T5 Output Shaft Machining

Martman · Oct 26, 2016

Is it a common practice for a machine shop to handle machining the end of s t5 wc output shaft to repair the low fluid damage? If so anyone have an idea of the cost?

I have the notorious whine and figure I will rebuild when I replace the rear main. I have had too many people complain about the Chinese ones on eBay for the money.

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jrichker · Oct 26, 2016

The output shaft of the T5 is a precision fit in a roller bearing. The shaft rides directly in the rollers, so the tolerances are very exact. For that reason, machining the shaft would not be a good idea.

Martman · Oct 26, 2016

So even if they sleeve it and then machine back to within tolerance? I thought I had seen others do this but I could be wrong. So if I need a new main shaft should I rebuild or buy rebuilt. I am just one of those guys that doesn't always trust "the man" without seeing it put together on these older cars. I know some are anti Chinese regardless of quality but tremec doesnt produce these anymore within a reasonable price range since they purchased from Borg Warner.

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jrichker · Oct 27, 2016

No one ever said that owning an old car was cheap. I had a pilot bearing fail and score the input shaft of the Tremec 3550 about 10 years ago. I spent $140 with shipping so that I could get it fixed right. The old input shaft is still around, I use it as a pilot tool when I remove the clutch.

Martman · Oct 27, 2016

Oh I know but if a shaft is going to cost me $400.00 and rebuild kit 300 and I can get a rebuilt tranny for $800 with a warranty then I will probably go for the rebuilt unit.

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2000xp8 · Oct 27, 2016

Certain levels of repair on a t5 just aren't cost effective.
That's just how it goes.
Once it whines real bad, the odds are a new or different transmission is the better choice financially.

Mustang5L5 · Oct 27, 2016

I deal with a local machine shop for work purposes. While not a T-5 specific part, I have had parts gall and such requiring a machining and sleeving of a component. Really all I needed to give him was a dimension and material spec and it was fairly easy for him to do.

I have heard of people sleeving mainshafts. No idea how well they hold up long term. I don't no the spec of steel used, or any heat treatment/hardening done to it. That's the wildcard

The mainshaft is 99 of of 100 times the source of the famous T-5 whine. Back when you could get a shaft for $60 in good shape, I repaired two T-5s by simply changing out the shaft and not even rebuilding anything else. One of them still lives in my car and is perfectly silent.

With that said, I'd have no issue sleeving a shaft.

Gearbanger 101 · Oct 27, 2016

I've seen the main shaft sleeve before. Better than original. The stock shaft is only hardened on the outer surface. Once that's worn through, it's done.

The sleeved ones I saw had 3mm of hardened bushing on the end. You're likely to wear the rest of the trams out a couple of times before wearing that out of spec.

Martman · Oct 27, 2016

Good info. It shifts fine just whines something terrible due to PO and fluid maintenance I am sure.

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broncojunkie · Oct 29, 2016

You can pick up a trashed t5 for a song, and just use the shaft from it. You might even use parts from yours to repair the other one. I have 3 or 4 old trashed t5's lying around just for parts. The last 2, I paid $75 each for them. Both are rebuildable and I plan on doing just that. I do have an extra main shaft lying around. It has a little surface rust you'd have to clean up and there's no hole drilled for the speedo drive gear retaining clip. I'd be willing to part with it. I have 5 mustangs and always looking to trade parts.

Mustang5L5 · Oct 29, 2016

I haven't been able to pick up a trashed t5 that cheap in a while. I used to scoop them up $0-$50 off CL all the time. Now, if one shows up they want $300 for it. Not worth it.

As we've a seen, a junk t5 is worth a lot in parts. Certainly no longer a throwaway

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broncojunkie · Oct 29, 2016

A guy from Texas sells rebuilt wc t5's for $695. Not sure if rebuilds include new synchros or what, but I know a guy who is using one and he's had no problems.

I still prefer rebuilding my own, simply because I can upgrade a couple parts, use new blocker rings, set up to zero lash (or slight preload) and replace the iffy parts. But for $675, it's getting harder to justify paying for a rebuild, if you have to pay labor.

Mustang5L5 · Oct 29, 2016

That's not a bad price given the cost of t5 parts. I used to rebuild and sell to buddies locally, but as costs crept up, my local supply of busted t5 dried up.

I used to just snag em for free.

