Drivetrain Locked Out Of Second

meg

Member
Sep 9, 2017
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I am new to all of this, but I am needing some information. I own a 92 GT. I bought it in 1995 and it is pretty much original everything. I have put over 400,000 miles on this car over the years. It became a project that my dad and I were working on. Then he passed away. I don't know a lot about mechanical things but was learning by working with him. Now I really want to finish this restoration process in honor of him, but without him I have to rely on youtube and chilton's. My question right now is about my transmission. It shifts beautifully in and out of every gear except 2nd. It is completely locked out of 2nd gear. I don't know if I need to start looking at buying a new transmission or if mine can be fixed. I am wondering about the cost of one option versus the other as well. I figured I would post this before consulting a shop because I feel like they would probably just push me towards whichever option would allow them to charge me the most...after all, I am a girl and clearly attached to this car.
 
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I don't know how you feel about the DYI thing when it comes to gears, some people don't like the idea of working on transmissions. If the DYI transmission fix idea isn't something that you would rather leave to someone else, here are some resources:

See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/onlineorder/product.asp to download a FREE service manual for T5 or Tremec 3550/TKO
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://get.adobe.com/reader/

See http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ or http://www.ddperformance.com for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160-$200. It does not include any gears or shafts.

http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ also has a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. It costs about $20, and is worth every penny of it.

I did a Tremec 3550 rebuild, and it wasn't that difficult. The video was an immense help, and I would recommend viewing it. At $20, it will give you an opportunity to look and decide for yourself if you think that it is something you want to try to do.

Alternate sources for the T5 rebuild video...
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...30j0i22i30.0.0.0.9710...........0.Mz886XmDDt4

T5 Shim kits – best product I have seen in a while… http://www.5speeds.com/t5/shims.html
“The Peel ‘n Place T5 World Class shim kit makes shimming T5 counter gear and main drive gears very easy.”

For Tremec 3550 and TKO's:
You will also need a magnetic base and dial indicator to measure the endplay ($40-$120). http://www.mscdirect.com P/N 06444129 cost was approximately $57 + shipping as of Feb 2013


The tricky part is that you will need some shims to adjust the endplay in the two shafts: the new bearings will change the clearance. There is no way of telling what it will be until you get to the point that it is time to measure and check the clearances. Halon has the individual shims if you can wait for them. If you can't afford the wait, the auto parts store can sell you some shim stock and you can make your own, or have a machine shop make them for you. The shim stock comes in brass (easy to cut) and steel, in varying thicknesses. That's where the dial indicator & base come in - there is no way to get the clearance right without it.

Getting the car jacked up high enough to get the trans jack in and out from under the car was somewhat challenging. Since I didn't have a helper, getting the trans out of the car and back it was one of the more difficult things about the job. I built a trans jack out of 2x6's, some angle iron and a $25 floor jack. If I hadn't done that, I would have needed a helper or to rent a commercial trans jack. At 100+ pounds the Tremec 3550 was far too heavy for me to lift by myself.
 
Thank you. That is a lot to take in, but I will certainly look at those links. I have a few gear head friends that can assist me if I choose to embark on the diy path.
 
Nope, Every other gear is good but 2nd is completely untouchable. It won't go into second running or not. I remember when it gave out, I was having to double clutch for a little while before it locked up completely.
 
Then shift fork failure or some serious damage to the 2nd gear syncho assembly. Either way, the trans will need to be opened up and inspected to see what the failed components were. At that point you can decide if it's worth it or not.