I bought my b44 fully assembled from a fella - it hadn't been run, and was mint.
the first thing I did was check the drivetrain 'freeness' - old habits die hard, and in the old days of 2000's or 1700's, no one could afford any tight trannys (fnnaarr!). I could roll my TA-04 over 30m with a decent push on a polished floor - it was a party trick
the b44 transmission felt notchy, and not quite right. with a gentle push on the kitchen floor, the car wouldn't roll further than half a metre.
I got it on the bench and spent a bit of time listening, until eventually i traced the tightness back to the ring gears.
they were shimmed up as per the manual, but they weren't as free as they should be. the 2 shims inside the casing pushed the gear onto the diff, with barely any clearance - so I took them out (front and rear) - and hey presto - one side of the kitchen to the other, and then most of the hallway