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broncojunkie · Oct 30, 2016

Mustang5L5 said:
That's not a bad price given the cost of t5 parts. I used to rebuild and sell to buddies locally, but as costs crept up, my local supply of busted t5 dried up.

I used to just snag em for free.

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Just means you're not charging enough lol. I started messing with them simply because I kept paying good money for t5's that ended up being toast (although the sellers guaranteed they shifted fine when pulled). So I rebuilt them myself. You never really know what you're getting with a used one unless you can drive the car before they pull it. Even then, there's an undetermined amount of wear on synchros, which basically costs about the price of another used t5 to replace (not including labor). One of these days, I may spring for a g-force or Astro gearset. Problem with that is that for a few hundred more, I can buy a tko.

Mustang5L5 · Oct 30, 2016

My time dried up too.

I have one t5 left in pieces. Building that one for myself but unsure what to build it up to. G force? Z spec?

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Martman · Oct 30, 2016

I have done tons of research but never rebuilt one of these but with whining in 1-3 and 5th (hard to hear obviously but its there) that would a key in saying it is the shaft right? If it was a gear problem then you would hear it more pronounced in specific gears right?

Mustang5L5 · Oct 30, 2016

My experience, whining in all gears but 4th is an indicator of main shaft tip galling.

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MyFoxBody · Oct 31, 2016

Hello, I new here...hoping someone can help me with a t5 transmission rebuild. I hope its okay to piggyback on this thread.

I pulled the tranny out of my 89 5.0. The main shaft bearing surface under 3rd gear is gouged and I'm looking to replace the main shaft. I have found new and used main shafts for sale, but they all look different than mine. My main shaft has a flared tip (Not the tapered barring like on the cobras and Z trans). all others I have seen have a straight tip. I'm referring to the tip that inserts into the input shaft and rolls on the needle bearings.

No one I see selling new or used main shafts specifies a difference. Can I use a main shaft with a straight tip? If so do I need a new/different input shaft. If not where can I find an affordable replacement.

Any help you can give me is appreciated.

broncojunkie · Oct 31, 2016

MyFoxBody said:
Hello, I new here...hoping someone can help me with a t5 transmission rebuild. I hope its okay to piggyback on this thread.

I pulled the tranny out of my 89 5.0. The main shaft bearing surface under 3rd gear is gouged and I'm looking to replace the main shaft. I have found new and used main shafts for sale, but they all look different than mine. My main shaft has a flared tip (Not the tapered barring like on the cobras and Z trans). all others I have seen have a straight tip. I'm referring to the tip that inserts into the input shaft and rolls on the needle bearings.

No one I see selling new or used main shafts specifies a difference. Can I use a main shaft with a straight tip? If so do I need a new/different input shaft. If not where can I find an affordable replacement.

Any help you can give me is appreciated.

Can you post a pic of your tranny? Also the id tag, if you have one.

jrichker · Nov 1, 2016

A Tremec 3550/TKO/TKO 500/TKO 600 is a completely different transmission from a T5. Strong and almost bulletproof unless you run them without proper lubricant or full throttle shift without the clutch.

A Tremec T5 is still the same T5 that is prone to self destruction when used in a street/strip or racing environment

T5, all versions used in 5.0 Mustangs

Tremec 3550/TKO /TKO500/TKO600 AFTERMARKET replacement for T5 - handles racing environments with ease

See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/products/tremec.asp for more information - check out the "Light Duty" group, since TTC makes monster transmissions for big trucks as well as passenger cars.

T5 identifier information.

On the tail shaft of the transmission, there will be a stamped aluminum tag. The tag will have a number on it that you can cross reference to the chart below. There is no other way to find out what type of T5 it is without disassembling it. All the rest of the numbers on the outside of the T5 case are part numbers which are not unique to any particular T5 model.

Remember that 94 - 97 T5's have a longer input shaft (about 11/16” longer) and can only be used with a 94-95 bell housing unless you modify or replace the input shaft.

T5's used with a 4 cylinder have a 3.93 first gear, reduced torque ratings and an input shaft pilot diameter that is smaller that the T5 used for V6 & V8 engines. The pilot diameter is .59" compared to the .668" used on V6 & V8 T5's. It requires a different pilot bearing to be used with a V6 or V8. The pilot bearing you need is for a Ford Ranger diesel from AutoZone part #14672

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. 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.

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.”

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