t-5 fluid

[onenastytbird]

Star bolt in side of t5?

I ended up loosening this star bolt in the side of the tranny thinking it was the filler hole then once it came out so far then stopped turning I like an idiot kept trying to remove it til i remembered someone saying that one of the bolts did something really bad to the t5 (see below) so how do i know rather or not i screwed up my tranny without driving the car? Im still working on everything else on the car and cant drive it so is there a way to tell? i never heard a clunk or anything dropping but im sure that doesnt always happen right? i mean there was no fluid in the tranny at the time so i would think i would hear something but feel the way my luck is Its probably screwed. Any words of advice would be great at this point since i "was" almost done with this pita of a project car.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.


btw the torx bolt was not taken clear out but it was out far enough to be snug and hard to turn anymore

That is absolutely true, except for the part of them being similar.

The two plugs that look the same are on the passenger side. The bottom plug is to drain, the top plug is to fill/check fluid level.

There is indeed a Torx head bolt on the driver side that, if loosened and backed-out of the case far enough, WILL neccesitate a teardown of the transmission. It will not simply screw back in and make everything OK. If you hear a "clunk" you're done for. That bolt is the pivot pin for the fifth and reverse gear shift lever. Once that bolt is backed out far enough, it allows the shift lever to drop out of alignment and may also drop the retaining ring. In other words, DON'T TOUCH THE TORX HEAD BOLT ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION CASE.

 

[Shakerhood]

I tried to buy Mercon 2 at the Dealer today as that is what meets the XT-2-QDX Specs, the Dealer wanted to sell me Mercon 5 but I wasnt too crazy about that idea, not sure what to put in it now.

 

[Beasty306GT]

i used royal purple stuff works real good

 

[87GT Drop Top]

I just got a Pro Motion T5 and they specifically said NO synthetic fluid. They told me to use regular DexronIII.

Go to a parts store and but DEX/MERC or also called DexronIII. DexronII was superceded by DEX/MERC, DexronIII

 

[Shakerhood]

I just got a Pro Motion T5 and they specifically said NO synthetic fluid. They told me to use regular DexronIII.

Go to a parts store and but DEX/MERC or also called DexronIII. DexronII was superceded by DEX/MERC, DexronIII

Thats good info to know.

 

[NIKwoaC]

I've experimented with several different types of fluids, and I've found synthetic fluid actually makes the T5 shift worse. Go with a traditional conventional or a Hot Shift / Trick Shift conventional (again, not synthetic) ATF type fluid.

 

[WHT306]

I USE ROYAL PURPLE SYCROMAX FOR TRANNY'S THAT USE ATF WORKS GREAT

 

[BigmacK192]

I've experimented with several different types of fluids, and I've found synthetic fluid actually makes the T5 shift worse. Go with a traditional conventional or a Hot Shift / Trick Shift conventional (again, not synthetic) ATF type fluid.

What do you mean, shift worse?

 

[NIKwoaC]

What do you mean, shift worse?

The syncronizers don't seem to grip as well, resulting in "notchy" shifts. It's hard to explain, but it's almost a barely noticeable grind that occurs when you're shifting lazy. My theory is that the syncros were designed for conventional, so with the slippery synthetic fluid, they don't grab as well.

I have heard transmission builders on multiple occasions recommend conventional over synthetic ATF, including Tony at Astro Performance, who built my current T5.

 

[BigmacK192]

The syncronizers don't seem to grip as well, resulting in "notchy" shifts. It's hard to explain, but it's almost a barely noticeable grind that occurs when you're shifting lazy. My theory is that the syncros were designed for conventional, so with the slippery synthetic fluid, they don't grab as well.

I have heard transmission builders on multiple occasions recommend conventional over synthetic ATF, including Tony at Astro Performance, who built my current T5.

Interesting. I guess that makes sense. It's making me wonder whether or not to put in the Royal Purple synthetic I just bought.

 

[NIKwoaC]

Interesting. I guess that makes sense. It's making me wonder whether or not to put in the Royal Purple synthetic I just bought.

If it is specific for MTs, then I might run it, if its just a synthetic ATF, I wouldn't.

IMHO, Royal Purple is just overpriced hype. I know a guy in retail/distribution, and he tells me the markup on that stuff is insane. The sales guys love it, because people will just blindly buy it for the name on the bottle.

Not to rain on your parade or anything, haha.

 

[BigmacK192]

If it is specific for MTs, then I might run it, if its just a synthetic ATF, I wouldn't.

IMHO, Royal Purple is just overpriced hype. I know a guy in retail/distribution, and he tells me the markup on that stuff is insane. The sales guys love it, because people will just blindly buy it for the name on the bottle.

Not to rain on your parade or anything, haha.

Well, my parade got rained a while ago

Seriously though, I've heard tons of stories praising RP ("It smoothed my shifts!" "Very positive movement when I'm bangin' gears." "Never going to anything else") and tons hating it. I know the markup is insane, but when I purchased, it was only 7 bucks a quart after tax. So I could try it, or get my 2 bucks per quart back.

 

[tb9050lx]

I tried to buy Mercon 2 at the Dealer today as that is what meets the XT-2-QDX Specs, the Dealer wanted to sell me Mercon 5 but I wasnt too crazy about that idea, not sure what to put in it now.

mercon V is the replacement for merc 3 , ford sent out a tsb a few years ago ,merc V is fine for a t-5.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, my parade got rained a while ago

Seriously though, I've heard tons of stories praising RP ("It smoothed my shifts!" "Very positive movement when I'm bangin' gears." "Never going to anything else") and tons hating it. I know the markup is insane, but when I purchased, it was only 7 bucks a quart after tax. So I could try it, or get my 2 bucks per quart back.

Royal purple is made out of metal. Seriously. I have a bar of it on my desk. It is expensive stuff, so not all of it is price markup. A two foot bar of pure molybdenum is about $1500. Rp Is molybdenum disulfide, which is commonly used as a dry lube more than liquid form. It's very gummy

I would not put royal purple in anything that is not frequently torn down and rebuilt.....like a pro race car. So I wouldn't use it in a daily driver type of car


I also run conventional fluid in my t5 rather than synthetic because I feel the synch grabs better with less slick fluid. The quicker the synch grabs and matches speed, the less wear on your blocker rings.

 

[BigmacK192]

Well, there it goes. Nik and 5L5, you've both convinced me. Hurray for another parts run!