Need to pull my transmission and bell, and find out what's making a horrendous RPM-based metallic noise in there. It sounds like something hitting the spacer plate or the exhaust dragging or something. Kinda sounds like a bad flex-plate, but I'll bet $100 all day that that's not it.

My rig is an F150 with the big inline six and a three speed manual. I do have the advantage of a removable transmission cover on my cab floor. Cab's PO cut the floor for 4WD and a 4 speed...

So can I finagle/wrangle the transmission out, without removing the cross-member where the transmission mount attaches? Does a 3.03 top loader weigh more than a T5?

Here's a pic of what I'll be working with, except for the small difference of there being a cab and a doghouse on there now:



Is that a car transmission? Shouldn't a truck have a longer tailhousing? Haven't gotten around to measuring it yet, to see if that 3.03 three speed and its bell are the same length as a Fox Mustang T5 and bell...

 

You can try it. That said I wouldn't recommend it. And to get the bell out you may have to pull the cross member directly under the transmission.

 

Are the cross-members riveted or bolted on, from the factory? I'll have to check and see what I've got there. If it's bolts then I'll remove those crossmembers probably for sure.

 

All the ones I've come across have been bolted.

 

You can also save a lot of energy as far as re-install goes if you use a transmission jack.

 

Meangreen 92,
On my former 1979 F-100, 300 Cubic Inch six cylinder equipped W/the manual three speed and Over Drive, I had to pull the transmission three different times to change the input shaft bearings (I'm convinced that transmission W/the over Drive was a weak design) for a light truck F-100 application. The transmission cross member was easily removed with bolts, not rivets.
Don

 

I pulled a T18 out of mine by myself w/o a transmission jack. I used several ratchet straps around the frame and a floor jack. I don't recall the crossmember being a problem to remove. Just take it nice and slow. You might want to make sure you have some swivels and long extensions to remove the bolts on the top of the bell housing.

 

Excellent! Thanks gentlemen! I looked under there today and saw that there are indeed bolts and nuts securing the trans mount X-member to the frame rails.
It looks like I can have it out in an hour or two, but we'll see. Much easier than say a Fox Mustang though, and that's for sure - and I haven't even touched the truck yet...

Is the 3.03 heavier than a T5? I can always remove my transmission cover, and use my cherry-picker through the hole, to lower the transmission.

 

A way to go since you have the removable trans cover...this is you a while back right?

 

Yes sir! I actually considered trying that on my Mustang several years ago, before I realized that I can lift it into place from my stomach. I used to use bricks and blocks of wood.

 

Hey everybody, look at me!


Took about 90 minutes, working at a leisurely pace. Sure is nice not having to raise the vehicle or monkey around with the exhaust! 'Bout to go out and tackle the bell next.

Just look at how nice that 3.03 sits on that trolley jack! Hope it's not too difficult to get it back in... It feels like it might be a little heavier than a T5.

 

OK boys, I need help. I didn't find anything wrong! I went ahead and pulled the bell, and all of its bolts were still tight. I then checked the pressure plate, and all of its bolts were tight. Flummoxed, I went ahead and pulled the pressure plate and disk, and again did not find anything obviously wrong! I haven't yet tried with a flywheel stop, but the flywheel bolts didn't seem loose either.




The pressure plate and flywheel looked like I expected them to - gear ratios under about 3.00:1 are really hard on this stuff. The disk looks OK too. The three fingers on the pressure plate are intact and spring-loaded, and move the friction surface. The throwout/release bearing sounds worn, but spins very freely with no binds or obviously excessive play.

The only thing I found that seems wrong is that two of the springs in the clutch disk are loose enough that they can be spun with my fingers, but they're not about to fall out by any means. It's a Luk disk, surely from the McParts store.

Could my pressure plate or flywheel be too run out?

So I am at a loss. I'm hoping it's not the engine - it never made the noise in neutral...

 

What I see is a good sized burn on the flywheel along with heat cracks. On the clutch disc side of the pressure plate the one finger has shiny mark where there shouldn't be one.
While you have it apart resurface your flywheel. You could check the run out on the side and the surface if you wanted. I would also go ahead and replace the throwout bearing. I'm not real sure about the pressure plate or the disc.

 

Yep, I noticed that on the flywheel. I also saw the witness mark on the one finger. What could've made that mark? The noise occurs with the clutch engaged and above about 2000-2500 RPM in gear. It didn't do it in neutral even with the clutch engaged.

I went ahead and opened the transmission, and again saw nothing wrong. I pulled the top cover and ran it through the gears while spinning the input shaft by hand, and all of the gears still have all of their teeth.


I put the top cover back on and removed the front bearing retainer, and it looks like all of the bearings are there. So I put the retainer back on and am still cornfused.

 

The only thing I can think of that finger can hit is the clutch disc. See any marks there? Not only the disc springs, but the retainers also.