Strange tranny/drivetrain prob!

[RayBrian]

Strange transmission/drivetrain problem! help!

So I was cruising on the feeder road about 45 mph 3rd gear... tranny/clutch go out.
I lose all power and coast to a stop.
serious clunking noise start coming from car, NO NOISE in neutral with clutch PUSHED IN, however if clutch is let out (partially OR fully) in neutral, heavy loud clanking.
The car shifter will also slide into all gears, but has no "go" just more clanking when clutch is let out.

i put the car up on ramps, because earlier today there was a vibration coming from the car around 2,200 RPM, felt like driveshaft vibe... however, it seemed to get progressively worse throughout the day(the vibration) its a ford racing aluminum driveshaft btw. so i looked at the driveshaft, everything looks fine. the clanking was not coming from the driveshaft... but a foot or 2 away closer to the engine bay

Where should I start? whats wrong? rebuild tranny? not a mechanic, but knack for mechanics and would like to try work myself. This possible? bad idea? what parts to order?

All input/replies greatly appreciated ahead of time, thank you much!
-Brian

edit: specs of car 92 LX notch 5.0 302, S-trim only 5psi, 84,000 on motor, same on trans i assume, centerforce dual friction clutch(dont know how new, just got car), 30lb injectors, bbk throttlebody, cold air, yadda yadda, 3:73's w/ positrack rear end, ford racing aluminum driveshaft, pro 5.0 short throw

 

[proxses]

With the car on jackstands, turn the rear tires with the clutch pushed in.
You will almost definitely need a friend. Unless you can use a brick or wedge the clutch down.
Anyway, when turning the tires, see if the tranny makes noise, or if you feel wierd varying resistance to turning the tires. That would be a sign that there is a tranny problem. Otherwise you may have a grenaded clutch.
Unfortunately it is probably the tranny.
Or you could just pull the tranny and see if the input shaft turns freely.
Then you could also inspect the clutch.
Check to see what is wrong first. If it won't take you long, I say pull the tranny. Then come back and let us know what broke. Then we can give you advice on how to fix the problem.

 

[RayBrian]

ok so I did what you reccomended with the turning of the tires... I think the clutch is fine, tranny down! weird resist/wont turn/clanking in ANY gear w/wout clutch, AND in neutral w/ clutch OUT, only works fine when in neutral and clutch is in(no noise).

So, I need to drop the tranny, how heavy is it? whats one way to drop sucessfully this? never done tranny work before, halt? order rebuild kit?? or wait to see whats inside before I buy replacement parts?

 

[blk92stangg]

Ah, dropping the tranny is acutally pretty simple. Drop the h-pipe, pull the drive shaft, disconnect clutch cable and various wire connections, unbolt crossmember, unbolt tranny to bellhousing bolts, shake the tranny around, and voila, it slides out...of course nothing on the mustangs go that simply, what, with rusted bolts, stripped heads and whatnot. I did a t5 conversion in my driveway with the car on really high jackstands, and with the help of 2 friends. Its not really hard, and you can support the tranny somewhat successfully with a floor jack. When I reinstalled the tranny we did away with the jack and just muscled it up and in. Good luck, its acutally kinda fun to do.

 

[UMDSmith]

Id suggest getting a friend at least, especially someone that knows trannys.

 

[will4193]

I would pull the tranny, but don't take it apart. You will be able to turn the input shaft by hand and listen for your noise. Also try to move the shaft up and down to see if theirs play. If you have the trans out I would take the five minutes to pull the clutch and flywheel. Check them out for wear and heat cracks, etc. Then you can see the rear main seal and make sure its not leaking. If you like mustangs you'll love the satisfaction of doing this yourself. However if you find your tranny is junk I would just get a tremmec.

 

[Waffen]

Do you really need to have mechanical expirence to take a tranny out, or is it as easy as you make it seem?