[no1lives4ever]

My 2005 Baleno LXi has done around 41k kilometers. I recently drove it to bangalore from delhi doing pretty high speeds.

After getting to bangalore, I can hear some sounds from the gearbox. These mostly happen when 1st or 2nd gear is engaged and the engine is doing around 2k-3k revs. There are 2 slightly different but related sounds one comes on when i try to accelerate and one when i remove my foot from the accelerator to engage engine braking. Pressing the clutch plate gets rid of the sound, so I am sure this is sound coming from the gearbox only.

The sound that I get is very similar to what I got from my old M800's gearbox when once it was running w/o any gear oil. My M800's noise got fixed when I topped the gear oil and it never caused any problems for me after that.

Now I showed it to sagar automobiles in basavanagudi and the service advisor told me that they would need to overhaul the gearbox as the sound might be because of some bearings causing problems.

My queries are:
a. Isnt 41k KM too early to get a gearbox overhaul?

b. How can I check and see if the problem is due to gear oil leakage. I can see some oil marks aroung the gearbox, but that can also be because the car has been driven 5k kms after the previous servicing.

c. If I would need to get a gearbox overhaul done, where should I get it done in Bangalore? Is there any good MASS in bangalore whom I can trust, or should I be looking at getting this done by an indipendent mechanic?

d. What are the potential problems I might face with a gearbox overhaul?

e. Anything else that might be causing noise from the gearbox?

f. If I continue to drive the car with the gearbox noise problem what other problems can I face? Can this lead to some other problems with the gearbox?

g. If I decide to go ahead with the gearbox overhaul, what else should I get checked/replaced during the overhaul? clutch/engine oil seals/etc?

-- no1lives4ever

[Pankaj401]

I can hear some sounds from the gearbox. These mostly happen when 1st or 2nd gear is engaged and the engine is doing around 2k-3k revs.

Seems like drive-shaft joints to me. There could be some play is the inboard or outboard joints.

a. Isnt 41k KM too early to get a gearbox overhaul?

Unless the car was abused severely it's way too early.

b. How can I check and see if the problem is due to gear oil leakage.

Look for oil spill spots on the surface where you park at night or for long duration. The spots could be from engine oil, the power-steering or the brake fluid. If you find the spots look for the source. If it's the gear oil then you can check if it needs top-up.

e. Anything else that might be causing noise from the gearbox?

I would check for both the drive-shafts before tearing the gearbox apart.

[no1lives4ever]

Originally Posted by Pankaj401

Seems like drive-shaft joints to me. There could be some play is the inboard or outboard joints.

I would check for both the drive-shafts before tearing the gearbox apart.

Pardon my ignorance, but what would be the drive shaft joint? Where would it be? Is it the axle which connects the wheel to the gearbox, or is it some other component?

I suspect that this is a gearbox problem, because of the following reasons:
1. The sound is kinda proportional to the engine rpm.
2. The sound goes away when i press the clutch.
3. The sound is pretty loud in the first gear, not so loud in the second gear and hardly there for the 3rd, 4th or 5th gear. But then again I have not been able to test out the car at comparable rpms across gears because of the traffic situation here in blr.
4. The sound is very similar to what I got out of my M800 when its gearbox was running dry!

Originally Posted by Pankaj401

Unless the car was abused severely it's way too early.

I can not really say that the car was not abused, I have on many occasions given the car to valets and parking attendants and they would typically abuse the gearbox and clutch a lot. My first clutch lasted only around 15k kilometers and I have had to get some suspension work done due to parking attendants!

Also I did have a few instances of the gears not engaging properly and the gearbox making some pretty loud noises. But then I do not think in any of those cases I managed to damage anything in the gearbox as things did not seem to go worse after any of those incidents..

Originally Posted by Pankaj401

Look for oil spill spots on the surface where you park at night or for long duration. The spots could be from engine oil, the power-steering or the brake fluid. If you find the spots look for the source. If it's the gear oil then you can check if it needs top-up.

Well, I never noticed any oil spots on the spot where I park my car, but I did find some dirt and perhaps some oil around the gearbox. Maybe this is just dirt that is stuck around those places. Gave the car for washing, etc today, so I will try and keep an eye on the inside of the engine compartment to see if there are any spots where oil might be leaking from.

According to the service engineer at the MASS where I have given the car for washing + engine oil change, they believe that this sound is definitely due to some bearing in the gearbox. They are pretty eager to do a gearbox overhaul, and this eagerness of the service centre is causing some doubts in my mind..

I will drive the car around town the next 2-3 days and see if the noise gets worse or not and then look at getting the gearbox overhauled if I can not find anything else wrong with the car.

-- no1lives4ever
PS: Can anyone tell me how do I check the gear oil levels on a baleno? The service engineer at MASS was not of much help with this :-(

[iceman91]

The bearings do tend to wear out on extreme driving conditions.
Also maybe 41k caused an early giveaway. Get them replaced no issues as long as a good job is done. The bearings cost 1200-1500rs. plus labour.

I know 2 balenos that got it done recently both working perfectly now!




