Got a problem t-5 related...

[Repostyle]

Okay, so as some of you have seen I just did my T-5 swap. I drove my parts car and the trans was perfect, no noise, no problems shifting.

I think my Tri-ax is bad. It makes a knocking noise in 1st 3rd and 5th. It won't go into 2nd at all, 4th and reverse are fine. Could I have a bad shifter? The stops are all the way out of the way and the shift lever seems to have clearence but I can't see everything with all the grease they put in there.

Other than that, I'm totally happy with the swap and thanks to those of you who gave me advice.

Edit: I forgot to mention the stock shifter seems to have gotten damaged once it was removed, I think it got used as a wheel chock by someone at my shop. It's too f'ed up to put it back on and be sure it's the shifter.

 

[stangfanatic]

Does it seem to be engaging correctly with the engine off (can you cycle through the gears)? From what I remember, there is a little nylon bushing that sits in the receiver and the stick sits into also that keeps the shifter ball from whacking around. Check that... also, did you buy your tri-ax new? I bought one at the Rockingham swap meet, supposedly for a T-45, but it was really for a 3550 and it did weird crap like that cause the shaft below the shifter pivot was too short.

 

[Repostyle]

I can get it into 2nd with the engine off but it takes a lot of force. All the other gears will engage, but like I said, there's a knocking noise like a semi engine brake when it's under load not like the grinding noise when you miss a shift, coasting or engine braking the noise goes away. I checked for clearance issues in the tunnel and driveshaft and nothing seems to be touching and the closest thing is about an inch away from the tunnel. All the mounts would have to flex a whole hell of a lot to move the trans more than an inch. I inspected all the mount bushings and replaced the bad ones.

The shifter is new from LMR and new bushing from the parts store.

I sent Steeda an e-mail today and let them know what was going on. I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I've pretty much diagnosed it down to the shifter itself is bad or wrong. I wouldn't expect that from Steeda or LMR but things happen and I'm sure it will get worked out, they're both reputible companies and I have no worries.

Was just kinda looking for 3rd opinions.

 

[NIKwoaC]

Have you tried putting it into 1st, 3rd, or 5th, then removing the shifter and seeing if the receiver is in the right position? Obviously, the receiver should be in the opposite position form the knob. 1st should be all the way back and to the right, 3rd should be middle/back, and 5th should be left/back. Sometimes you can use your finger to move the receiver through the gears... er, at least I can. It seems like if the shifter wasn't pushing the trans all the way into gear, it would kick it back into neutral as soon as you took your hand off the knob.

Your next option would be to pull the trans, pop the tail shaft and top cover off, and make sure no metal is floating around or chunks are missing from the gears. Also inspect the shift forks for damage.