rebuilding W58 transmission

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
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new jersey
anyone on here done this or had a shop do it? I know, switch to a R154. but what if i cant find one or cant afford to pay what people want up front? I could drop my tranny out of my car and take the next to months to rebuild it before spring comes and then be back out drifting just as the season starts. problem is, i have no idea what would be needed to rebuild one? or the cost?
 

Adjuster

Supramania Contributor
The W58 shifts much smoother than the R154, but will not hold up to abuse as well from what I've seen. (or hold up to excessive power, say over 400rwhp for extended periods of time if your speed shifting and being hard on the transmission at those power levels.)

I just rebuilt my R154, and it was about 750.00, but we replaced the second gear set, and I custom coated everything possible. Looked into shot peening the gears, but ended up not doing that due to time problems, and getting the gears back and forth from the trans shop to the machine shop when I was out of town so much during that time period. (I'd have done it if I was home.)

What are you breaking in your trans? If your just wearing out, or have worn out synchros, don't replace the trans, just have it rebuilt with new bearings and synchros. Shot peen the gears if you can, run good oil and I'd think the W58 would hold up fine. (Under 400rwhp that is.)

Also depends on your clutch. If your running a unsprung disk, no trans is going to live long on that diet. Make sure you get a sprung disk, and I don't even reccomend multi puck designs if you want smooth engagement. (I have the 6 puck RPS, and I HATE it in traffic, but it does hold up to abuse for sure, and holds the power fine. It is either on, or off, but not much inbetween, especially backing up slight hills. (Like when I'm parking the car for example.) Chatter, chatter, bang bang boom! It's dang loud, and people think your breaking your car.....

Good luck.
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
0
0
46
new jersey
Adjuster said:
What are you breaking in your trans? If your just wearing out, or have worn out synchros, don't replace the trans, just have it rebuilt with new bearings and synchros. Shot peen the gears if you can, run good oil and I'd think the W58 would hold up fine. (Under 400rwhp that is.)
i dont know what is broke if anything, mine is just making all kinds of noise. the clutch is a stock supra clutch and it shifts fine. i dont plan on making any more hp then what ever it makes right now. its a na 7m with around 200,000 miles on it. i replaced the head gasket with an hks metal and arp studs. thats all i plan on doing unless something else breaks, i just use it for drifting. i also welded the diff but that should not matter since if i had the money for an ATS diff that is a 2way diff, it is just like welding it unless you are going really slow and doing things like backing the car up into a parking spot, then the ATS diff would sound like a locker. they are that tight.
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
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46
new jersey
GrimJack said:
I hate to ask the obvious, but... have you checked the fluid in there?
nope, i dont have time during the week to get it back in the garage since i work second shift, so i have to do it on the week end and i am not doing it this weekend. only thing is, where would the oil go? this could be a result of two months back though when we were drifting almost no stop and maybe i killed the oil in it? got it too hot? because that was the first time i noticed it start making the clunking noises it makes, then two week ago, i noticed the trans mount was torn, so i made it into a solid mount. took it for a test drive and it then was whining, so i put a new trans mount in and it whines until it warms up then whines a little. all while still making the clunking noises. doesnt do any of this in 4th gear though.
 

GrimJack

Administrator
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First up, I'd change to a nice Redline MT90 tranny oil and run it for a couple weeks, see if that makes a difference. :)

PS: You made a solid mount for the tranny? Are you talking about the crossmember part that holds up the rear of the tailshaft? Any pics? How hard was that to make? I've been wanting to make one of these for my R154...
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
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new jersey
IJ. said:
4th gear isn't actually a gear as such all you're doing is locking the Input and Output shafts together with the Syncro Rings.
so then it wouldnt be the output shafts bearing then? its now making less noise interms of the whine due to it being warmer out i guess (only variable i know of) but it still makes the rattling noise when slowing down and the clunking noise when turning and such. I guess i'll change the oil monday since i have off from work and see how things go from there.
 

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
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Common W58 issues can be the snout of the Main Shaft wears through the hardening and allows the Gears set to seperate under power and this causes a LOT of noise.

Quick check is to idle the car in neutral and push the clutch in and out and listen..... you'll hear what I mean is it's bad.

To repair is is a huge job and really just not worth the $.

The Main bearing on the output is HUGE and rarely gives trouble unless you grenade a gearset and it munches a fragment.
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
0
0
46
new jersey
IJ. said:
Common W58 issues can be the snout of the Main Shaft wears through the hardening and allows the Gears set to seperate under power and this causes a LOT of noise.

Quick check is to idle the car in neutral and push the clutch in and out and listen..... you'll hear what I mean is it's bad.

To repair is is a huge job and really just not worth the $.

The Main bearing on the output is HUGE and rarely gives trouble unless you grenade a gearset and it munches a fragment.
like a grinding kind of noise? i thought it was a bad throw out bearing. it has always made some kind of noise when out of gear even when the clutch pedal isnt pushed in. but its making noise off power, on power, at idle with it in or out. while the car is moving though. i guess you would have to drive it to truely know what its doing since its hard to explain.
 

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
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Yep that's it!

Comes and goes when you push the clutch in and out.

NOT the throwout bearing it's the little needle roller bearing inside the Input Shaft that runs on the snout of the Mainshaft.

Just about every w58 I've seen is worn through the hardening.

I had one hard faced then reground to stock.
(many $$$)
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
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46
new jersey
so how long until it blows the tranny?? guess for drifting its best to switch to the r154??? i dont plan on macking big amounts of power. and i guess if i ever had the money to make more power, i would get one of the TKO trans and the adapter and what ever else is needed.
 

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
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I think/feel it will run like that for a long time!

I'd look at some heavy weight gear oil to quieten it down a bit and just drive it till it lets go and chuck another one in.

TKO is beautiful but it's NOT a cheap option ;)
 

Toycoma

Four Door Drifter
Apr 2, 2005
111
0
0
46
new jersey
IJ. said:
I think/feel it will run like that for a long time!

I'd look at some heavy weight gear oil to quieten it down a bit and just drive it till it lets go and chuck another one in.

TKO is beautiful but it's NOT a cheap option ;)
ok, i'll change the oil monday and put in some truck gear oil (80w90?) and just go from there. I am talking to someone on here for another w58 for 100 bucks plus shipping. just waiting to see shipping cost. i can get a r154 for 350 but not sure if he will give me the flywheel and clutch. he is about 3 hours or less from me so i can pick that up. thanks for the help, very apriciated.
 

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
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No probs at all glad to help if I can! :)

@ $100 ea you could buy a LOT of w58's for the price of a TKO swap!

154's have their own set of issues and I prefer the 58 to drive.

The TKO is the best of both worlds strength and sweet shifting, I love mine.