What exactly makes the trans howl? Mine started last year. Not real load, I
just noticed a difference. It always popped out of 1st if you didn't hold the
gear shift, since 1965. I changed gear oil to Amsoil, helped a little with the
noise. I do need to replace the seals.
Easy thing to do is check Your balls and detent springs. The three cap screws in
a row on edge of trans hold the springs and ball bearings. Could easily be a
short spring. Just a matter of bending over and taking a look after removing
14mm cap screw. Your other balls are the cause of howling in this case. Your
main pinion bearing is worn causing pinion depth to change. In fact all Your
gears are moving just a little back and forth. What can and does happen is that
main bearing looses its balls. The whole shaft drops and lots of gears get
broken. Case can even get messed up. Good news is that I have a nice tested
refurbished trans here for less than $10,000 (approximate trans price from
Hugh). Later Dave the Wave