shifted from 1st to 2rd and the long shift shaft twisted so the stick went into the 2nd gate while the gearbox went into 4th. And the twised shaft wouldn't come back out unless you then smacked the shift-stick hard with the palm of your hand. Needless to say, this did not improve my cornering speeds- just my entertainment value to onlookers. Whats worse, my slower shifting wife used to beat me this way....

Thanks for the follow-up. I tend to "take it easy" on the gear changes. The gear noise was secondary to grinding/out of 2nd and 4th. I was concerned about shipping the ZF to LA and getting word back that it was a basket case.

Since the noise is across all gears, the vendors suggest that it's probably ring-pinion preload/lash, rather than a gearbox issue. They also suggest that many people wait until their gearbox is seriously damaged before sending it out for service. Hopefully, I'm ahead of the curve.

I should have an assessment in a couple of weeks. I'll post the results.

Thanks,
Brian