Thanks everyone for your replies to my idle hopping issue. I'm still investigating & tinkering on that one. My next Q is a little lgr in scale. When I'm cruising between 50-65mph,in 4th or 5th gear & I let off the gas I get a pretty good noise out of the tranny, kind of like a grinding noise & it happens more when in 5th gear(probably because I'm going faster?) If I feather off my foot from the gas pedal it doesn't happen as much. What do ya think? Bad tranny? Going bad? Thanks for the time! -Noel- p.s. she is a 2.6, 5spd, (Borg warner?)4ze1 engine w/supposedley 30k on a rebuild. Thanks

Without hearing it, hard to tell what's going on in there, but since you said you just drove from Idaho ? Iowa ? (one of those "I..." states) to Cali, something you oughta check is the tranny fluid.

These things have a habit of pushing the oil from the tranny into the transfer case after extended highway use. It doesn't drain back either, leaving your tranny low on oil, and the t-case overfull. The reasons for this seem to be the seals on the shaft between the two, and probably compounded by the fact that there is no "breather" on the tranny. A common symptom is oil on the bottom of the truck that has spewed out the breather on the transfer case.

So, it's worth a check on the oil levels under there.

BTW, no, it's not a borg-warner, it's an Isuzu manufactured MUA5.

Better advise can not be had. Do NOT drive until you check fluid level of trans. Dangest thing with those seals, but I'm working on that one now.
Pull the fill line plug of your X-fer case and if oil pours out it came from the trans (YIKES!). Check trans also!
The input shaft to case and output shaft to case are roller ball bearings and can take some gaff, but the input shaft to mainshaft bearings are high in the trans and are needle bearings and NEED juice! D'rather spend 2 bucks for oil over yankin a gunky 5 speed w/X-fer case AND buying too many parts! Listen to your horse if you wanna ride.