I brought my '03 6MT in for service yesterday, mostly for them to fix a bunch of rattles and weird noises that I've been getting, as well as to check a burning oil smell I get randomly while stopped at a light. One of the noises I wanted the dealer to check was this odd *chigga* *chigga* sound that was coming from underneath the car only when letting the clutch out from a stop. I'm pretty good at identifying mechanical sounds since I've been working on cars since before I was old enough to drive. I've never heard a sound like this before, and couldn't identify it. I thought it might be a loose heat shield, but that didn't explain why it would only happen during clutch release. The only other thing I could think of is something with the tranny or clutch, but since the tranny shifted fine, I didn't think that would be it. The car has had clutch chatter since it was new (not smooth clutch release - felt like a warped flywheel), but it hasn't changed in the 19k miles I've driven it.

Well, the dealer calls me after checking it out, and they said the tranny is making a bad "gurgling" sound which they don't like, so they're going to replace the entire transmission and clutch! I was very surpsised to hear this, as I didn't think the sound was a big deal, and everything with the tranny other than the clutch chatter was operating fine.

Has anyone heard of a similar sound and problem? Anyone else have their transmission replaced because of this sound? It seems most have had their manual trannies replaced because of shifting or grinding issues, which I've never had.

My lease is up in 2 months, and I was planning on buying this car out of lease. However, I'm having second thoughts about buying it now since the entire tranny needs to be replaced. I guess I'll see what the car is like when I get it back from the dealer. Replacing the transmission is major surgery, and there are plenty of things that can be screwed up when putting it all back together. One thing is for sure: I'm not keeping this car past its warranty period! Replacing the tranny and clutch is probably a $5k episode. Thank God for the warranty!

 

I've had my tranny replaced becaused of the clutch "chatter". The chatter has seemed to died down and I don't really notice any odd noise.

I feel you on the "major surgery" thing. I too was surprised when they called me and said they were going to replace the tranny, clutch, and assembly. I was afraid things would not go back together and the car would be in worse shape.

Knock on wood - things are better!

Let them replace the tranny and whatnot. The way I looked at it....If the dealer is willing to go through the labor hassle to try and get things right, then they [and the car] may be worth keeping.

Good luck!

 

Wow, well, at least it's being done under warranty.

Did they say what was wrong with your tranny??

 

No, they didn't say what was wrong, other than the "gurgling" sound. The service advisor doesn't sound like he really knows much about cars, and I guess the mechanics aren't keeping him fully informed as to the details of what is wrong. They did try to sell me on replacing the pressure plate for $300 while the tranny is out, which I declined. He said the pressure plate was a wear item and not covered under warranty. Yet, they are replacing the clutch under warranty, which is probably more of a wear item than the pressure plate is. When I asked why the clutch was under warranty but the pressure plate wasn't, he said its because the clutch was redesigned and improved and they are replacing them under warranty if the tranny is replaced.

Considering how quick they were to conclude replacing the tranny was necessary, and the fact they had a new tranny in stock, makes me wonder if there is a common problem with these manual trannies that they know about.