my son has an almera 2001 1.5 petrol with manual gearbox/hydraulic clutch.

couple of weeks ago when car was moving at about 10mph and engaging 1st gear there was a noise as if the gbox teeth were "just" grinding together. All fine when stopped & engaging 1st, all other gears ok.

after doin a bit of googling I changed the gbox oil (used Halfords Gear Oil EP 75W/80 GL-4)no bits in old oil
made no difference.

a week after changing oil, gear selection is now very difficult in all gears, both with engine off and when running.

also when in neutral with engine running there is a whirring/wineing noise that dissappears when dipping the clutch.
this noise gets worse when driving

I have also bled the clutch & it made no difference, no leaks anywhere

anyone got any ideas what it could be????

thanks in advance
cheers Paul

clutch kit and release bearing

If your description is correct it is possible the clutch release bearing has disintegrated but it could also be a seized bearing on the gearbox shaft due to running for a long period with the oil level too low. Either way gearbox would have to come out and replace the clutch at the same time. This a 12 year old car so get somebody to look at it before making a decision as it could be something simple.

Quick ebay scan reveals Almera 1.5 gearboxes fetch big bucks compare to other equivale cars --- which is usually an indicator of a weakness.

just tried reverse slowly & it drives backwards but when clutch is dipped the car wants to move forwards ??

yes after googling it looks like a weak box.

just drained a small amount of gbox oil into glass and it looks very metallicy, put a small magnet in & oil makes patterns around magnet also can feel small bits in bottom of glass.
Iam guessing need another box ???

iam gonna try & change the gbox myself, see if the local scrappies have any in
never done one before so what hints tips can u give
cheers Paul

I will attempt most jobs on my tintops but everytime I've done a clutch or gearbox I've regretted it half way through. Either I've not got a specific tool or its started peeing down or something wont line back up. They are just a PITA unless you have a ramp and gearbox jack. I would try and source a 2nd hand box and get a good local garage to swap it.

Just my 2p.

replacement box & clutch now fiited with no probs
I guess this was the box problem, main shaft bearing


Almera box bearing