1989 Aod To T5 Swap Complete. Having Issues Getting Into First. Help Needed!

[JchamperIII]

Hello,

This past weekend I have completed my AOD to T5 swap in my 1989 mustang. I install a used T5 tranny. After completing the install I still had the car in the air. I ran the car through the gears with the car running and everything seemed to work good. I put the car on the ground fired it up to back it out of the garage. Put the car in reverse and it backed out just fine. Pedal heights seemed good and It was going smooth. I then went to put it in first at a dead stop and it didn't feel like it wanted to engage. I would push the shifter into first then let out on the clutch and it would grind. I would then try second and it would grind. Threw it in third and she engaged. Once I was going 3-5 gears worked great. Coming up to the stop sign I pushed the clutch in, RPMs fell to idle, and I coasted to a stop. I was still rolling when I put it in first and it grabbed the gear and I let the clutch out and away I went. When it came time to shift into second It had a hard time finding the gear. I had to go directly to third. At a dead stop trying to find first when you put the shifter in first it doesn't feel like its hitting anything. I had my buddy push the car slowly forward while the car was running and I put it in first and you could feel it engage the gear and I let the clutch out and away I went no grinding. Reverse hasn't ground on me yet and it doesn't pop out of gear at all. Just hard to get in to first and second from a dead stop.

I know for a fact my adjustable clutch cable and billet 2 hook quadrant are good. They are brand new and adjusted properly. I have an older Hurst Competition Pro shifter on the tranny. It has the gear stops on it. I think I got those right as the handle doesn't hit them when shifting into gears. Could it be that my shifter just isn't working anymore or am I looking at something like a T5 WC syncro rebuild kit?

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[90sickfox]

Sounds like it needs a rebuild...contact Hanlon motor sports. They supply upgraded t5 parts. Awesome company.

 

[jrichker]

Clutch adjustment
Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems. With the stock plastic quadrant and cable, pull up on the clutch pedal until it comes upward toward you. It will make a ratcheting sound as the self adjuster works. To release to tension of the stock quadrant, use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet paw up and out of engagement with the quadrant teeth.

Binding clutch cable
A binding clutch cable will make the clutch very stiff. If the cable is misrouted or has gotten too close to the exhaust, it will definitely bind. The binding common to adjustable cables is often due to misplacement of the adjusting nuts on the fork end of the cable. This will also cause the cable to wear and fray. Both nuts should be on the back side of the fork so that the domed nut faces the fork and the other nut serves as jam or locknut to the domed nut.

Clutch pedal adjustment
Clutch pedal adjustment with aftermarket quadrant and cable: I like to have the clutch completely disengaged and still have about 1.5” travel left before the pedal hits the floor. This means that I have only about 1” of free play at the top before the pedal starts to disengage the clutch. Keep in mind that these figures are all approximate. When properly adjusted, there will not be any slack in the clutch cable. You will have 4-15 lbs preload on the clutch cable.

Adjustable clutch cable tips:
Loosening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the rear of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the floor.

Tightening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the front of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the top of the pedal.

The fancy 2 and 3 hook quadrants are for use with stock length cable and a firewall adjuster. Use the firewall adjuster and screw in and out to take the slack out of the cable and get the clutch engagement point just where you want it.

Firewall adjuster tips
Turning the firewall adjuster IN makes the engagement point closer to the floor since it loosens the cable. You have to push the pedal to the floor to disengage the clutch. Too loose a cable and the clutch won't completely disengage and shifting will be difficult. Gears will grind and you may have difficulty getting the transmission in first gear when stopped.

Turning the firewall adjuster OUT makes the engagement point farther from the floor since it tightens the cable. You push a short distance to disengage the clutch. Too tight a cable will cause clutch slippage.

Aftermarket solutions to the problem:
The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just as good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

Using a stock OEM cable, firewall adjuster and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.

Fix for the quadrant end of the cable popping out of the quadrant when installing a replacement cable courtesy of Grabbin' Asphalt

Help for those who have replaced the clutch assembly and are still having problems with adjustment:
The next step doesn't make much sense it you already have the transmission installed, but just for sake of discussion, here it is:
The throwout bearing sits in the clutch fork arm with the wave springs pressing on the rear flange of the throwout bearing.

Major differences between the distance between the flywheel surface and the clutch fingers may require tinkering with the clutch fork pivot ball. Stack your old pressure plate, clutch disc and flywheel up like they were when installed in the car. Tighten down all the pressure plate bolts and measure the distance between the clutch fingertips and the flywheel face.
Too much thickness will cause the clutch fork arm to sit too far back to get the clutch cable on the quadrant. It may even sit against the rear or the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm. In that case, reduce the pivot ball height.
Too little thickness will cause the clutch fork arm to sit too far forward and bottom out against the front side of the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm.. This will prevent the clutch from fully disengaging.
In other words, the clutch fork arm should sit positioned midway or a little towards the rear in the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm when the cable is properly tensioned.

 

[stykthyn]

Along with the above what shifter are you running? Cup in the shifter in good condition? Did you adjust bump stops? Your throw to 1-2 gear could be off.

 

[JchamperIII]

Thank you for the awesome write up jrichker!!

Stykthyn, I am running an older Hurst Competition Pro. I thought I adjusted the bump stops correctly. It just doesn't feel like the car will go into first or second from a stop. I have to really jam it forward to get it to go but it will only go when it wants too. If I am coming up to a stop and I down shift to first with out engaging the clutch the car will go into first with no grinding then when I am slow enough or even stop the car will be good to go in first. I'm going to readjust my clutch to what jrichker said and try it again tonight. I am half tempted to buy a new shifter to try that because that's cheaper and easier than dropping a tranny. Plus I'll have a new shifter! The Hurst I have on there is quite old and the springs are a little worn out as it wont return the shifter to middle neutral by its self. I have not checked the cup but that could cause my shifts to not go as far correct?

 

[stykthyn]

The cup is absolutely necessary in a stock shifter base. I'm Not overly familiar with the hurst unit. Also make sure the base is bolted down tightly. Any loose movement could cause shift issues.

 

[JchamperIII]

This is the shifter I have.

Hurst Competition Pro. It's an older short throw before the billet series came out.

I'll have to pull the shifter to see the condition of the cup or if its even there anymore.