This one is for those who’ve experienced the M32 gearbox failure: Driving back from Leicester this evening, accelerating out of the roadworks on the A14 (miles and miles of 40 mph ) I noticed a metallic kind of rattling sound coming from the engine bay.



Further experimentation (and roundabouts) reveal that this only occurs (noticeably) in 5th and 6th gear, with the clutch engaged – engine sounds sweet as a nut through 3 and 4, engage 5 and the rattling sound starts. I would not call it a whine. There doesn’t seem to be any movement on the gear stick, when pulling off or engaging gear.



Does this sound familiar to any of you people?

Gearbox oil has been changed every two years since I brought the car - it's about to hit 80k miles.



Thanks,

Hi,
This does not sound like the clasic M32 progressive bearing failure.
Does the noise change when you are off or on the throttle e.g. accelerating or coasting?

Robert.

My m32 is dying.

Stick movement when taking up drive in 1st and 5th.

Whine on coasting between 60 and 70 mph in 6th.

Heavy whine in 3rd and 4th, which varies depending upon whether I'm accelerating or coasting.

Mine are classic symptoms, yours sounds totally different. Not that it couldn't be gearbox internals, but not in a traditional sense.

Do you get any signs of clutch slippage, that are limited to roughly 300rpm? Or shaking on gear shifts? Don't rule out dmf failure if that's the case

g8rpi said:

Hi,
This does not sound like the clasic M32 progressive bearing failure.
Does the noise change when you are off or on the throttle e.g. accelerating or coasting?

Robert.

Click to expand...

It does indeed.

Just driven the few miles to the local gym - the sound in 5th/6th is all but gone (although the gearbox wouldn't have got hot), but now im listening properly, it sounds like theres a metallic sound from about 20mph up, with the frequency following vehicle speed. Again, wouldn't call it a whine.


Feel like I'm going to be ringing the local gearbox specialist tomorrow.

Yes,
Sounds like the gearbox. Could be the dual mass flywheel but you have to drop the gearbox to check that anyway.

Robert G8RPI.

To close off the thread,

It was indeed the gearbox 6th speed bearing. In the subsequent 200 miles or so, it went from a slight noise to a whining racket, and the gear stick started to wobble on gear selection.

Warren at WG Motorworks sorted it in under 3 hours, including a new 3rd/4th gear, curing a notchiness that's been present since I bought the car. I spent more time driving there and back than he was working on the car. Well worth a visit if you're having M32 troubles.

Matthen said:

To close off the thread,

It was indeed the gearbox 6th speed bearing. In the subsequent 200 miles or so, it went from a slight noise to a whining racket, and the gear stick started to wobble on gear selection.

Warren at WG Motorworks sorted it in under 3 hours, including a new 3rd/4th gear, curing a notchiness that's been present since I bought the car. I spent more time driving there and back than he was working on the car. Well worth a visit if you're having M32 troubles.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update, so many people post problems but never follow up with the answer.
What was the cost, roughly?

Robert G8RPI.

g8rpi said:

Thanks for the update, so many people post problems but never follow up with the answer.
What was the cost, roughly?

Robert G8RPI.

Click to expand...

Bearing replacement was £599 + £120 for a new OEM 3rd/4th gear and hub.

Even including the 300 mile round drive, it worked out much less expensive than my local gearbox specialist was suggesting.

Also, I should clarify: He changed more than the 6th speed bearing. I believe he changed them all, except those relating to the diff. Furthermore, the gear set was inspected and cleaned (although they didn't look especially dirty, the box has had new oil every other year for the last 4 services).

Craig830 said:

My m32 is dying.

Stick movement when taking up drive in 1st and 5th.

Whine on coasting between 60 and 70 mph in 6th.

Heavy whine in 3rd and 4th, which varies depending upon whether I'm accelerating or coasting.

Mine are classic symptoms, yours sounds totally different. Not that it couldn't be gearbox internals, but not in a traditional sense.

Do you get any signs of clutch slippage, that are limited to roughly 300rpm? Or shaking on gear shifts? Don't rule out dmf failure if that's the case

Click to expand...

Ah ****, sounds just like mine. When are you getting yours repaired?