Need Opinions On What To Do With This TKO600

9

92GreenGT

PEAT
Founding Member
Jul 18, 2002
2,085
1
46
Big Stone Gap, VA
#1
What would you do in my situation:

I have a TKO 600 that I swapped in after my T5 went bye bye, and I've not been happy with it since. The thing refuses to go in third gear and just feels "wrong". Everyone says to put the carbon fiber rings in it and it'll be much much better, roughly $250 worth of parts. Also, I made the mistake of not indexing the bell when I put the tranny in because I used the aluminum bell and I had numerous people tell me they didn't have to be indexed. Anyways, long story short is it could need the cf rings to be fixed or it could be a simple install problem causing it not to shift, the MM firewall adjuster/SN95 Cable/MM quadrant is also too tight to use, and MM said I would have to use an adjustable pivot ball to fix this issue. So that's why I think it could be a few issues with the install that's keeping it from shifting and not the trans itself.

The thing is I don't want to pull the trans and reinstall it and still have the issue. My question is about selling the transmission because I want to try an auto out with the turbo because of hearing people talk online and riding in friends turbo cars with autos.

In everyones opinion, should I:
A. Pull the trans and have the CF rings installed and pay the $500-600 for parts/labor and shipping the trans to and from the place to do the work. That way I can sell it for what it's worth and maybe a few bucks more since it'll be freshly went through and modified.
B. Sell it like it is and knock off $300 for the buyer for the price of the parts to fix it, IF it even needs the CF rings. Offer to ship it to the place of their preference to install the rings to save them from having to pay shipping there.

Opinions? I don't know if people would be willing to buy a tranny that doesn't work correctly even though I have plenty of feedback sources, etc.

Also, how much would a complete TKO 600 swap kit(clutch/flywheel, Bellhousing, Trans, Shifter, Fork, DS Yoke, Clutch Cable/Firewall Adjuster/Quadrant) sell for with around 1300 miles. Thanks!
 
#2
i think you could get 1800 to 2000 if you sold it as a kit, maybe a little more if you parted it.

Sounds like no matter what you are going to have to pull the trans. I would pull the trans, and check the bell alignment before throwing money at the transmission. Im sure this isnt news to you but a auto will make the car faster, but i think it will also take some fun out of it.
 
#5
Not running right, you need to knock at least 50% off the new price of parts maybe more. Buying something that needs repair is a risk vs reward situation.

While a good auto may run quicker, it's extremely boring on the street.
Point and shoot isn't really any fun. You will spend your driving time, daydreaming about shifting the car.

I've used my 600 for quite a while, always felt good to me, box stock, so i don't see any reason for internal aftermarket upgrades.

I know it's a PITA, but source out the real issue, and run the 600.
 
#7
Yeah what I was afraid of was finding someone to buy something that doesn't seem to work right. I think fixing it is the smarter thing to do no matter if I keep it or sell it.

Has anyone heard of replacing a shift lug? Had a guy on corral send me a PM and tell me that it's a shift lug causing my issues and it's a really cheap part to buy. I e-mailed all the tranny expert places online and everyone tried to sell me the carbon rings except MMR, they said it sounded like the shift lug is my problem and I could buy it from D&D.

I don't shift the car high and that's where everyone seems to have issues and need the cf rings. The tranny seems to move around a lot too like the mount isn't doing its job. Something is a miss, just don't want to spend a boat load on fixing it just to not be happy in the long run.

All the auto turbo cars I've been in on the street weren't very boring but they all run over 140mph so I guess it's really hard to be boring in that fast of a car. Just need to figure out a plan and go with it, sad thing is I only want the car to go bottom 11's and drive it everyday. ET would be so much easier with the auto and I already have a 4R70W here.


-Edit-
Anyone have any good links for indexing the bell housings and what type of air gap should I be seeing on the clutch disc(or does this change for each clutch manufacture?)
 
#8
i have a c4 in my 67 and with my 302 when it only had a intake, 4 barrel, mallory dizzy, it was a blast, but i did drive around wishing it was a M/T car. i will have to let you know when i get it back on the road with the current motor project under the hood.lol
 
#9
92GreenGT said:
Yeah what I was afraid of was finding someone to buy something that doesn't seem to work right. I think fixing it is the smarter thing to do no matter if I keep it or sell it.

Has anyone heard of replacing a shift lug? Had a guy on corral send me a PM and tell me that it's a shift lug causing my issues and it's a really cheap part to buy. I e-mailed all the tranny expert places online and everyone tried to sell me the carbon rings except MMR, they said it sounded like the shift lug is my problem and I could buy it from D&D.

I don't shift the car high and that's where everyone seems to have issues and need the cf rings. The tranny seems to move around a lot too like the mount isn't doing its job. Something is a miss, just don't want to spend a boat load on fixing it just to not be happy in the long run.

All the auto turbo cars I've been in on the street weren't very boring but they all run over 140mph so I guess it's really hard to be boring in that fast of a car. Just need to figure out a plan and go with it, sad thing is I only want the car to go bottom 11's and drive it everyday. ET would be so much easier with the auto and I already have a 4R70W here.


-Edit-
Anyone have any good links for indexing the bell housings and what type of air gap should I be seeing on the clutch disc(or does this change for each clutch manufacture?)
Click to expand...

Honestly, you sound pretty skeptical about what is wrong with the trans, and rightfully so.
Take it to an expert have them fix whatever is wrong, financially it sucks, but in your case without it, you may never have peace of mind any other way.
When it comes to you being happy, if it works right is there any reason that wouldn't be good enough for you?

As far as boring, most powerful cars aren't boring under full throttle, it's the rest of the time it's boring.
For the 4r70w, you are going to pay a boatload to make that trans turbo worthy and reliable.
You want to go that route, use Performance Automatics conversion for the 05+ auto trans in a fox.
 
#12
2000xp8 said:
For the 4r70w, you are going to pay a boatload to make that trans turbo worthy and reliable.
You want to go that route, use Performance Automatics conversion for the 05+ auto trans in a fox.
Click to expand...

About a grand and that gets you a good stall and a full manual vb. Not exactly much more than a C4 setup and you get the OD.

Considering I plan on buying a truck this year to use as a daily, I'm not exactly sure if I care if it's boring. Normal driving can only be so fun anyways.;)

I'd love for an expert to go through the tranny, just not an expert who is set on nothing but telling me the cf rings are the issue and that's all they want to sell me.

Think my plan right now is to call D&D about the shift lug and try that along with indexing the bell and using an adjustable ball stud to get everything in correct spec on the air gap on the clutch.
 
#13
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 TTC: Product Literature 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 – Adobe - Adobe Reader download - All versions

See Hanlon Motorsports - T5 and Tremec parts, sales and service or Welcome to D&D Performance - The 5 & 6 Speed Experts! for parts

Hanlon Motorsports - T5 and Tremec parts, sales and service 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.

For Tremec 3550 and TKO's:
You will also need a magnetic base and dial indicator to measure the endplay ($40-$120). Browse the MSC Big Book

If you replace any bearings, 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.
 
#14
Give Liberty gears a call and talk to brad, it sounds like either way your going to be fixing the trans and i thought thier work was great and the prices were pretty reasonable too. Only thing that sucks is shipping the trans.
 
#20
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