I hope you didn't remove the center mount ! .

Does it make this noise in all gears ? .

Will it make the noise coasting in neutral ? .

When was the last time you changed the tranny oil ? .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Yeah, dude I have no idea what that sound is… it sounds a bit like a friction slap. Like an rpm thud, but I certainly wouldn’t go to the mat for that. I do get the odd vibration from time to time. Typically it’s higher pitched and metallic, which lets me know something needs tightening. Let us know what happens after you swap that slave out.


He loosened the T-mount, the mount you suggested inspecting. I believe it started appearing on 240s from 82, and I’m surprised it had any effect whatsoever for you. It’s a pretty flimsy piece of rubber!

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

The reason it can (not does) transmit nasty vibrations is : it needs to be properly adjusted every time it's touched / loosened .

I don't think the noise I hear is external to the transmission ~ it sounds internal to me .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Yeah, to me it sounds like a bad bearing or damaged pressure plate perhaps. I'll report back for sure!

Well ;

If it's the throw out bearing it'll make noise when you step on the clutch, even in neutral .

That it makes noise in every gear says *maybe* the cluster shaft bearings are kaput .

Don't be in a hurry to yank it out, drain it into a super clean pan and see what's in the oil .

Golden colored glittery stuff or silt is the synchronizer rings, unless they break they rarely make noise .

Steel colored SWARF or silt means the tranny is or is close to the end .

I have never done one of these trannies but in general I find manual trannies to be very straight forward in repair .

If there's just one bad bearing (what I *think* it sounds like) probably caused by the bad hydraulic clutch it may well be an easy repair : change every single bearing in it and new synchro rings, set the lash / end float and even if it whines it should be good to go .

Of course you're going to add a small magnet to the fill and drain plugs no matter what you find .

Sadly I see more than a few 240D's with the manual box still in them being crushed for scrap after the lazy owner makes it like a pig sty inside them junks it when it fails to start .

Point being there should be an affordable used tranny out there for you or, what I'd do : make one good one out of at least two plus new bearings and synchros .

Keep us posted please .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Thanks for the thoughtful reply Nate!
There is indeed a light clunk every time I press the clutch, which sounds similar to a bad throwout bearing in my NC miata years ago. But, we will see.

This weekend, I will be replacing the slave, the tranny oil (into a clean pan!), and then making an adjustment to the transmission mount. When I replaced this mount, the metal tube had to be jammed into the crossmember to fit. In hindsight, I realized this could be a great place for vibrations to be transfered to the body. I will report back!

It's tricky to diagnose sounds over the computer, I hope this turns out to be a simple thing .

In general if the noise stops when you depress the clutch it's a tranny issue .

*general* .

Don't forget the magnet ! .

If you have to jamb the center mount in it's wrong, maybe your two side mounts are collapsing .

I just had to replace both in my '82 240D and they were factory mounts, maybe four years old and _never_ allowed to touch oil .

They just settled a bit .

There's a LOT of adjustment in the center mount .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Think you may be confusing the T-mount with the center mount.

The center mount screws directly into the transmission. It’s then held to the cross member by two 13mm bolts. Nothing in the way of adjustment.

The T-mount (flimsy rubber thing from the oil pan) has a page in the FSM about adjusting.

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Nate, I did just replace my motor mounts with lemforder mounts, so all engine mounts are now new. The transmission mount (which you call center mount, I’m not sure what’s the better name) was jammed in because the circular stopper tube was too long. I believe the mount was manufactured incorrectly, or perhaps my crossmember is bent. I found another peach parts post from long ago where another person was having my exact issue, and he solved his issue by removing that metal tube. We will see.

Shern, there is indeed some adjustment in the center/transmission mount. There’s a 5 or 6mm hex bolt that slides up and down. I’m still not certain on it’s purpose.

Actually I was talking about the center mount under the engine .

The rear tranny mount also often degrades from being soaked constantly with Diesel contaminated engine oil .

The rear mount is also *slightly* adjustable but the vibrations usually are from the center mount under the engine due to careless assembly .


Keep at it you're nearly there .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Interesting… I do not have that on my 81

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Hi Nate,

Yes, I disconnected the t-mount briefly to test your theory before I take the time to adjust it.

It does indeed make this noise in all gears, especially 2nd. No, it doesn't when in nuetral. Additonally, if I am in park with the engine running, it sometimes makes that sound noise until I push the clutch in.

Tranny oil is an unknown, since I just bought this car. I plan to inspect and replace this weekend.

At this point, I'm thinking that the throwout bearing and/or some part of the clutch assembly is the issue. Hopefully it's not the transmisson itself, because it shifts nicely with no grinding ot popping out of gear.
I may drop the transmission this weekend just to get a good look at the clutch.