shaking upon accelleration

[themixer]

If I can't have one poorly running beretta I might as well have two! Sorry for the length of this post.

Last year before I put away my 1995 2.2 Base 5 speed I changed the transmission due to blowing out second gear. This was fine, I replaced the transmission car now shifts in and out of gear fine. Clutch feels very nice.

The transmission that I replaced it with is the original for the car there is some history to this part. A long time ago when I didn't do much work myself to cars I bought my first car, a beretta!!! (then this crazy addiction started) There was always a bit of a clicking sound when you decelerated in gear. I was assured that this was not a big deal by a few mechanics. Not putting much thought into it I continued to drive the car I believe it was about 260,000km the speedo just stopped working. So I took it to my backyard mechanic he couldn't figure out why it stopped, so he had a cavalier transmission (now I could be wrong on the year but I want to say 1996 for some reason) He sold it to me for $50 installed it on the car and away i went with a working speedo. Later on I got a call from him, he said that he rebuilt the original trans, and that there was some ruined gear in it, that it should work great and to keep it as a spare. So I went picked it up payed him for his time and parts, came back to my house and put it in the back of my garage with a few garbage bags over it and soaked it in wd-40. There it sat for a number of years.

This newly installed cavalier trans worked great until last year when 2nd gear went all to crap. When the gear broke in the first place I just replaced the clutch and installed the cavalier trans again, finding out 2nd gear was still not working right, took it off and replace it with the original beretta rebuilt transmission. When I took off the old cavalier trans I had trouble getting the drivers side axle out, so I left it in the trans when I dropped it out. Still after prybaring on the axle I couldnt get it out, said screw it and installed a spare one that I had into the car. Took it out for its first drive, all gears were working! I was rather happy. And also my noise that I had not heard in years was back, a clicking noise upon deceleration in gear. I didn't think much of that noise and took it out for a drive the next day on the highway.

So I got out on the hwy, and I noticed the faster I went the more vibration would occur. But when I let off the gas there was no shaking anymore. I found this very odd, and thought the only thing I have changed is the drivers axle I couldn't get out. With snow in the forecast I decided I better get the car in its resting garage for the winter. So I put my injured car away, thinking that I would just have to replace an axle this spring.

So now we are to this month, I finally got the old axle out of the broken cavalier transmission. It required some prybar with few taps of the hammer. Installed it in the car, and I am having the exact same issue. Vibration when accelerating in gear. Its very noticeable around 4000 rpm in both 4th gear and 5th. When you let off the gas it calms right down and stops vibrating until you come onto the gas again.

After thinking about this for hours now I do not know what could be wrong other than the "rebuilt" transmission. I can't ask and questions to the person that rebuilt it as he passed away a couple years ago now.

Has anyone had a problem at all like this with a transmission? I am no mechanic but I certainly didn't have problems like this with my 5 speed swap. The clutch feels and sounds fine, is there any way it could be installed incorrectly? I didn't have the flywheel off the car but it looked 100% fine and even with the broken trans the car was still drivable with the old clutch. The axles and mounts all lined back up pretty much right on the dot. Cables seem fine and engage all gears correctly. So I am back to replace tranny? I am not looking forward to laying under the car doing this.

Now if my trans is messed up, whats the deal with a cavalier trans? I did post about this on the "other site", and someone said that it was the same trans, just different gearing for the L body car. Now when the cavalier trans was in my car, I didn't even notice that there was a difference in the gears. Can anyone confirm what year cavalier / sunfire have the same trans? In my area there is one junk yard that has an L body trans and they want $600 for it! There are many cavalier / sunfire ones with lower miles for less.

Also where are the serial numbers or part numbers located on the manual trans. I still have the broken cavalier tranny if I could match it up to something at a yard that would be fantastic

I know this is a lot of questions but I could really use the help! I wanna drive the car instead of working on it all summer!! Get some more epic camping trips in with the old girl! thanks

[DTMAce]

One possible.... Bad or loose engine/tranny mounts. Either that or one of the axles are causing it or something is out of balance..

[SuzukiGhostRider]

You've got a bad CV Joint. Either the one you took out in the first place was shot and the one you pulled out of your old trans was shot as well. Or it's the other side CV Joint. But all your symptoms are CLASSIC cv joint failure. Check into it.

[themixer]

new one ordered

[beretta]

i just replace 2 of my engine mounts and both axles brand new, and my car shakes like crazy 80 KM to 130 still shakes. maybe could be my tires i dont know. have never balanced them before, but didnt notice the vibration before changing the axles. but with the clicking and clunking from the old ones it was prob hard to feel it.

[SuzukiGhostRider]

Yours (beretta) sounds like wheel balance indeed.

[beretta]

vibrates from 60 K to 180 K always there. dont go away. unbalanced tire vibration normally starts at 80 KM and goes away above 100 ? normally ?

1 of my new axles is making a noise, i dout its anything else.. going to see about replacement.

My rims has stick on weights and i pealed them all off with my new tires but never noticed it vibrating before

[SuzukiGhostRider]

If my conversions are right, you're saying from 37mph to 112mph? That's odd. Usually balance shake will start about 45mph and fade some above 75mph, but still be present. I would look into wheel balance, wheel shape (not bent ,etc) and tire condition. Although a defective CV Joint is definitely a possibility if they're new.

But again, as yours only shows up around 40mph and up, I'd look into wheel balance first and foremost.

[DTMAce]

Wheel bearings would have to be really BAD to be causing the vibration. Issue could also be an axle alignment issue, meaning there is a binding or something going on. Take your car in, and have it aligned AND the tires re balanced.

They may also be able to diagnose it better.

[DTMAce]

Out side of these things, it could be the tranny itself.

[beretta]

ya i think its a tire.. soon as i have a chance i can jack it up pull the wheels and go to my friends shop and balance them i will do so. maybe i have a broken belt in 1 of the tires i dont know. but when i put the new axles in i replaced the front pass lower mount and the trany upper mount, and first day driving the pass side axle is making noise when i turn sometimes.

It drives straight if i let go of the wheel and i have put 4-8000 KM on the tires on it and they have no wear so it shouldnt be an alignment issue.

it used to vibrate before but that was the axle shake like crazy, and click and clunk and made all sorts of cool noises haha.

Im wondering maybe if its that hanger bearing on the shaft on the trans on the passenger side. maybe i took the bearing or bushing out on the pass side of the trany from the old axle being a piece of junk... it doesnt leak fluids though.

[DTMAce]

Just because it seems to drive straight and wear appears to be even doesn't mean it doesn't need aligned.

I got mine aligned the day I bought it from the dealer when it was new. And it needed adjusting.
I subsequently took it to my mechanic every year for alignment during the first 6 years I owned it, just to make sure it was aligned.

Getting 75k out of 40k tires, especially the way I always drive the car says a lot about making sure its kept aligned. Just wanted to point that out.

[SuzukiGhostRider]

Beretta, you answered your own question. If you had clicking and vibration out of a new shaft, it's obviously no good. Exchange it.

[beretta]

Ive been wanting to take it in for an alignment but i adjusted it up myself and it seemed to be fine and that was back in the fall. soon as a can aford some extra ill take it in.

Went for a drive in the Z today and it randomly started vibrating too. grrrrrr. i should check the lugs, i had the wheels off the other day. it does have 1 bad tire has a slice between the treads i stuck it on the rear just in case it blows out i have a better chance of keeping it top side up. maybe it split more i dunno going to look around it now that im home.

[themixer]

thanks SGR you saved me dropping the tranny!! surpisingly the axle made no clicking noises or anything but it shook the living crap out of my buggy!