Tremec Question: How Bad Is It...

[jikelly]

Hey I installed a 5.0 shifter in my tremec 3550 this past week and it is so much better than the old one. Anyway I noticed that the socket where the shifter plugs into the transmission was loose so I thightened the little alen screw in and that is when I noticed the thing was cracked.

So how bad is it for there to be a crack in that thing. I mean I assume that means it is going to fail completely one day and I won't be able to shift at all after that. I wonder how long I've got left before that happens. As of right now it still holds itself inplace on the arm or what ever it attaches to and it still shifts the tranny fine although it does move a little from side to side.

When it fails will I have to pull the tranny and do a complete overhaul to fix it?

 

[jikelly]

Really, No clue?

 

[stangboy]

Well, I've never seen the inside of a 3550, but if its anything like a T5 it will have to be opened up and like the top half of the tranny will have to be taken apart and that part will have to be replaced. Now, I'm guessing D&D Performance would have the piece you need because they are the Ford transmission specialists. So give them a call to see if they have the part you need. Then you have to find somebody/a shop to do the work. While you have the tranny open you might as well go ahead and get new syncros and stuff put in...unless the tranny is fairly new. But if you have a good bit of miles and beatings on it, it only makes sense to do a simple rebuild.

 

[jikelly]

Anyone done a rebuild on one of these?

 

[Mustang928]

Can you snap any pictures of the area cracked...?

 

[jrichker]

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
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

See http://www.ddperformance.com/index2.htm for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160. It does not include any gears or shafts.

The Tremec rebuild kit I bought was $384, it included syncros and all the bearings. There were no shims in the kit, and you will need them to assemble the trans with proper preload on the roller bearings for the main shaft and countershaft.

There is a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. If they are out of stock see http://cartapes.com. It costs less than $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.

You will also need a magnetic base and dial indicator to measure the endplay ($20-$40). See http://www.mscdirect.com/PDF.process?pdf=1312&Keyword=Y

The tricky part is that 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.

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.

 

[jikelly]

Unfortunatly I'd have to pull the shifter out to get a picture, but I'll take one when I do that probable next week. Anyway, thanks for the info jrichker. It will probable be a while before I do the rebuild. I have so many projects going on the stang right now that there is no way I can get to it for at least a month, and then there is the whole money thing. I wish I could work on the stang fulltime and get paid for it so I wouldn't have to stop everyday and go to work.

 

[tim_the_toolman]

Are you sure it isnt a drift pin your were trying to "tighten". No flame intended. I just got done rebuilding my T5 and a drift pin hold that piece on the selection lever not a allen screw. But it may be different on a tremec I am not sure? But that would explain why it looks cracked.

 

[jikelly]

I wish it was held on with a drift pin instead of the allen screw. Then I wouldn't be woried about it and there wouldn't be all that slop in the shifter because of it. I'm thinking of maybe putting some type of a clamp on it to hold it in place until I can do a rebuild.