Ok, so I'm pretty much done identifying the main issues with my "new" truck. As of right now there are 3 issues that trouble me the most and I need some perspective and direction.



1. Hard to shift / clunking sound when releasing clutch pedal: So to begin I have a 4 speed tranny with granny low. I start out in second and whether i'm shifting up or down It's a not a smooth transition into any gear. I get a small amount of resistance when placing it into gear, sometimes accompanied by grinding (usually when downshifting into second). In addition to that as soon as I release the clutch pedal a fairly large clunk can be heard and felt seemingly from the tranny. Lastly 3rd gear slips out, which i'm pretty sure isn't related and probably a synchro issue. Where should I start with this one?

2. When I start up my truck, white (maybe blue) smoke can be seen from the exhaust. I haven't checked whether it comes out of both yet. It stops after about 10-15 seconds. However after driving I can see white smoke coming from the engine itselfe from either the exhaust manifold or the spark plug... There also appears to be oil in the coolant as it is a slight brownish color. The coolant level however is not changing. Where do I look first?

3. While in second gear and accelerating sometimes the engine loses power and stutters and then power restores and surges even though i'm not pressing the gas pedal any further. In other words once it loses power I leave the pedal in the position it's currently in and then once power restores it surges. I have no tach so I don't know how many RPMs we are talking. It won't do it everytime i'm accelerating as well, it only happens every now and then...

I typically hate when people post multiple questions in one thread, but I'm not sure if all of these are related or not. I have a couple theories and I know where I want to start, but I'd like to get a little perspective on the issues as I'm no expert. Thanks guys!

 

1. have you checked the fluid level in the transmission?
2. could possibly be bad valve seals. is there any coolant in the oil?

 

Oil appears to be free of coolant, no milky residue anywhere, I'm going to get her warmed up tonight and smear oil on the exhaust manifold to check for boiling... Transmission fluid was flushed and filled.. Forgot to mention that sorry..

 

i think there is usually signs of coolant in the oil if you where to have a leak. maybe the brown coolant is just old and the cooling system just needs a good flush to get any and all rust out of it.

3. have you checked the fuel filter?

 

2. Ok so quick update, there is def no coolant in the oil. Oil just burns off of manifold and no presence of water bubbling thats after 3 takes from the dipstick... I am liking your initial impression of a bad valve seal... I was planning on doing a partial tuneup including radiator flush and changing the valve cover gaskets as well as a few other things so maybe i'll check out the seals while i'm already in there... It seems to be isolated to only cylinder 2 plug where the smoke is coming from...

3.I have not checked the fuel filter, but will do so and post the results... Yeah I definitely suspect some sort of fuel issue for the power loss, but can't explain the surge of power... Any insight on why it would do that?

 

You might want to check the TPS to make sure there are no dead spots as it changes voltage.

Brown color coolant is usually due to rust. Oil will not mix with coolant very well but will form a brown scum/slick on top of the coolant in the radiator.

I agree on replacing the valve seals if you are pulling the valve covers.

The trans problem sounds like syncros for every thing but the clunk. What fluid was used in the trans refill? If the proper fluid was used it sounds like a rebuild is needed.

 

I used 10W30 engine oil in the trans cause that's what the last guy was running... checked manual and looks like I should've used 75W90 Geear oil, that's probably why my sychros are all jacked up as well huh... Looks like I'll be doing another flush and using the right fluid...

 

Ok, I flushed the tranny fluid and replaced with 75w90 gear oil.. tranny issues persist. I did however notice a difference as it's not as stubborn, however the big issues are still there... Am I still looking at a rebuild for the tranny? If so does anyone know anywhere I can buy a rebuilt tranny or a new tranny? And an update the engine is no longer sluggish or losing power anymore... I think it was either old or dirty gas... But engine seems fine now... still smoking but haven't changed the valve seals yet..

 

Since the PO used 10W-30 in the tranny only God knows what he used in other places. I would verify what fluid is in the t-case and both differentials or just replace it to be sure. Do you have posi-traction? Obviously only you can hear the clunk and drive line clunks come from too much play some where. You need to be sure whether it is in the tranny, rear end, t-case, or u-joints. I would check the u-joints first. Next I would remove the rear u-joint and see if there is play in the rear end or forward of the drive shaft.

If the oil change doesn't correct the shift problems rebuild/replace are the only solutions. (I would give the new oil at least 100 miles to see if it corrects the shift problems but the 10W-30 may have done real damage.) From what you have said you don't sound confident about doing a rebuild yourself. The manual trannys are really not hard to rebuild even for a novice with a good shop manual to go by. If you don't want to do it yourself and can stand the down time and you have a reputable local shop you should go that way. You can save a lot of money by removing and installing it yourself if you are comfortable with that.

 

I am not sure what type of diff I have at this point... How would I find this out?