Hi all — new to the forums. Apologies if this belongs somewhere else.

I’m rebuilding the transmission on my 1985 F-250 4x4 XL, 460 big block. Transmission is a Borg Warner T19 4-speed, mated to a BW1345 transfer case. The truck drove and shifted very well. The only issue was a loud rattle/roar in 1st through 3rd gear. In 4th gear (direct drive) the noise was completely absent.

That led me to pull the transmission and order a rebuild kit from Novak. During teardown I did not find any obvious damage:

• case was very clean inside, no rust
• gears all looked sharp, aside from slight rounding on reverse
• cluster gear spun smoothly on the countershaft
• countershaft and reverse idler came out without a fight
• synchros looked decent

I cleaned and repainted the case and am now reassembling. My problem is: I still haven’t identified a clear cause of the original noise, and I’m not sure whether what I’m seeing now is normal or not. A couple things I’m hoping someone with T19 experience can weigh in on:

1. Cluster gear endplay

I installed the new bronze and steel thrust washers from the Novak kit on both ends of the cluster gear. I checked thickness against the originals and they match. After reinstalling, the cluster gear has about 1/16" axial movement on the countershaft. It spins smoothly and has no noticeable radial rock. Question: Is that amount of cluster gear endplay normal on a T19?

2. Input/output bearing fit in the case

Both input and output ball bearings fit the housing with light taps, but once seated I can rotate the outer races by hand. I also noticed some axial movement of the mainshaft assembly in the case during teardown. I found a T18 rebuild video where the builder said this is normal until:

• front bearing retainer is installed
• transfer case/adapter is installed

Question: Does that sound right for a T19, or should the outer races be a tighter fit than that?

Main question:

Has anyone here dealt with a T19 that rattled/roared in 1st–3rd only but was quiet in 4th? If so, what ended up being the cause? And based on the above: Would you continue assembling as-is, or stop and inspect something specific before going further?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have a T18 in my truck that does the same thing. Its pretty noisy in 2nd and 3rd [almost never use first] but 4th is pretty smooth. When I pulled the tailshaft to replace the speedo gear a month ago I found a little endplay in the tailshaft. When the truck goes over dips in the road, as the suspension travels there will be a slight change in sound that seems to be from that endplay. [2wd with a slip yoke in the tailshaft] So no help to you, but ill be following this post to see what you come up with, becouse ill be needing to tear into mine at some point.

 

I also dont have anything to add as I have not rebuilt anything other than a Ford World Class T5 from a Mustang that I installed in my AMC Javelin.
Before you started I would have looked for any and all information on the T19 transmission on rebuilding it.
It would show what gear teeth, syncros, bearing, etc. should look like and have measurements for end play, etc.

Does the people you got the kit from have any videos or info on rebuilding the T18?
I would also try Goggle and see what comes up. Think that is what I did for the WC T5, been like 20 years since I did it, and I was able to print out a full "How To" on the rebuild.
Maybe you can find the same thing?
Dave ----

 

The Novak kit comes with instructions plus you have access to their in house rebuild techs to ask questions. Have you looked to Novak for support? If so please let us know how it was?

https://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/...t19-parts.html

 

Thank you for the replies, I appreciate it.

And yes, I’m using the instructions from Novak, and they’ve been helpful overall. The kit is good and the instructions cover the teardown/reassembly process, which is very straightforward for these old top-loaders. My hesitation is more around interpreting what I’m seeing in this transmission — things like what amount of endplay is normal, and trying to diagnose my original rattle problem. Given that I expected to see something more obvious (and didn't), I don't really want to button it up until I'm confident that I have a good explanation for the problem.

Good idea to reach out to tech support at Novak. I’ll definitely update the thread with what I find. I'll also post some pictures for posterity.

 

Have you considered that the noise could be from elsewhere in the drive train? Definitely check yokes, u joints, drive line guides and slip joints. Rear end noise?

Look forward to seeing how it all works out for you. I have a T19 too, closing in on half million miles on it. Still going strong but if I need to rebuild it down the road Novak would be my choice too. I do use GL5 lube as Novak notes is very good. It has had GL5 lube from the first change and every 60,000 miles there after.

 

Im from the "Dont use normal GL-5 in trannys" camp. Looking for GL-4 I was coming up empty handed. I ended up Getting some Redline MT-90 and im not lying it legit got less noisy after about 1000 miles. Im not a snake oil guy at ALL so it kinda shocked me. Granted it didnt FIX anything, and it still has a noise, but it sure made it less annoying.