I bought a 4 cylinder conversion car this past Saturday. It's a 1992 Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed trunk car. It has a motor/transmission out of a wrecked 1989 Mustang. Has mass air and everything. When we went on a test drive the very first time I shifted into second it grinded pretty bad but never did it again and all other gears worked perfectly fine. It did it just that one time. That led me to believe that it had the wrong fluid in it. I drained the fluid from the transmission and put Dexron Mercon III back in it like it calls for. Now the car is hard to get in any gear. Sometimes 3rd won't go in at all it'll just grind and pop out unless I try to force it in which I don't like doing. I feel like I shouldn't have messed with the fluid
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The fluid that came out of the transmission was red so I know it didn't have gear oil or anything in it. Some people are saying it could be my cable or the pressure plate. It has the stock clutch cable in it. What could be the problem? It's such a nice car other than this problem.
T5 Transmission Problem.
- Thread starter 92LXTrunk
- Start date
I've always been told don't mess with the trans fluid on a screwed up trans unless you are willing to completely rebuild it.
Why that theory is actually true, i don't know. But i've been doing this a long time, and have yet to see anyone that changed their trans fluid and had it make any positive difference.
Many times if it's the cable, quadrant or pressure plate the issue is in every gear and is usually a consistent problem.
Sounds to me like you need a rebuild. Fortunately if you pull the trans yourself it isn't that expensive.
If you drive the car alot with a screwed up trans, likely it will go from a small parts rebuild, to a pile of scrap metal.
If it's a nice car as you say, it's not the end of the world, at this point i'd think that very few here have t5's that haven't been either replaced or rebuilt.
Why that theory is actually true, i don't know. But i've been doing this a long time, and have yet to see anyone that changed their trans fluid and had it make any positive difference.
Many times if it's the cable, quadrant or pressure plate the issue is in every gear and is usually a consistent problem.
Sounds to me like you need a rebuild. Fortunately if you pull the trans yourself it isn't that expensive.
If you drive the car alot with a screwed up trans, likely it will go from a small parts rebuild, to a pile of scrap metal.
If it's a nice car as you say, it's not the end of the world, at this point i'd think that very few here have t5's that haven't been either replaced or rebuilt.
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.
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 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.
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.
See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.
Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90
Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40
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.
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 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.
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.
See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.
Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90
Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40
