Who's to say it's the trans ? If it shifts perfect like you say I'm betting the noise is from somewhere else In the drivetrain , when my rear diff was going out it sounded like my trans/cases were gonna grenande , wasn't them at all lol , if it does everything you need it too and no major clanks or popping , run it ! Hell I ran the majority of fordyce when I lost 1st gear , 2nd gear was fun , just ask drew lol