hi all!  just love this great site.  it inspired me to get my track 4dr 4x4.  just got a small oddity.  i noticed some whining sound while accelerating from 1st to 3rd gear.  it disappears on fourth and very soft on 5th on highway speeds but only sometimes.  a friend of mine checked it out and he said it sounds like a gear whine.  i bought gear oils from the dealer, wow they're expensive!  and changed the transmission and transfer case fluid but its still whining.  is it normal?  will it get worse?   what should i expect?   my track has only 67k miles. 

btw, i'm in the san gabriel valley, LA, southern california.  can someone recommend a reputable track/kick mechanic? 

thanks !!!

There are a couple of bearings that are usually the first thing to fail on the Kick 5 speed tranny. If you catch it early enough you can just replace the transmission bearings and get many more miles out of it. EVERY Kick 5 speed I have had has ended up failing this way. If you do a search on transmission you can find more information on this problem.

Welcome to Zukiworld.

Zig

thanks!  can you please list which bearings you're referring to so i can get em?  i did try to search the forum but all i see is pilot bearing.  is it easy to replace myself? any special tools required?  or anyone out here in los angeles area knows a good shop?  i know dealers will charge me an arm and a leg.  sorry, all i've ever done to a transmission is fluid changes.   appreciate all your help! 

mine started out soft like yours, and it kept getting worse and worse. i have never taken apart a tranny but its not that hard. pull off the bell housing bolts, and then the next section back, the bolts just in front of the tranny shifter and it will slide apart. on mine just the front bearing was bad so i didnt have to take it all apart. just mark the bolts because a few are longer than others.

thanks!  can you please list which bearings you're referring to so i can get em?  i did try to search the forum but all i see is pilot bearing.  is it easy to replace myself? any special tools required?  or anyone out here in los angeles area knows a good shop?  i know dealers will charge me an arm and a leg.  sorry, all i've ever done to a transmission is fluid changes.   appreciate all your help! 

Its the furthest back lower bearing in the case that is the first to fail. Depending on how soon you catch it depends on how many onther will go. If your going to do a tear down I would do the imput, output, and rear lower shaft bearing. It will cost you around $60 for those three.

Mike

My '89 Kick whines only in 5th gear.  Which bearing(s) would cause that?   Thanks.

My 90 tracker does the same, and sometimes it will squeek while going up a hill in 5th. Im not sure of the cause, but it seems to be going away now that I have put nearly 3000 miles on it since I replaced the engine. Part of it might have had something to do with it sitting for 4 months while it waited for its engine.

I found a rebuild kit on ebay, came with bearings/seals/syncs shipped I think it was 129 bucks.  I haven't had time to put it in yet, but the parts are all there.

Its the furthest back lower bearing in the case that is the first to fail. Depending on how soon you catch it depends on how many onther will go. If your going to do a tear down I would do the imput, output, and rear lower shaft bearing. It will cost you around $60 for those three.

Mike

thanks!  i'll start the bearing hunt right now.     i hope those bearings will solve the problem. 

I found a rebuild kit on ebay, came with bearings/seals/syncs shipped I think it was 129 bucks.  I haven't had time to put it in yet, but the parts are all there.

i was thinking of getting the same thing.  is it recommended to replace all the other stuff or just the bearings are fine?  do you need special tools to do this project? 

also, how often do you guys change the bearings, is it going to be a regular thing like the timing/drive belts?  thanks!

Well I just figured while I was going to go through the trouble of taking it out and apart I might as well replace what I can.  I don't know that I will but the syncs in there because it shifted fine, but bearing wise I figure might as well.  That kit was cheaper than the other site I found the just bearing kit, so I figured might as well get it all just in case I need it.  When I get time to tear it apart I will let you know how it goes.

thanks toolman. 

just checking if we're all hearing the same whining sounds here.  mine sounds like one of those electric radio control (RC) cars.  i'm crossing my fingers hoping this is normal. 

I generally wait until I get the tranny apart.  I take the bearings out (whether t-case or tranny) and wash them in solvent unless they are sealed, then whirl them some.  You can immediately tell the failed bearing but the nasty sound and rough feeling spin.  Compare to a new bearing and you will see what I mean.

I have been into my tranny and t-case several times, for different reasons.  I have found bad bearings that did not last as long as they should have.  I have tried ot understand why they failed in each case (pun intended).  I have found that in some cases I didn't set the clearance properly and was to tight.

GEoB