GETRAG 260 Countershaft Bearing

[Poorboyz]

So this afternoon after work I'll be getting home, promptly jacking up my car on all 4 and pulling the trans...I always do this crap on the coldest days of the year lol. A little background, I recently got a metal on metal/grinding sound coming from drivetrain and after talking to a few people here on R3V and doing different things to figure out what my problem is I believe I have it figured out. It's the countershaft bearing.

My question is not on how to remove the trans, I'm very proficient at that since I've pulled the damn thing out a few times already. To change out the bearing I thought I was going to have to split the case open which I have also done and it's not a big deal but when I ordered the new bearing I didn't realize it came with the cap that goes around the bearing.

For those who have been inside the GETRAG 260, can you change/swap out the countershaft bearing by pulling this cap off from the bellhousing side and not have to split the case?

I was thinking since I have a new cap could I drill a small hole...very carefully in the center of the old cap from the bellhousing side of course and use that hole to place a ice pick or something similar to pry out this cap which would then leave the countershaft bearing exposed?

Thanks
Chuck

[jlevie]

I sort of think that the bearing seats against a flange on the bell housing side. Which would mean pressing it out of it's seat from the bell housing. Which in turn explains the new cap.

[Poorboyz]

I sort of think that the bearing seats against a flange on the bell housing side. Which would mean pressing it out of it's seat from the bell housing. Which in turn explains the new cap.

I'm not understanding. Are you saying that the new cap can't be put on from the bellhousing side and would have to be put in from inside the transmission?

There is a circlip on the bellhousing side that can be removed so I thought MAYBE that cap can be removed and a new one installed from the bellhousing side. That would save me a couple hours if I could replace the bearing from bellhousing without having to drain trans, split it.

New cap and bearing.



Thanks

[spdracrm3]

that cap is the bearing race and will be case hardened so you cannot drill it(can only be ground with cutoff type wheel abrasive or EDM machine which will leave debris inside) ,really find it hard to believe you can remove that and get it installed properly from the case like your thinking. i see no lip to suggest it can be pulled with any type of puller. ive never had a 260 apart that far to know the correct procedure but do have the factory manual and can look later tonight ..

[Poorboyz]

that cap is the bearing race and will be case hardened so you cannot drill it(can only be ground with cutoff type wheel abrasive or EDM machine which will leave debris inside) ,really find it hard to believe you can remove that and get it installed properly from the case like your thinking. i see no lip to suggest it can be pulled with any type of puller. ive never had a 260 apart that far to know the correct procedure but do have the factory manual and can look later tonight ..

Well...that blows...lol I was hoping not to have to split the case but Looks like I'll have to.

[jlevie]

Sorry, I was thinking of another transmission where the bearing is pressed in from the inside and something like a freeze plug covers the bearing. spdracrm3 is correct. Though you probably could drill the cap with a solid carbide drill bit. But I'll bet that you won't get it out with a pick. Welding a stud to the cap and using a slide hammer will probably work.

[Poorboyz]

Got home from work at 6pm, had trans out by 7:15 and looked at the said cap on trans and it looks like it can't be removed from bellhousing side. I drained the trans and will be splitting it first thing in the morning.

I'm going to remove the circlip to see if it's possible to remove that cap from bellhousing side...for future countershaft bearing replacement.

Thanks

[efficient]

Is this what causes the getrag rattle?

[jlevie]

No that is wear in the input shaft bearing. Even with good bearings, a light weight flywheel will cause rattle.

[Poorboyz]

Although my current problem is not a rattle I have done a lot of reading and from what ive read the getrag rattle could be either the input shaft or the countershaft bearings.

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[Poorboyz]

Got the case split and almost immediately the input shaft fell onto my hands. The bearing is SHOT and the holes that the trans fluid flows through were completely clogged with the melted plastic bearing carrier. I think I have found my problem. What do you think JLevie? Ever seen anything like this?

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[jlevie]

Yeah, and I'll bet on the transmission needing other new parts in addition to that bearing.

[Poorboyz]

I'm pulling the gear train out tomorrow morning then going to see what all I'll need. I'm going to do all the bearings on it. The synchros look good. What other parts besides bearings and synchros would you suggest changing?

What had me stumped was that the trans worked fine, wasn't hard getting into gear, never popped out of gear, smooth all around...with the exception of the grinding/metal sound in gears 1,2,3 and 5. 4th gear was quiet as could be.

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[The Dark Side of Will]

In 4th, the input shaft is locked directly to the output shaft, so there's no RPM (and very little load) on the input/output input/output bearing and no load on the countershaft bearing.

Your input/output bearing looks good, actually... except for the plastic cage breaking up. The rollers and the race inside the input gear look smooth and not galled. I don't see discoloration indicating excessive heat. In your shoes, I'd just replace that bearing (and the countershaft bearing that you already have) and put it back together.
If it looks uglier in person, or if the pics don't adequately represent it, let us know.

Better pics in better light would help us help you.

How does the countershaft bearing look?

I've pulled a 260 case apart before. Some idiot had fragged the 3-4 shift collar & synchronizer hub. List price for replacement parts was over $1K, so I snagged another from a junkyard for $350. I hadn't taken it apart any more because of that, however.

[Poorboyz]

Just an update. I pulled gear train from back of trans case, inspected all bearings, synchros and replaced what I thought had to be. I put geartrain back together last night and stuck it in the freezer. Tonight I will attempt to mate the geartrain back with the rear trans case. The hardest part will be trying to keep the wife calm when she sees geartrain in freezer...lol



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