Advice about gearbox noise

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speedingfine
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Advice about gearbox noise

Post by speedingfine »

Hi all

Unfortunately my delightful BX is now getting irritating, it has a loud gearbox noise in all gears. I'm thinking a replacement gearbox is the best way to sort it, but don't want to get all that way if it could be something else! The noise occurs on power and off, but not when the car is out of gear or the clutch is down. As an example, I thought it may just be the diff, and there could be a way of just replacing that.

Also, is my gearbox (1989G 14E) a BE3?? and can I get one out of any other PSA vehicles?

Many thanks,

Chris.
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by Mothman »

Is there any oil in the box?

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David
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by David »

Does it do it when the car is stationary & the engine running? or when the car is moving (& the engine stopped)? or both?

Ether way I would be inclined to agree with Mothman & ask is there any oil in it?

I had a Peugeot 206 once that had no oil in the gearbox, It was difficult to get in to all gears & the gearbox went noisy. Once oil was added the gearchange got easier & it quietened the gearbox down but it didn't fix it completely.

If it is out of oil then it probably will need a new gearbox or a rebuild.

If it does it just when moving then it could be the diff bearings, However don't rule out the wheel bearings & drive shafts because these are more likely to fail (assuming the gearbox does have oil in it, that is).

The diff on the back of the gearbox is easy to remove once the gearbox is out of the car, (I've had mine off today), it has 2 tapered roller bearings on it, if these are just warn then it would be simple to fix. It should be 4x 16MM bolts & 4x 11MM bolts, (& undo the part that houses the speedo drive). The cover will then drop off & the diff will come out.

Hope that helps.
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by Tinkley »

The gearbox oil should be Total BV 75-80 and do not use any other oil!. There is also an intermediate bearing on the o/s driveshaft a 6006RS, which can get noisy. Gearbox oil change is recommended every 60k although the later ones dropped this. Worth doing though. Driveshafts are not too hard to remove and new seals (to gearbox) about a tenner. Could also be a worn CV joint or even a wheel bearing so check these too.

Filler is the on the n/s and I think a 19mm nut. It can be a pain to loosen, though the drain is easy to get at. You need a funnel and tube to refill btw.
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by citronut »

Tinkley wrote:The gearbox oil should be Total BV 75-80 and do not use any other oil!.
i know the Total BV spec is what is recommended by Citroen, but there are other brand which are a bit cheaper out there,
these are fine as long as it states on the can suitable for PSA gear box's,
Tinkley wrote: There is also an intermediate bearing on the o/s driveshaft a 6006RS, which can get noisy. Gearbox oil change is recommended every 60k although the later ones dropped this. Worth doing though. Driveshafts are not too hard to remove and new seals (to gearbox) about a tenner. Could also be a worn CV joint or even a wheel bearing so check these too.
the OP says "but not when the car is out of gear or the clutch is down"

so i think that rules out intermediate bearing and CV joint,
Tinkley wrote: Filler is the on the n/s and I think a 19mm nut. It can be a pain to loosen, though the drain is easy to get at. You need a funnel and tube to refill btw.
the later gear box's do not have a level/filler plug,

i always fill through the plastic breather bung ( 17mm ) on top of the gear box just below the edge of the battery tray,

regards malcolm
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electrokid
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by electrokid »

Get it on a lift and have a look underneath. Look for cracks to the diff housing / oil leaks. High mileage gearboxes can fail in such a way to damage casings and let all the oil out. If the noise is due to low oil level then there will be practically none in the box so further damage is likely including the whole lot ending up on the road - best not to drive it while it's noisey.
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speedingfine
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by speedingfine »

Thanks guys, mechanic said there was oil in it, but will check again...
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by speedingfine »

Well, put a litre of Total in it... Noise is still there. Boo :(
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by mat_fenwick »

If you've put a litre in it then it was pretty low, and if it's not coming out of the level/filler plug then it may still be low! That said, I wouldn't have expected it to last very long at all with no/low oil, IF that's the cause.
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by Defender110 »

citronut wrote:
the later gear box's do not have a level/filler plug,

i always fill through the plastic breather bung ( 17mm ) on top of the gear box just below the edge of the battery tray,

regards malcolm
Although I agree with filling through the breather for ease there is still a level fill plug round the side of the gearbox, or there certainly was on my 96 registered N TZD?

Same as in this thread;

http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic ... ug#p186857
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by mat_fenwick »

That's mine, which is a 1993 gearbox. I still find it easier to use the plug on the side though - from memory I didn't think you could access the breather without removing things?
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Re: Advice about gearbox noise

Post by citsncycles »

Also, is my gearbox (1989G 14E) a BE3?? and can I get one out of any other PSA vehicles?
No, the later TU engined BX14's (which I assume yours is) used an MA type 'box. IIRC the one fitted to the BX is supposedly 'sealed for life', and the gearing is specific to the BX 14.

All is not lost though, as the MA 'box (albiet with different gearing) was used in the AX and Pug. 205, and their successor the Saxo/106. It may have also been used in 1.4 ZX's and Berlingo's, but I'm not sure.

It is possible to fit a BE3 'box to a TU engine (some of the AX tuner's have done it as it's a stronger 'box), but it's not straight forward as it's a physically bigger box and you may also have to change mounts, drive shafts and gear lever linkages.
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