noisy tranny

hello all , been awhile since ive been on . been
working alot and riding every chance i get . i seem to be having a little problem though . im getting some noise from the tranny at idle and when decelerating .
that is at normal idle , if i crank it up to about 1500
its quiet . i started digging around and removed the tranny cover to expose the output shaft and bearing in order to check the play , maybe a millimeter of end play . bearing has no slop . put it in gear and , there
might be 2 degree play in 1st . i dont have a manual on this bike so im not sure where to go from here .
anyone have any suggestions ? thank you in advance .

What kinda bike? Early 650's have a chain driven bottom end and knock a bit at very low rpm's.

Post edited by: RomSpaceKnight, at: 2006/02/27 17:53

some reason i always forget to mention the bike ?
its a 78 kz1000ltd .

I suggest you get a KZ1000 Kawasaki Factory Service Manual. It is the best manual you can get for a 78. Better than a Clymer or Haynes and better than most Kaw manuals.

Anyway, there won't be any play on the bearing for the output shaft as it is sandwiched between the engine cases. The only time I have had significant noise in a transmission was when the shaft cracked in two that held the two small shift forks.

The noise you hear MAY NOT be the transmission... could it possibly be the valves or cam chain? There isn't much to get noisey in a transmission but you can eyeball and even make some measurements on the forks and check the gears by removing your oil pan. You will want to have a new gasket on hand. A shop manual will tell you what the thickness of the fork ends is supposed to be as well but it won't be easy measuring.

To REALLY make some measurements, the transmission needs to come out. This can be done by pulling the engine with the top end on, flipping it over and splitting the cases. It really isn't as hard as it sounds or as much effort but you will need to buy a gasket set as all the side cover gaskets will have to be replaced.

Before doing this, make sure of your valve clearances and adjust your cam chain. In addition, adjust your drive chain as these three things are far more likely to make noise as described than the transmission. BTW: I could see the shaft broken with the oil pan off and it is a great time to clean the sludge out of the pan and clean off the oil pump screen.

thankyou i apprieciate the advice . since your on wiredgeorge i did your coil powering straight from the battery trick , man that made all the difference in the world ! as far as the tranny goes ill probably let it ride for now and see if it gets worse and keep my eye out for a new one just in case .