P.s. Driveshafts make noise while turning thats when u know they are worn out

[Pankaj401]

Could you describe the noise? Is it like constant hum kind?

The bearings cost 1200-1500rs.

Is that the input shaft bearing (ISB)? I would think about the clutch release bearing too. Since it was mentioned that the noise goes away if the clutch is pressed.

[no1lives4ever]

Originally Posted by iceman91

The bearings do tend to wear out on extreme driving conditions.
Also maybe 41k caused an early giveaway. Get them replaced no issues as long as a good job is done. The bearings cost 1200-1500rs. plus labour.

I know 2 balenos that got it done recently both working perfectly now!

Did these 2 balenos get it done in bangalore? Any recommendations for a good place to get it done? Or should any decent MASS be good enough for the job? I got a estimate of rs. 4000 for the parts and rs. 1000 for labour from the MASS where I got my car serviced.

Originally Posted by iceman91

P.s. Driveshafts make noise while turning thats when u know they are worn out

OK.. seems like what I know as the axle on a maruti car is what you are describing as the drive shaft.. The axle/shaft which goes from the front wheels to the gearbox ..

Originally Posted by Pankaj401

Could you describe the noise? Is it like constant hum kind?

The noise is proportional to the engine rpm and not to the road speed of the car. It comes only when the clutch is engaged.. Not a hum kind of a noise, but the kind of sound you get when a bearing or a gear is noisy.. Part of it sounds like a bearing noise and part of it sounds like a noisy gear pair noise..

Originally Posted by Pankaj401

Is that the input shaft bearing (ISB)? I would think about the clutch release bearing too. Since it was mentioned that the noise goes away if the clutch is pressed.

Maybe the input shaft bearing, but definitely not the clutch bearing. That has a slightly different sound! But since the gearbox would be opened, I would definitely want that the clutch, pressure plate, clutch bearing and engine seals to also be checked at the time.. Based on my past driving style and previous experiences, I think even the clutch might be ready for a replacement..

-- no1lives4ever

[iceman91]

got it done at solar/pratham motors. let me know if you want to go there. I know a few people there. Car will get good TLC

[no1lives4ever]

Originally Posted by iceman91

got it done at solar/pratham motors. let me know if you want to go there. I know a few people there. Car will get good TLC

Where are they located? Also what is TLC? I am new to Bangalore, shifted here in the begining of this month and I got my car a week back. Any help with the local mechanic/service scene would be extremely valuable.

-- no1lives4ever

[GTO]

a. Isnt 41k KM too early to get a gearbox overhaul?

41K is way too early, especially in a Jap. I've driven my Esteem to nearly 2.0 lakh and a Zen to over 1.5 lakh without the need for a gearbox overhaul.

What I suggest is that you get a second opinion from a competent independent garage.

[iceman91]

Rush when the noise comes as he has described then it is the bearings which have gone, I lost them in my gearbox after one trackday at 25k kms and the other friend got it done under warranty.

There are exceptions my friend, plus he has just done a fast drive as he states.

baleno and esteem have weak gearboxes, they cannot be pushed.
Second opinions are always welcome

p.s.. solar is on st.johns road near ulsoor lake, that area

TLC= tender love and care

[filcord]

I agree with GTO. Normally you should not have to touch the gearbox of the Baleno at under 1 lakh km. However it appears you have had some clutch issues at 15k? Maybe that is a pointer to how the car is used.
Anyway, get a second opinion from another garage, and do not tell them what your personal opinion is, or what was recommended earlier.

[no1lives4ever]

I will get a second opinion from another garage and then see what needs to be done..

Today I observed that the sound also has a component which sounds like something rubbing against another part somewhere around the gearbox area.. So now I am even more confused :-( Sounds like something got inside the gearbox.. But then that is also how many bearing noises tend to sound, so lets see what the second opinion says..

-- no1lives4ever

[filcord]

Have a gear-related issue with my Baleno, but seems to be trivial.
For some time, have noticed a slight "thak" sound when slotting the car into 1st, 3rd, or 5th gear.
I first looked for something rolling in the coin box or something. I then realised it was the gear shift stick touching the edge of the plastic.
Lifted up the bellows that covers the gear-stick, and noticed there seemed to be a rubber padding/bush in the area of the gear stick that would make contact. This rubber bush has worn away.
How do I replace it?
Any Baleno owners can uncover the bellows-type thingamaijg on their own car, and confirm they also have this rubber part?

[balenoed_]

Baleno 2004 Model - 1.4L Kms

Shifting to 2nd or 3rd gets too tough and have to push it too hard to get it engaged. Almost like the gear lever will come out if I push further. Have checked the clutch cable, adjustments, gear oil etc, but no luck. One of the day, I heard an abnormal sound coming from the gear box when the engine was on and in neutral which disappeared later. Visited my mechanic today and he suspects the synchronizer would need to be replaced along with other associated components like rings, bearings and sometimes hub. Estimated a price of 22K. Anyone out there who has some thoughts on this. Is this overhaul a required thing that comes at this ODO reading? Or could it be due to some other issues?