I have a 97 Ram 1500 5.2L 2WD 5 spd NV3500 transmission with about 210k miles. recently it has been making a noise when going in or out of gear, sounds similar to a bearing going out. I did a clutch job about 2 months ago with no issues. when the truck is at idle or in gear every thing is normal.

I have talked to some people and am thinking I possible got a bad throw out bearing or pilot bearing in my kit.

I havn't had any luck finding a used transmission in my area and hoping not to have to have it rebuilt.

any advice or tips would be helpful

 

Can you make it make the noise just by pushing in/releasing the clutch?

 

I have only noticed it when shifting into or out of a gear, when the clutch pedal is pressed ( clutch is disengaged) it only happens when I start to move then gear lever into the gear but once in the gear the noise goes away. also when slowing down in a gear (foot off the gas pedal ) it will some times make the same noise

 

Check the fluid in the trans. When was the last time it was changed??

 

I filled it when I did the clutch job, it does leak a little but I keep it topped off

 

May just be getting old.... I expect some noise when downshifting, and coasting in neutral, I can even except some noise in the lower gears while accelerating.... but, beyond that? Time to start thinking about another trans, or a rebuild. (which you could likely do yourself....)

 

I was looking into rebuilding it possibly. Is there any websites you recommend for a kit? Is there any special tools or tips for rebuilding it?

 

WITTrans would likely be able to get you a rebuild kit. There are likely videos on youtube for how to do it. Beyond that, I don't know..... I try and avoid doing trans work.

 

So you had no noise until the clutch job? Then it has to be the clutch components.

In the trans, you will either have noise on the power side or coast side of the gears, which is easy to test. Find a big parking lot and test each gear by speeding up and coasting. Doubtful it's 4th or 5th as most wear happens on the lower gears. Do some take-offs in 2nd or 3rd (rolling) and see if the noise is consistent. If you only get noise in one gear, it's the trans. If you can replicate it in multiple gears, it's the throw out bearing.

Most clutch kits are junk. I got screwed by a shop that put in a plastic bearing (yes, really) and it was toast in a year (no kidding). Then I put in a genuine Sachs 12" kit and it has a gritty feel most of the time. Just can't win.

Another good test is to speed shift (without clutch). This may take some practice, but if you line up the RPMs correctly, it can be done even with syncros. This will also tell you which it is - clutch or trans.

 

Thanks for all the info.

So so I took it around the block tonight and it seems to make the noise more when in gear and starting to move but once moving the noise goes away. And if I slow down while still in gear the noise comes back.

I have ave a feeling that either the throw out bearing or the pilot bearing are bad.

Another thought is because of the new clutch kit it put new stress on the input shaft bearing and maybe that is going out.

Are the input shaft bearing something one could do at home or don’t even try and take it to a shop?
From what I read and watched online it doesn’t seem too bad or need any special tools