As i am aware there are alot of posts on here regaurding the m32 box.

However has anyone ever thought about 'swapping out' (i know its not as simple as that) the gearbox for something else much more reliable ? Would it even be possible ? Maybe something from the alfas would fit ?

Majority of Alfas are m32 mate

Yeah but there must be something better out there sonewhere. What about the semi auto boxes for the alfas ?

Not too sure mate , big bucks to convert it but

I suspect that the cost outweighs the benefits even if its possible... Guy who sorted my M32 gearbox out said that he has been doing them for about 3 years now - said no one came back for a second change - so still probably the cheapest option out there. Just for clarification, mine started whining at 5 years old and with 40K on the clock. Cost £550 to fix. Hoping for another 5 years out of it before it goes again, but by then I suspect the rest of the car will be in pretty bad shape too Gotta love the Fiats!

Melanabb said:

I suspect that the cost outweighs the benefits even if its possible... Guy who sorted my M32 gearbox out said that he has been doing them for about 3 years now - said no one came back for a second change - so still probably the cheapest option out there. Just for clarification, mine started whining at 5 years old and with 40K on the clock. Cost £550 to fix. Hoping for another 5 years out of it before it goes again, but by then I suspect the rest of the car will be in pretty bad shape too Gotta love the Fiats!

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Fair enough mine was rebuilt at 40k as well but still get a slight noise when i release the clutch pedal when stationary and 3rd is still a bit clunky.
Could be clutch release bearing.
However when i had it refurbed the noise wasnt there .....
Might just sell it and buy a 350z

Chris RWatts said:

Fair enough mine was rebuilt at 40k as well but still get a slight noise when i release the clutch pedal when stationary and 3rd is still a bit clunky.
Could be clutch release bearing.
However when i had it refurbed the noise wasnt there .....
Might just sell it and buy a 350z

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It might well be the clutch or flywheel (or both). It looks to me you are almost there, it would be shame to sell just as you fixed all the problems There is no guarantee that 350z will be problem free (but then again its Nissan, so must be better built than Fiat...) I had my car since it had 300miles on the clock and I know I looked after it well, don't fancy getting somebody's trashed or neglected motor instead. Better the devil you know :devil:

Melanabb said:

It might well be the clutch or flywheel (or both). It looks to me you are almost there, it would be shame to sell just as you fixed all the problems There is no guarantee that 350z will be problem free (but then again its Nissan, so must be better built than Fiat...) I had my car since it had 300miles on the clock and I know I looked after it well, don't fancy getting somebody's trashed or neglected motor instead. Better the devil you know :devil:

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Yeah well ill repair everything eventually !

Vauxhall/Opel have said that they are designing new gearboxes to go into future models as the existing gearboxes designs date back to the 70's.

No wonder the M32 is one of the worst ever gearboxes clearly not fit for the purpose. It's not even a nice gearbox to use!

JimbbobW1977 said:

Vauxhall/Opel have said that they are designing new gearboxes to go into future models as the existing gearboxes designs date back to the 70's.

No wonder the M32 is one of the worst ever gearboxes clearly not fit for the purpose. It's not even a nice gearbox to use!

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I think they are quite nice when warmed up and not notchy however i cant imagine this is very often the case !

My understanding is that the issue is confined to a couple of bearings which are known weak spots. Those 'in the know' (like the place Mel went to) replace them with uprated bearings capable of hadling higher loads, so the repair should be 'better than new'.

The trick is to replace these bearings as soon as you detect any symptoms. Running with worn bearings greatly increases the rate of wear on the rest of the geartrain and in the worst case will also ruin the casing.

If I were running one of these 'boxes, I'd probably swap the known weak bearings at the first sign of gearbox whine, or 40k miles (whichever came first) - I'd also change the 'box oil periodically.

My plan is by the end of the year to get the bearings replaced in my M32 box, no noises on 58,000 miles, but I will probably upgrade it and get a LSD bundled in also..... All money dependent though! although I will be barely driving it by then so have to weigh up my options...