I have an 89 bronco II 2wd with a 5 speed which is very noisy, I would guess bearings, through all gears except 4th. I would like to know where would be the most reasonable place to buy rebuild parts or maybe a transmission. Also why does it have a transfer case if its a 2wd?

 

Welcome to FTE!!!!

Have you checked the fluid, they have plugs that leak. The TC is empty.

 

The bad bearing in your transmission will most likely be on the counter-shaft, not the main shaft. In fourth gear, the power is going virtually straight through from input to output, and the counter shaft isn't under a load, then.

The transfer case you have is the Borg-Warner 13-59 "In-Line" case. It consists of an input shaft, spline-coupled to the output shaft, all supported by ball bearings. I suppose doing it that way was simpler than coming up with the tapered 2WD tranmission tail-piece and the appropriate driveshaft slip-yoke setup.

Look at it this way, you've got at least half that's needed to convert to 4WD. All you'd need to do is change to a functional transfer-case along with its shifter components, install the front swing-arms with the differential carrier, drive axles, spindles, bearings, rotors, hubs, radius arms and some of the related frame brackets.

Hm-m-m... I guess it could be a lot of work, though not as big as some of the projects I've done on MY Bronco-II.

 

Thanks for the added info on the TC, I didn't know they had that in them.

 

Come to think of it, MY 5-speed Mitsubishi makes SOME noise while driving, and more the harder I stress the drivetrain. I've not had this Bronco-II since it was new and I'm aware the previous owner(s) were abusive to it. But, I also recall the '84 5-speed Ranger I once had, as the original owner, also making gear noises.

Over time, I've just attributed the noises as a characteristic of the manual trannies, especially these with their directly connected shifter transmitting its noises into the passenger compartment.

The A4LD in the '88 Bronco-II I used for a while, was much quieter, but it's construction is considerably different than the typical manual gearbox, plus it had no hard-connected shifter sticking through the floor.

If the noise is deemed unusually loud, it might be worth first replacing the fluid (if not already tried) and maybe even use one of the available approved additives to quiet it down some.

If its the Mazda (AKA "Toyo M5OD") FULLY SYNCHRONIZED transmission, with its integral bell-housing, it uses the Ford-Dextron (II/III) ATF (nearly 3 qts.)

The In-line transfer-case's shaft bearings are sealed and permanently lubricated, so no (ATF) fluid is required. (In essence, it's just a BIG chunk of metal taking up space!)

I'm not sure the Mitsubishi 5-speed (seperable bell-housing and only FULLY synchronized from '86 on) was available in the Bronco-IIs after the '88s. But if it was, it takes the 80W-90 gear oil, in about the same quantity as the M5ODs.

I think the Mistubishis were a little more durable than the Toyos, so if a full replacement is being considered, one might look into locating one of them from an '88. On the other hand, I'm sure one could also find a rebuilt Mazda at most local reputable transmission shops, for the quickest and easiest fix.

 

This is real interesting ,as my son just purchased an 87' Bronk II
with the exact same sound.It is a 4X4 and was told this was tipicle of 4X4s But I have had a few in the past ,Had no sounds like this all the time, Just when 4X4 ingaged. His also stops winning in 4th as well,and 5th starts again.I did change trans.
Dope and used 1 Quart senthetic 2Q 75-95 it still sounds off???
The trans pulls strong and shift OK. Next the throw-out Barring
I'LL let you know if that worked..

 

There are additives you can get from most reputable auto parts suppliers that can help to reduce gearbox noise. However, if the noise isn't severe, it may be typical and all you really need to do is get used to it.

Even though the throwout bearing is a "constant-duty" type, (i.e. always under pressure between the lever and pressure plate) it would be making noises, if it were bad, no matter WHAT gear was engaged, and even in neutral.

Based on what you described, I wouldn't suspect it to be bad.