Farmall H Tranny noise

So I bought an H. Engine sounds good but theres a noise coming from the tranny/ belly area. The noise goes away when the clutch is pushed in. Initially I thought that the worn power coupling was the problem but after replacing those parts it still is making the noise. I removed the belly pump and it is still making the noise. Currently Im working underneath where the belly pump mounts before disassembling the landing cover to inspect the tranny's insides. I removed the newly installed power coupling and removed the input shaft/bearing/and main drive gear and pump/pto gear assembly (these all come out as one assembly). The bearing in this assembly seems quiet and there isnt much play in the main shaft in the tranny either. I did notice that the inside of the main drive gear/ pto gear showed wear. This is where a bearing that is pressed onto the shaft in the tranny rides. The wear suggests that the bearing (which looks to have been replaced at some time based on the type of bearing it is (a sealed bearing with a black rubber seal which doesnt seem like an OEM part) Anyway if anyone can understand what I'm talking about so far, do you think this could be the rattling noise? Its not a grinding bad bearing noise its more like a loose rattling noise. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe some pictures of the inside of the tranny to get a better idea of what could be causing this? Anything is helpful! Thanks

Maybe I missed it, but have you had the whole clutch assembly out? Maybe the pilot bearing in the flywheel is worn out? Maybe the center splined hole in the clutch disc is worn? How about the clutch release bearing? All of these things will usually STOP rattling when the clutch pedal is depressed.

I have not had the clutch assembly out. The throw-out bearing seems fine. Ive spun it with my
hands and it doesnt seem to make a peep or feel
hung up at all, and you can tell its been greased
regularly. As for the pilot bearing I kinda
figured that even if the clutch is depressed then
the flywheel is still spinning and the pilot
bearing therefor would still be riding on the
driveshaft so I thought it should still be making
noise. I suppose if your saying it wont that its
only a few more bolts to take the clutch out. How
would I be able to tell if the pilot bearing or
center splined hole is worn? I guess Im asking:
will it be obvious or will I need to do some measurements with a dial/ digital caliper.

Does the noise appear any time the clutch is released? How about neutal, reverse, all forward gears - yes, even 5th? If the noise is not present when in 5th it might be the transmission pilot bearing inside the transmission and this might be the bearing you are trying to describe in the back end of the transmission input shaft. The noise created by a worn transmission pilot bearing USUALLY is not present when in 5th as the input and output shafts are locked together for a direct drive off the engine in 5th. Hope you understand this and if you have access to a parts catalog or service manual you can see this in detail, Hal.
P.S. Please post back your findings as we can all learn something from your situation, thanks.

Well I did drive the tractor home in 5th. I am trying to remember what I heard. I think there was still noise coming from it when I was in 5th but it wasnt as bad I think. Sadly as this point I would have to reassemble everything again to test the 5th gear thing. I am planning to pull that bearing off tomorrow after I go buy a puller small enough to grab it. Once its off I will be able to tell how loose it is inside the main gear housing. If it seems excessive and sloppy I will have to figure it out at that point. I'm also thinking Ill pull the clutch off and inspect the pilot bearing since I'm in there already. I will definitely keep you all posted, and any advice would help. I may just have to go get one of those books on the H if I cant figure this out soon, but honestly what guy really likes having to ask for help LOL.

see if the engine rear oil crank seal is leaking, also check the front tranny input shaft bearing, belly pump drive couplings, they are all a lot easier to replace at this point.

When the clutch is engaged the clutch shaft pilot bearing, clutch plate and crankshaft are all turning the same speed as a unit. So probably not the problem. Also the clutch release bearing wouldn't be turning unless out of adjustment. When in neutral clutch engaged the only parts moving at transmission is the input shaft and bearings. Main shaft pilot bearing. Constant mesh gears. Bearings front and rear of countershaft or lower transmission shaft. Second gear on lower transmission shaft turning reverse idler gear. Since you can't try the 5th gear you may try reaching in the hole input shaft was removed from and turning the lower shaft by hand and listen. Also the pto could be engaged and the lower shaft spun from it. Sometimes a worn reverse idler gear shaft or bushings will make a rattle noise. also a chiped tooth on reverse idler gear or its drive gear. You should be able to look at all teeth on constant mesh. Would make sure its not the main shaft pilot bearing first.

Alright got myself elbow deep into that hole today (boy that sounds wrong lol) but I did spin that shaft with and without the PTO engaged and and it was quiet. Im going to have to remove that Main shaft pilot bearing as you called it and see if that is loose when I put it into the center of those input shaft gears. Im assuming it should fit in there snug. If not it could make a rattling noise I would think.. Right? Also does anyone know what that main shaft pilot bearing looked like originally because Id like to know if this is some poor fitted replacement or if its original. I would have expected it to be an open cage bearing since its in the tranny. This one is a sealed bearing.... Anyone know for sure what it should look like?

IIRC it is a roller bearing that tends to shed its rollers into the trans case when taken apart. I have not seen a sealed bearing (I call it an intermediate bearing as it goes between the input and output shafts. (my mechanics trans teacher called it that) Jim

Today I took apart the transmission drive shaft and double bearings. I cleaned everything and they seem to be in good shape. I did fine that someone had RTV'd the housing at some point and had basically filled in the oil hole that feeds the bearings. I cleaned the whole housing and reassembled it. No noise. I pulled the inner pilot bearing and there was no noise there and almost no slop when i put it inside the tranny drive shaft. SO after cleaning it I put it back together and turned the tranny drive shaft by hand and you could hear the noise again! I disassembled it to find that the gear that drives the belly pump (18 teeth) seemed worn and seems to have been "polished" up. Im thinking that maybe the pilot bearing went bad and messed up the gear so someone filed down the gear a little bit and the teeth arnt meshing well anymore which is causing a clunky noise as you turn it.... Does that sound reasonable to everyone? Im pretty sure that poorly meshed teeth cause a racket when its spinning? Next question is where can I get a used one cheap so I can install it and be wrong and not loose a ton of money lol!

Turns out a buddy in town has a parts tractor that he said I could steal the part off of. Next time I post hopefully it'll be all fixed.... Ill be sure to let you all know!

I am glad you found the noise. It happens for several reasons, that which you mentioned, and if parts get jamed between gears or rust removes material. You are fortunate that the parts can be obtained easily. Jim

Just wanted everyone to know that today I finally got it all back together. Turns out that I was right and someone did replace the original transmission pilot bearing. They used a sealed bearing and cut the inside of the old gear to fit a larger bearing. In the end I got a new input shaft and found an original bearing on ebay for 15 bucks (the dealer wanted 80!). Put it all together today and it sounds great, no grumble or noises. Guess some chewed up gears will make a lot of noise! Thanks for all the help and take care!

Thanks for sharing what it took to fix it.