Replace input shaft bearing or whole transmission?

[Chris]

I recently found out that the input shaft bearing in my 1999 Honda Civic LX is going. It’s a 5 speed manual. I’m pretty confident that this is actually the problem – transmission makes grinding/rattling noise when the clutch is engaged (pedal released) and there is tension pulling the car forward. Noise is there but not as loud in neutral and completely stops when clutch is disengaged (pedal pushed in). But I’m not a car guy, it’s what my mechanic told me and seems to match what I’ve read online.

So I’m wondering if this is something that a local transmission shop can reliably replace or if I should order a re-manufactured transmission and just swap out the whole thing? My concern is a shop will mess something in the transmission up and I’ll pay for the repair and then end up getting new transmission too. I’d really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

Topic

[Lorrin Barth]

There’s four ways to go:

1. Buy a new transmission from Honda. I ordered a new transmission for a car I owned once. Three days later a truck pulled and deposited it at my door. Pricey but brand new and very pretty.

2. Ship it to one of the Honda specialty shops. My daily driver is a Mitsubishi and there are three shops in the USA that rebuild virtually all the transmissions for cars like mine. They send a crate, you pack it up and in a month it comes back better than new. This also can be pricey depending on how much needs replacing and how fancy of job you want done. Quality should be very high.

3. Go with the reman you suggested. This most likely will be less expensive than the first two choices but quality could be spotty.

4. Have it repaired locally. If you go this route try to find somebody in a shop who has done your transmission before. Talk to the people and listen to what they say. Depending on the skill and experience of the local person you choose this could be the best or worst choice.

[Jameson]

It sounds more like the release bearing making noise. Either way replacement of just the defective part is perfectly fine, and commonplace. Just needs to be at a reputable shop, preferably one that specializes in transmissions. Do your research on he shop and check Yelp for reviews.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Those bearings aren’t difficult to replace. You do need a bearing separator though. If you’re not comfortable with the work you can have a shop do it for you after you remove the transmission yourself. It’s not a difficult transmission to remove. I will say that it’s VERY important that you only use Honda transmission fluid in that transmission. The #1 cause of problems is not using the correct fluid. Also you might consider replacing the clutch while you’re in there. More info on problems like this here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems

Keep us posted on what you decided to do.

[Author]

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